Xiaomi Poco F8 Ultra review: Bang for your buck

Best Prices Today: Xiaomi Poco F8 Ultra

Xiaomi-owned Poco has focused on affordable handsets for its entire existence, but the company is beginning to change tack. 

The launch of its first-ever ‘Ultra’ phone sees Poco just about step into flagship territory. At £749, it undercuts three key rivals – the regular Pixel 10, Galaxy S25 and iPhone 17 – yet offers a more premium experience in several key areas. 

Is this the cheap flagship breakthrough that we’ve been waiting for? I’ve been testing the Poco F8 Ultra for over three weeks to find out. 

Design & Build: Beautiful finish, bulky size

The Poco F8 Ultra is available in either Black or Denim Blue finishes, but I’d only seriously consider the latter. 

In my hands-on review, I described it as “the coolest design I’ve ever seen”. While the novelty has worn off since then, I stand by it. Despite not being made of real denim, it closely reproduces the texture and pattern of a pair of jeans. 

I really haven’t been enjoying the bulk of this phone

The grip it adds makes it preferable to go case-free, while my review sample hasn’t collected any significant dirt in the three weeks I’ve been using it. 

It’s also well protected against the elements. An IP68 rating verifies its ability to tolerate submersion in up to 1.5m of freshwater for up to 30 minutes and means it’s fully dust-proof. As someone who likes visiting the beach and regularly gets caught in the rain, this peace of mind is crucial.

However, I really haven’t been enjoying the bulk of this phone. The Denim Blue version is a rather chunky 8.3mm thick, and it weighs 220g. That’s not unheard of for a 6.9-inch phone, but it can be uncomfortable to hold at times. 

Further thoughts

• The Denim Blue version uses fibre-reinforced plastic on the back, while the Black variant has a silicone polymer
• Its aluminium alloy frame feels tough and durable

Screen & Speakers: World-class sound

It speaks volumes that the Poco F8 Ultra’s impressive display isn’t one of its highlights. But make no mistake, this expansive 6.9-inch panel doesn’t disappoint. 

A 1200 x 2608 resolution gives it pin-sharp clarity, while the 120Hz refresh rate ensures silky-smooth visuals. 

In general, it’s a very good AMOLED, offering the high contrast and deep blacks that we know and love. I was very happy to use it as my only screen for trips away, even while watching longer YouTube videos. 

While slightly muted colours make it a small step down from the best phone screens around, the same can’t be said for the speakers. Tuned by Bose, the F8 Ultra has two dedicated speakers (one top, one bottom) and a separate subwoofer on the back. 

…the best audio quality I’ve ever heard from a smartphone

They combine for the best audio quality I’ve ever heard from a smartphone. Sound is rich, full-bodied and dripping in bass, getting impressively close to room-filling. It tolerates high volumes well, avoiding any audible distortion.  

It’s so nice to be able to have a premium listening experience without connecting to headphones or an external speaker. 

Further thoughts

• The display lacks LTPO tech, meaning the refresh rate can’t go below 60Hz
• The optical under-display fingerprint sensor is one of the best around
• Peak brightness of 3500 nits ensures excellent outdoor visibility

Specs & Performance: Stutter-free without breaking a sweat

The Poco F8 Ultra couldn’t offer better performance if it tried. With Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset under the hood and 12- or 16GB of RAM, it’s a stellar performer in every conceivable situation. 

If you want top-class phone performance across the board, look no further than the Poco F8 Ultra

With my typical usage – lots of web browsing, messages, email, navigation and photo-taking – the F8 Ultra has an almost embarrassing amount of power in reserve. It’s also a highly competent multitasker, with the large display making it ideally suited for productivity tasks. 

Even when you push it harder, the phone doesn’t break a sweat. I tested it across four of the most demanding titles: Call of Duty Mobile, Asphalt Legends, PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact. Gameplay remained smooth, maintaining high frame rates throughout, with a slightly warm back the only indicator that the phone was working hard. 

If you want top-class phone performance across the board, look no further than the Poco F8 Ultra. 

Xiaomi Poco F8 Ultra benchmarks

Further thoughts

• Available in either 12/256GB or 16/512GB options
• Supports dual physical SIM cards and eSIM
• Offers the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 standards

Cameras: The first disappointment appears

The cameras on the Poco F8 Ultra are a mixed bag. 

On one hand, the phone excels in good lighting conditions, with the 50Mp main lens a real highlight. Despite having no real camera expertise, I was able to consistently capture dozens of gorgeous photos during my three-week testing period.  

In general, you can expect images that are vibrant, well-exposed and brimming with detail. Dynamic range is excellent, and colours are generally true to life. 

Impressive performance continues when you switch to the 50Mp telephoto, which offers a competent 5x optical zoom. Even shots at 10x, which rely on digital zoom, are often very usable. 

I’d also recommend using the telephoto lens for portrait mode, which struggles with edge detection at times but generally delivers a pleasing image with a professional-looking background blur. 

The cameras on the Poco F8 Ultra are a mixed bag

The 50Mp ultrawide is a little less impressive, with some noticeable drop-off in colour accuracy and some missing details, but that’s only really apparent when comparing it directly to the main lens. 

And the front-facing 32Mp camera has been a joy to use most of the time. The detail I’ve been able to capture in some selfies has been astounding, while the portrait mode here is arguably even more convincing. 

However, the cameras are badly let down by their low-light performance. The automatically enabled night mode overcompensates, losing colour accuracy and giving faces a weird AI-like appearance. 

Also, the long exposure required to make this happen means there’s a noticeable delay between hitting the shutter button and the photo being taken. This was a nightmare during a gig I went to, where the headlining duo were jumping around on stage. 

I tried turning off night mode, but the photos were practically unusable, so there’s no good solution here. 

Further thoughts

• The ultrawide lens only has a 102-degree field of view, which isn’t as wide as many rivals
• The F8 Ultra can shoot video at up to 8K at 30fps. Both the main and telephoto lenses offer OIS (optical image stabilisation)

Battery Life & Charging: Two days on a single charge

With a 6500mAh capacity, the Poco F8 Ultra has one of the biggest batteries of any phone right now, and it’s one of the things the phone excels at. 

While working from home, I was able to comfortably get two full days on a single charge, despite around six hours of usage in total. On one occasion, I headed out for the day with only 30% charge, but it didn’t even drop into single figures eight hours later.  

And even on those more demanding days, I never worried about making it to the end of the day, giving me total peace of mind. 

Poco claims that the F8 Ultra’s 100W wired charging can get you from 0-100% in just 38 minutes, but you need a compatible charger – there isn’t one in the box. 

I only had a 67W one available, meaning it took 68 minutes for me. However, 30 minutes was still enough for 64% charge, which was plenty for a full day in all but the most extreme circumstances. 

Further thoughts

• The F8 Ultra has a lithium-ion battery, which takes up more space than equivalent silicon-carbon cells but should hold up better over time
• 22.5W reverse wireless charging means you can use the phone to top up earbuds and other Qi accessories quickly

Software & Apps: Slick but bloated with add-ons

• Software is full of useful features
• Too many ads and lots of bloatware

The F8 Ultra ships running the same HyperOS 3 software as Poco’s parent company, Xiaomi. It’s based on Android 16 but looks and feels quite different – and not in a good way. 

My main gripe is the bloatware, with lots of extra pre-installed apps from Xiaomi and third parties. Some of the bloatware is potentially useful, other apps are a total waste of time, and none of it should be on the device without your consent. 

Some of the bloatware is potentially useful, other apps are a total waste of time, and none of it should be on the device without your consent

Then there’s the ‘Wallpaper Carousel’, an excuse for Xiaomi to serve a different lock screen image and associated article every time. It’s very annoying, and I’m yet to see one I’d click on. 

You can remove most of the offending apps and turn off most of the ads, but it shouldn’t have to be that way. HyperOS 3 can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re coming from another version of Android or an iPhone. 

It’s a shame, because the rest of HyperOS is slick, fast and generally well-organised. It’s full of useful features and offers almost endless customisation opportunities. 

Further thoughts

• AI tools include the usual suspects, such as writing, transcription and image generation tools, but there’s nothing revolutionary here
• Xiaomi offers only four major Android OS updates, but six years of security patches

Price & Availability: Competitive at its current price

Officially, the Poco F8 Ultra starts at £749, putting it in direct competition with the regular Pixel 10, Galaxy S25 and iPhone 17 (all from £799).

However, both Xiaomi and Amazon have regularly been selling the phone for much less following its launch, and you can get it for £549 from the former at the time of writing. 

With discounts like these, it becomes one of the best options in the ultra-competitive mid-range phone market. But sadly, it’s not available in the US.

Should you buy the Xiaomi Poco F8 Ultra?

Yes – but only if you can find it at a discount. At anything under £600, the F8 Ultra represents superb value for money, combining flagship-level performance with incredible battery life. 

At full price, the shortcomings become harder to ignore, most notably in the software and low-light camera performance. But Poco’s first ‘Ultra’ phone is an undoubted success, and it gives more established rivals a real run for their money. 

Specs

• HyperOS 3, based on Android 16
• 6.9-inch, 1200 x 2608 AMOLED, 120Hz
• Optical fingerprint scanner
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset
• 12/16GB RAM
• 256/512GB storage
• 50Mp, f/1.7 main camera
• 50Mp, f/3.0 periscope telephoto
• 50Mp, f/2.4 ultrawide
• 32Mp, f/2.2 selfie
• Up to 8K @ 30fps rear video
• Stereo speakers tuned by Bose
• Wi-Fi 7
• Bluetooth 6.0
• 6500mAh battery
• 100W wired charging
• 50W Qi wireless charging
• 163.3 x 77.8 x 7.9 mm or 8.3 mm
• IP68 certified
• 218 or 220g
• Colours: Black, Denim Blue