Poco X8 Pro Max: Big battery, lots of compromises

The Poco X8 Pro Max arrives as the new flagship of the X series, succeeding the X7 Pro with a genuine SoC upgrade: the MediaTek Dimensity 9500s delivers high CPU and NPU performance but cannot keep pace with current Snapdragon flagships. Under sustained load, the chip throttles noticeably, occasionally causing dropped frames during gaming. Due to limited memory bandwidth, the UFS 4.1 storage falls well short of its potential.

The 6.83-inch AMOLED display impresses with a very high peak brightness of over 3,500 cd/m² and an eye-friendly PWM frequency exceeding 3,000 Hz; however, it likely employs temporal dithering, which detracts from that eye-friendliness. The chassis—featuring an aluminum frame, IP68 certification, and solid build quality—makes a premium impression.

The 8,500 mAh battery is the device's strongest selling point: nearly 20 hours of runtime in the Wi-Fi test and a full charge in under an hour via 100-watt charging are impressive figures. Wireless charging, however, is not supported.

The camera is a disappointment: the lack of optical zoom, a weak ultra-wide-angle lens prone to aberrations, and an over-sharpening front camera make this the X8 Pro Max's Achilles' heel compared to the competition. The speakers also sound muffled and suffer from distortion, despite their size.

Other drawbacks include USB 2.0 connectivity, the absence of 6 GHz Wi-Fi, and HyperOS with pre-installed ads. The warranty period is just twelve months. For users who prioritize battery life and performance above all else, the Poco X8 Pro Max is a strong option at its reduced price (buy here on Amazon), though it falls short of being a true all-rounder.