POCO X8 Pro Max – A New Pro Max in the Market
Apple does not hold the excluvisity to the “Pro Max” monicker. Other brands have also taken the name to their flagship products, which feature premium power and performance. This latest product by POCO (a Xiaomi brand) has also finally take the name on their latest POCO X8 device. It also packs premium performance but its price tells otherwise – it’s way more affordable than your typical “flagship”.
The POCO X8 Pro Max offers incredible value and flagship-level performance at a very accessible price point. It features excellent battery life and capable cameras. This makes it an easy recommendation for most users.
Build and Design
This is the first time that POCO is introducing a “Pro Max” in their line up. This phone is also known as Redmi Turbo 5 Max in other countries. The local naming may not be too relevant here. It stands as a way to standardize the naming convention of the series in the local market. The design may be seen as pretty standard. It borrows the look of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Some may also find its overall design boring and bland. You have to take note that design may not actually be the focus of the POCO X8 Pro Max. It is actually the build. The phone feels solid and intact in your hands.
The POCO X8 Pro Max is crazy slim for a device that houses an 8500mAh battery. That is crazy for such a slim device. It measures 162.9mm by 77.9mm by 8.2mm. It weighs 218 grams. It also has a metal frame and a fiberglass back that adds a premium feel. The device features a suite of IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K dust and water resistance ratings. The camera bump is slightly flushed and does not protrude much. This is very similar to its younger sibling, the POCO X8 Pro. It also features racetrack-inspired camera decos integrated with a dynamic RGB light. This light responds to notifications and gaming. You can get it in Black, Blue, and White.
Display
The phone features a huge 6.83-inch AMOLED display. It has a 1.5K resolution of 2772 x 1280 pixels. The screen is very bright and easy to read outdoors. It reaches up to 3500 nits of peak brightness. The 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling feel very smooth. I enjoyed watching videos and playing games on this screen. Colors look vibrant and accurate.
It supports 68 billion colors and DCI-P3 wide color gamut. It also has an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. The sensor provides a very fast and secure unlocking experience. It uses Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for protection. The phone supports 3840Hz PWM dimming. It has three TUV Rheinland eye-care certifications. You get a comfortable viewing experience even in different lighting conditions. It also features Wet Touch display 2.0. This means you can use the screen even when your fingers are wet.
Hardware
Game performance is exactly what you would expect from a premium chipset. The phone uses the flagship Dimensity 9500s processor. It is built on a 3nm manufacturing process. It has a max clock speed of up to 3.73GHz. This is a slightly more optimized chipset compared to the previously launched Dimensity 9500 on the OPPO Find X9 and vivo X300.
This is a very timely release. The specific SoC supports lower memory. Based on the unit we received, it only has 12GB of physical RAM. It supports virtual RAM though. This is an interesting setup because it helps POCO from acquiring 12GB RAM parts. These parts are absolutely less expensive than 16GB. The storage is fast with UFS 4.1 technology. You get either 256GB or 512GB of storage space. The phone handles multiple apps and heavy games with ease. It features the POCO 3D IceLoop Cooling System. It has a large 5800 square millimeter liquid cooling area to keep the temperature down during intense gaming. It also supports hardware-level ray tracing for better game graphics. The WildBoost Optimization helps maintain stable frame rates.
Benchmark
The benchmark scores show just how powerful this phone is. We tested the device using various benchmarking tools. The phone scored an impressive 13,892 on PCMark 3.0. It reached a multi-core score of 8,252 and a single-core score of 2,608 on Geekbench 6. The AnTuTu 3D benchmark result was a massive 2,675,212.
It also scored 6,051 on the 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme test. These numbers prove that the Dimensity 9500s can handle heavy workloads. It performs better than many other phones in its price range. The performance is stable and reliable for daily tasks and gaming. You will not experience lag or slow load times.
Software and other software features
The device runs on Xiaomi HyperOS 3. The interface is clean and responsive. Navigating through menus feels very snappy. The system offers seamless interaction across different devices using Xiaomi HyperConnect. You get features like Xiaomi HyperIsland for expanded live activity support. Google Gemini is also integrated for smart assistance.
You can use Circle to Search to find information quickly. The software includes a new Ticket Purchase Mode. This feature helps you buy tickets faster during high-demand sales. It improves touch response and optimizes processing power. The phone also supports offline voice calls up to 500 meters without a network. It is a very practical addition for emergencies. The phone also supports eSIM for easier international travel. The AI Creativity Assistant simplifies editing photos.
Camera
The camera is acceptable for the price. It is packed with a 50MP main camera with OIS. This main camera uses a Light Fusion 600 image sensor. It has an 8MP ultra-wide lens. It also has a 20MP front facing camera. Camera performance is very good despite not packing 3-digit MP camera specs. This just shows how POCO has further optimized their camera system in their smartphones.
In terms of camera quality, photos are very good.They have a good level of contrast and saturation. Do not expect it to perform just as good as the Xiaomi 17. What it offers is enough to make it an all-around device. You can use it to take good photos or even create content if that is what you fancy.
The default camera app offers the right amount of modes and features to get you going for video. It supports features like UltraSnap and Dynamic shots. I highly recommend that you download Blackmagic Camera if you wish to maximize what the POCO X8 Pro Max can do. Surprisingly, this application is compatible with the POCO X8 Pro Max. You can shoot Open Gate 4:3 at 4K30 using Blackmagic Camera. This is not accessible when you use the default camera app. There is cropping, mind you. This is acceptable especially if you wish to easily repurpose your videos shot on open gate. I have to also mention that the POCO X8 Pro lacks this feature.
Audio
Sound is good. It is loud but a little less punchy. It is definitely acceptable. The phone features dual 1115F symmetrical speakers. It supports Hi-Res Audio and Dolby Atmos. You can clearly hear dialogue in videos.
Music sounds clear enough for casual listening. The volume gets very loud. It has a volume boost feature that can increase sound by 400 percent for open spaces. The night time low-volume mode is great for quiet environments like bedtime.
Battery
The phone comes with a massive 8500mAh battery. Battery life performance is still too early to tell. I have only been using the device for less than a week. I will update this review after 2 weeks. In my initial experience, 100% battery to 20% can last for about 20 hours for moderate usage. I still have yet to check further.
The phone supports 100W wired HyperCharge. It also supports up to 27W reverse charging. This means you can use the phone to charge other devices. It is very convenient when you are traveling. The battery can retain over 80 percent of its capacity even after 1600 charge cycles. This is roughly equivalent to six years of regular use. It also features Smart charging to manage device temperature.
Verdict
Price is absolutely great. At PhP27,999, this is absolutely a flagship killer. It is unbelievably good for the price. The only trade-off that I am seeing here is the 12GB limitation. This is what the chipset can support. Such limitation can be remedied by virtual RAM.
You get incredible performance, a huge battery, and capable cameras. The software features are practical and useful. This phone is a great choice for gamers and heavy users. The POCO X8 Pro Max offers more value than most phones in the market right now.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
