Xiaomi does it again, leaving the mid-range competition shaking: The Poco X8 hits the market at a bargain price, with a bright OLED display and a high-capacity battery. The new phone impresses even under our rigorous testing conditions – though not in every area.
It's no longer news that Xiaomi can pack great features into an affordable phone; the Chinese company has been doing so for years.
This Xiaomi phone's AMOLED screen is exceptional
This year, the Poco X8, which costs around US$ 340, puts the spotlight on its very bright OLED screen, which reaches around 1,000 nits in everyday use, making it well suited to outdoor use. In HDR mode and with small illuminated areas, it can even reach up to 4,000 cd/m².
The 6.8-inch screen also offers a fast response time and balanced brightness distribution. However, two groups of users should take a closer look: First, there are sensitive individuals who have had bad experiences with PWM flickering in the past. They won't necessarily be thrilled by the fairly low PWM frequency of 125 Hz. Although DC dimming at over 3,000 Hz is superimposed on this, you should definitely try the screen before buying if you've had problems with this before.
Professionals who expect absolute color accuracy from their screen may also be disappointed: Color deviations peak at 6.86 DeltaE, which is a little too high, with reds in particular appearing too intense. For ordinary users, however, this will hardly make a difference in everyday use, especially since color reproduction can be adjusted quite extensively to suit personal preferences.
The Poco X8 lasts forever
The Poco X8's second highlight is its huge battery, which offers a capacity of 8,340 mAh. This enables runtimes of almost 30 hours in our Wi-Fi test. A similarly priced Motorola Moto G77 manages just 20 hours here. The review device's predecessor, the Poco X7, offers over 40 % less battery life at 17:30 hours.
This means you can go for days without charging when using your phone normally, and even with more demanding tasks, getting through a working day without a power outlet is no problem.
And what do we have to criticize about the Xiaomi phone?
But we also found a few things to criticize about the Xiaomi Poco X8. You can find out what they are and what final rating we give it in our in-depth review.
Editor of the original article: Florian Schmitt - Managing Editor Mobile - 1690 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2009
I initially wrote about gaming laptops when I joined Notebookcheck in 2009. I was then involved with the setup of the comparison portal Notebookinfo and worked with social media concepts for large companies like BMW and Adidas, while also returning to work for Notebookcheck in 2012. Nowadays, I focus on smartphones, tablets, and future technologies. Since 2018 I have been Managing Editor for mobile device reviews, working alongside my colleague Daniel Schmidt.