The POCO X8 Pro Max is the top-tier model in the POCO X8 Pro series, and it aims to establish itself as a standout option among the top affordable phones, boasting great hardware with budget-friendly pricing.
We were trying our hands on the POCO X8 Pro Max for the last few weeks, and in this article, we are going to share a detailed hands-on review of the POCO X8 Pro Max with all readers of Geeky Stuffs.
This review is divided into various sections to cover each aspect of the device separately and talk about the pros and cons of each section.
POCO X8 Pro Max Review
Unboxing
POCO X8 Pro Max comes in a full-sized retail box and gives the impression that you will find plenty of stuff inside it.
Upon opening the package of the POCO X8 Pro Max, you'll discover the essentials along with all the accessories: the phone itself, a pre-installed screen protector, a charging cable, a 100W fast charger, a SIM ejector tool, a case for the back panel, and some accompanying booklets.
So, from today's standard, you get everything you need in the retail box of POCO X8 Pro Max.
Design and Build Quality
The POCO X8 Pro Max comes with a very minimalistic design, sticking to a clean, familiar design, though this time the camera module is slightly more compact compared to the previous generation of X-series smartphones and now includes RGB LED lighting as well.
It is available in white, black, and blue. Our review unit is the blue variant, featuring a fibreglass layer that keeps fingerprints at bay. The overall look remains minimal, with little visual distraction apart from the POCO branding at the bottom left. On the back, the IR blaster and LED flash sit neatly alongside the camera module, where the RGB lighting is subtly integrated around the lenses. When turned off, the lighting is practically invisible.
The phone weighs 220 grams and measures 8.2mm in thickness, giving it a solid and sturdy feel. It also comes with multiple ingress protection ratings - IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K to ensure strong resistance against dust, splashes, and even high-pressure water. At the bottom, you’ll find a USB Type-C port, along with a speaker grille, while an identical second speaker at the top enables a stereo speaker setup.
One of the noticeable upgrades this time is the inclusion of an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanner. This is still quite rare in this price segment, and it proves to be both faster and more reliable than the usual optical fingerprint sensors..
The RGB lights around the camera lenses are not just decorative, they also function as indicators for notifications, charging status, incoming calls, and camera activity, and can even sync with audio for dynamic lighting effects. Users can customise colours and adjust brightness through the settings.
Additionally, since the lighting is placed on the back panel, it’s not visible to the user during activities like gaming. But it comes really handy for the notification purposes.
Display Quality
The POCO X8 Pro Max features a large 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It also supports HDR10+ and reaches up to 3,500 nits of peak brightness, making it easy to view even under bright sunlight. The OLED panel uses 3840Hz PWM dimming, which helps minimise eye strain during extended use.
For streaming, the device supports HDR on platforms like Netflix and YouTube, along with Dolby Vision and a 12-bit colour depth for enhanced contrast and richer colours. The display delivers deep blacks and vibrant visuals right out of the box, and for those who prefer a customised look, there are plenty of settings available to fine-tune colour reproduction.
At the 120Hz refresh rate, the display is fast enough for browsing and gaming. It is not an LTPO display, so there is no granular change possible in refresh rate. But considering that we got a massive 9000 mAh battery, it does not matter much.
Hardware and Performance
The POCO X8 Pro Max is powered by a 3nm, sub-flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9500s chipset, paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage. This hardware combination is more than capable of handling everyday tasks as well as demanding workloads like gaming, ensuring smooth performance, quick load times, and responsive multitasking. It also stands out in its segment by offering one of the more generous memory and storage configurations, especially at a time when component costs are on the rise.
To keep thermals in check, the device is equipped with a large 5,800 mm² vapour chamber along with an 11,000 mm² graphite cooling system. This setup helps maintain stable performance during extended gaming sessions, allowing the phone to stay cool and perform consistently under pressure.
It performed brilliantly in our benchmark tests and gaming tests. It scored a bit fewer points in AnTuTu benchmark compared to the official numbers from Xiaomi and POCO achieved in a controlled lab environment. But the real-life performance is still top-notch.
Additionally, POCO includes its WildBoost optimisation, designed to enhance gaming performance by maintaining high frame rates while minimising frame drops and overheating issues. Overall, the phone is well-equipped to handle intensive usage without breaking a sweat.
You can watch our gaming performance test video of the POCO X8 Pro Max below to get the better idea about the gaming capability of the device.
Software Features
On the software side, the POCO X8 Pro Max ships with HyperOS 3 based on Android 16. The company promises at least four major OS upgrades along with six years of security updates, which adds a good level of long-term value.
Feature-wise, you get additions like depth and cinematic wallpapers, fluid animations, and HyperIsland, which handles alerts and notifications. It also supports Live Activities such as music playback, timers, navigation updates, ride tracking, and incoming calls, making real-time information more accessible.
The initial setup does come with its share of third-party preloaded apps and folders filled with recommended games and services on the home screen. Thankfully, it doesn’t take much time to clean things up and get a more streamlined experience.
It comes with some useful AI features as well to improve your productivity, and you can easily access them all from a dedicated HyperAI section in the settings. But the customisation options for the RGB LED lights are not as easy to access as it should be, as the controls are buried under additional settings within Back Light Effects, making them less convenient to use. As one of the highlighted features, the menu to customise these lighting should be in the primary menu of settings.
In everyday use, the software feels smooth, stable, and easy to navigate. There’s also a high degree of customisation available, so you can tweak the interface to better suit your preferences if the default setup isn’t to your liking.
HyperIsland-like features are getting common on Android smartphones, and Xiaomi's implementation is pretty nice and useful for sure. Unfortunately, it does not come with Super Wallpaper and Always-on-Display for more than 10 seconds, which you will find on more expensive Xiaomi smartphones.
Battery Performance and Charging
The POCO X8 Pro Max is equipped with a massive 9,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, supported by 100W fast charging and 27W reverse charging. A compatible charger is included in the box, capable of taking the phone from completely drained to full in roughly 1 hour and 25 minutes.
By default, the device caps charging at 80 percent using its Intelligent Charging feature, which is designed to extend long-term battery health. If you prefer a full charge, this setting can be disabled through the Battery Protection section within the Settings app.
Watch our battery charging speed test video below to see the battery charging speed and process below.
Once fully charged, the POCO X8 Pro Max lasted nearly 3 days on my daily usage that includes gaming, social media, browsing and streaming. For high-end gaming, the battery drain was just 12% after nearly 2 hours of gameplay. So the battery performance of the device is going to brilliant for all usage scenario. And once it goes down, you can charge it swiftly with 100W changer bundled in the retail box.
The fast reverse wired charging gives you the ability to charge your other products quickly using the POCO X8 Pro Max as a power bank. The only thing we are missing here is the wireless charging capability but consider the price segment of the device, it is still okay.
Camera Performance
The POCO X8 Pro Max features a dual rear camera setup, headlined by a 50MP primary sensor with a 1/1.95-inch size, alongside a more modest 8MP ultrawide camera with a much smaller 1/4-inch sensor. On the front, there’s a 20MP punch-hole selfie camera.
It’s clear that POCO has prioritised performance over camera hardware here. While the setup may not impress photography enthusiasts on paper, it’s still capable of delivering good results in the right conditions.
The main camera is the standout performer, capturing pleasing images across different lighting scenarios, with particularly strong results in low light. The selfie camera also does a decent job, and portrait mode effects are well-executed, although the lack of autofocus is worth noting.
The ultrawide camera is best used in well-lit environments. With fixed focus, it isn’t suited for close-up or macro shots, and its small sensor struggles in low light, often producing noisy and softer images.
A notable limitation of the setup is the absence of a dedicated telephoto lens. Zoom capabilities max out at 10x digital zoom, which essentially crops into the main sensor, leading to a noticeable drop in quality at higher zoom levels.
In terms of video recording, the POCO X8 Pro Max supports up to 4K at 60fps on the main camera. The ultrawide is limited to 1080p at 30fps, while the front-facing camera can record at 1080p 60fps. Overall video quality is fairly good, with reliable stabilisation helping keep footage steady. The phone also supports slow-motion and timelapse recording, both of which deliver pleasing results for casual use.
To get an idea of the camera capability of POCO X8 Pro Max, you can watch the video below.
Speakers Quality
POCO X8 Pro Max features a symmetrical stereo speaker setup, with one speaker firing upwards and the other downwards, delivering a balanced audio experience.
It comes with Dolby Atmos support, along with a full graphical equaliser that includes presets and manual controls. If you prefer, you can switch to Xiaomi’s in-house audio engine instead. The phone is also certified for Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Wireless Audio, and supports a wide range of codecs including SBC, AAC, LDAC, LHDC 5.0, LC3, ASHA, and Auracast.
In terms of loudness, the speakers can get impressively loud, with an option to boost output up to 400%. That said, pushing beyond 100% isn’t ideal if you care about sound quality, as the audio can start to sound distorted and tinny at higher levels.
At normal levels, the sound output is clean and well-balanced, offering a reasonably wide soundstage. Mids are clear, highs are decent, and the bass is fairly limited, which is typical for smartphone speakers.
Conclusion
The POCO X8 Pro Max checks all the right boxes for a performance-focused mid-range smartphone. With its powerful chipset, efficient cooling system, and massive battery, it delivers a consistently smooth experience, particularly during gaming sessions. It also performs reliably in everyday use, complemented by a vibrant display and strong battery life that can comfortably handle even heavy usage.
If a telephoto lens is not your concern and you are not into too much photography then, POCO X8 Pro Max is the best value-for-money smartphone in its price segment.
