Time for a Change in Approach: POCO X8 Pro Is a Good Midrange Phone That Stays Too Close to the Status Quo
POCO, Xiaomi’s brand, has over the years become one of the standout names in the midrange smartphone market. In particular, the relatively affordable X models have stood out, leaving change from 2,000 shekels and offering enough power and convenience for the needs of most users. Success also brings expectations for every new model, and now one has arrived, the POCO X8 Pro. We took it for testing, courtesy of Hamilton, Xiaomi’s importer, to see whether it lives up to those expectations.
Design and build: a slight visual change and larger dimensions
The design is similar to last year’s model, with a few differences. One relatively minor but noticeable change is the look, last year the back of the device had a two-tone finish, while in the new model that idea has been replaced by a single uniform color. Xiaomi’s package, as usual, also includes a silicone case for the device, which in any case hides the back, and that may be one reason for sticking with a single color. Beyond that, most of it is similar, two lenses protrude from the back, the front display is completely flat, and the placement of the buttons has not changed.
The more notable changes are in the device’s dimensions, and not for the better, the screen is slightly smaller, 6.59 inches compared with 6.67 inches last year, but the weight has increased by a few grams, enough to push it past the 200-gram mark. The X8 is also slightly thicker, not dramatically compared with the previous model, but compared with a competitor like Samsung’s Galaxy A57, the POCO suddenly feels heavy and bulky.
The device’s protection is very good, unchanged from last year, the X8 meets IP68/IP69 standards, meaning it has strong protection against dust ingress and can survive immersion in water and even strong water jets. Screen protection remains Gorilla Glass 7i, not the type found on flagship devices.
Hardware: a modest upgrade in most features
Here, of course, there is a change, with a new processor, Mediatek’s Dimensity 8500. The test unit came with 12GB of RAM, including an extra 6GB taken from storage, a setting that can be changed on the device, and 512GB of storage. This is a strong specification that will be enough for most users, the X8 runs smoothly and quickly, it had no problems with any task, including heavy gaming, and during use I did not feel it heating up.
The missing feature that stands out is eSIM support, something that should already be almost taken for granted. Most of the other features are very similar to the previous model, on paper the maximum brightness has been improved, but even in the previous two models it was strong enough for use in direct sunlight. The display delivers very good color output, but suffers somewhat from reflections. The speakers are loud and provide sufficiently good sound, but still cannot compete with an external speaker.
The battery has seen only a minor improvement, after the significant upgrade introduced last year, capacity has risen from 6,000 mAh to 6,500 mAh. After a full charge, the device lasted a day and a half to two days without issue. When the battery runs down, it supports fast charging, and the package includes a 100-watt charger, another slight improvement, compared with 90 watts last year. Charging times remained the same, about 15 minutes to charge from 15% to 50%, and about 40 minutes for a full charge.
Software: no new features
The operating system is Android 16 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS interface. By default, the system shows an app drawer and navigation is done with finger gestures, and both choices can be changed at any time in the settings menu. Xiaomi loads it up with a lot of apps and games without asking whether you want them, which is a bit annoying and unnecessary.
The AI features are here, of course, with partial Hebrew support, Xiaomi’s browser can generate summaries of articles and texts and also translate from other languages, and in the notes app you can get suggestions for rewording Hebrew text or start typing and let the AI complete it, but the automatic transcription of recordings in the Voice Recorder still does not support Hebrew. Among the apps installed automatically is Google Gemini, which provides additional AI capabilities.
Cameras: good, especially for first impressions
The camera setup remains unchanged, a main 50-megapixel camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 20-megapixel selfie camera. Accordingly, the results are also good and similar to the previous model, the cameras produce good to very good photos in daylight and good lighting conditions, and they also do a good job at night. Why only good? Because that is true mainly for the first impression from the photos, and when you look more closely and focus on the results, you find that they are sometimes a bit flat and the colors lack a little vibrancy.
Summary
The X8 Pro is a very good midrange device with strong specifications, but too few new features and changes. In previous years that would have been enough, because most consumers do not need more than that. In my view, the main downside is the build, as I noted, after Samsung’s A57, which recently arrived for testing and felt like a thin, lightweight premium device, the X8 feels somewhat bulky, thick and heavy.
On price, it remains very attractive, the price starts at about 1,500 shekels for the model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and if you want to upgrade to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, you still get change from 1,700 shekels. Here the victory over Samsung is clear, the Korean competitor offers less memory and storage at the same prices. By the way, Xiaomi also offers the X8 Pro Max models, with prices starting at about 2,000 shekels, a more powerful processor, and eSIM support. Now we have to wait and see whether the next model will give us more of the same or a more substantial upgrade.
