Poco X8 Pro Max - the name sounds like the phone came straight from Apple's product catalog. And I admit, I thought the same thing when I first saw it. However, after a few weeks of use, it became clear that Poco is not trying to compete where most manufacturers compete today. Although at first glance the phone resembles a premium model, its strengths lie elsewhere.

Instead of talking about revolutionary cameras, all the attention is focused on performance and battery. The manufacturer has packed a huge 8500 mAh battery, a powerful Dimensity 9500s processor and a 120Hz AMOLED display into the phone, and all this costs significantly less than most of today's flagships. After a few weeks of use, it became clear that Poco knows its audience very clearly - this is a phone for those who play a lot, travel a lot or simply do not want to look for a charger every night.

Unpacking

The model we bought from Aliexpress arrived with all the necessary accessories. In the box, I found the phone itself, a USB-C cable, a 100 W charger, a SIM needle, and a silicone case. Although the Poco X8 Pro Max supports eSIM, fans of physical SIM cards were not left out either. I also liked the fact that a protective film was already applied to the screen.

First impressions

iPhone 17, is that you? That's the question I had when I first took the Poco X8 Pro Max out of the box. The overall design is certainly reminiscent of Apple phones, but the orange model I tested has enough uniqueness to not be considered just another copy. First impressions are good - the phone looks solid and much more expensive than its price suggests. 

The build quality also contributes to the good impression. The metal frame, buttons with a pleasant click, and a solid assembly make you forget that I am holding a budget-class phone in my hands. This is a rather large device, which practically corresponds to my iPhone 12 Pro Max in both name and size. The weight of 218 grams is felt in the hand, but this is precisely why the phone looks solid and high-quality. 

Screen

The Poco X8 Pro Max uses a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. This is one of the biggest advantages of this phone and the first thing you notice when using the phone every day. The display is bright, contrasting, and perfect for any content displayed.

The maximum brightness reaches up to 3500 nits, so even on a very sunny day there were no problems viewing content. The fingerprint sensor integrated under the screen works quickly and accurately - during the entire testing period, it only failed to recognize a finger once. In daily use, I quickly got used to the overall smoothness - browsing, social networks and games move very smoothly, without any lags. 

Performance, productivity and gaming

The heart of the Poco X8 Pro Max is the MediaTek Dimensity 9500s processor with 12 GB of RAM. In terms of overall performance, this phone is close to higher-end devices and leaves no reason to complain in everyday tasks. Apps open quickly, multitasking is smooth, and system animations look extremely smooth.

The phone also feels very confident in games. Wuthering Waves is currently one of the most demanding mobile games, and the X8 Pro Max copes with it even at maximum settings and 60fps. True, in some cutscenes there were frame drops to about 30fps, but this is more like a problem with the game's optimization than a limitation of the phone itself, since such jumps are rarer during real gameplay.

After about 20-30 minutes of gaming, the phone starts to heat up. Although performance remains largely stable, fps starts to drop more often, and comfort deteriorates significantly - the phone becomes very hot. I found information on forums that when the phone heats up, it still reduces performance, so this can become a limiting factor for very long gaming sessions.

Camera

The Poco X8 Pro Max's camera system isn't the main highlight of this phone, but it works well for everyday use. During the day, photos are bright, have enough detail, and have fairly natural colors. For social media or simple shots, the quality is definitely enough, and sometimes the results are even pleasantly surprising.

However, there are some weak points here, and one of them is the portrait mode. Edge separation is a matter of luck, and sometimes the blur itself looks artificial. Overall, the cameras do their job well - they are perfect for everyday shots, but they are far from flagships dedicated to photography.

Battery

One of the strongest arguments of the Poco X8 Pro Max is its battery. The 8500 mAh capacity sounds impressive, and in reality it really feels it. Even with fairly intensive use - with social networks, video content, browsing and games - the phone easily lasts a whole day, leaving a solid reserve for the next. With less intensive use, you can easily reach the two-day mark, which is still a big advantage in this class.

100W fast charging is also an important aspect. Despite the huge battery, charging is fast - the 50% is charged in less than half an hour, and a full charge from 0 to 100% takes a little over an hour. I also liked the fact that the phone adjusts the charging power depending on the load. For example, when playing games, the charging speed is reduced so that the phone does not overheat. It is also very fun to watch the first seconds of charging, when the charge percentage rises right before your eyes. It is good that such an image cannot be left on the screen forever, because it seems to have a somewhat hypnotic effect.

What did we like?

The LED lighting integrated around the camera module left a particularly pleasant impression. At first, it seemed like another feature that I would try once and forget about, but in reality it turned out to be quite useful. You can assign different colors and effects to calls, messages, or notifications from other apps, so you often don't even need to pick up the phone to understand what's going on (if the phone is face down). 

I also liked the overall comfort of use. The phone always worked quickly, apps opened instantly, and due to the long battery life, I usually just forgot about the charger. That's the biggest advantage of this model - it simply performs the basic functions of the phone very well.

What we didn't like?

I didn't notice any major flaws during the testing period. If I had to find fault with something, the volume and unlock buttons could be a little more separated from each other, because I confused them more than once in the first few days. I would also like slightly better cameras, better processing in portrait mode, but considering the overall price-performance ratio, these are more minor observations than serious flaws. The Poco X8 Pro Max is not a perfect phone, but for this price it is surprisingly difficult to find something to seriously complain about. 

Verdict

The Poco X8 Pro Max is one of those phones that has no right to be as good as it is. Yes, you'll have to delete a few dozen unnecessary apps, and the cameras have their flaws, but everything else works surprisingly well. For that price, you get a phone that looks more expensive than it costs, runs faster than you'd expect, and makes you think about the charger much less often. The Poco X8 Pro Max may not shake up the market, but it clearly shows how much you can get for your money these days.