Quick Specs
Our Verdict
The Poco M8 Pro 5G delivers an exceptional OLED display, remarkable battery life, and surprisingly capable cameras — all for well under £300. A few compromises aside, it sets a new benchmark for budget smartphones in 2026.
How We Prepared This Review
Prepared by our editorial team using verified source material, product research, and a British-English editorial rewrite before publication.
- Our editorial team reviews the working bundle for product facts, tradeoffs, and decision-useful details before publication.
- Source material can be translated into British English and rewritten into our house style without carrying publication branding into the body copy.
- Affiliate links are handled separately from the editorial verdict.
Affiliate links never determine our verdicts. Commercial relationships are disclosed separately from the editorial assessment.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Superb 6.77-inch OLED display with 3,200 nits peak brightness
- Outstanding battery life from 6,000mAh cell
- Fast 33W wired charging with 18W reverse charging
- Capable 50MP main camera with OIS
- Aggressive pricing well under £300
Cons
- No telephoto lens — zoom is digital only
- No wireless charging support
- No eSIM capability
Full Specifications
Key Features
Superb 6.77-inch OLED display with 3,200 nits peak brightness
Outstanding battery life from 6,000mAh cell
Fast 33W wired charging with 18W reverse charging
Capable 50MP main camera with OIS
Aggressive pricing well under £300
Poco M8 Pro 5G: A Budget Powerhouse
The Poco M8 Pro 5G arrives as a more affordable sibling to the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G, and in everyday use the two are remarkably close. Poco has trimmed the price without gutting the feature set, making this one of the most compelling sub-£300 handsets available right now.
Display
The 6.77-inch OLED panel is genuinely impressive at this price point. With a resolution of 2392 x 1080 pixels, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 3,200 nits, it delivers punchy colours, deep blacks, and excellent outdoor visibility. Scrolling is smooth, and HDR content looks far better than you would expect from a phone in this category.
Performance
Under the hood sits a MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra processor paired with a Mali G57 MC2 GPU. For day-to-day tasks — messaging, browsing, social media, and light gaming — it handles everything without meaningful lag. It is not a flagship chipset, and demanding 3D games will require lowered settings, but for the target audience this is more than adequate.
Battery and Charging
The 6,000mAh battery is the standout feature. In testing, it delivered outstanding endurance — comfortably lasting a full day of heavy use and stretching into a second day with moderate usage. Charging tops out at 33W, which is not class-leading but gets you from flat to usable quickly. Reverse charging at 18W is a nice bonus for topping up earbuds or a smartwatch on the go.
Camera
The main camera system comprises a 50MP primary sensor (f/1.6, OIS, Light Fusion 800) and an 8MP ultrawide (f/2.2). In good lighting conditions, the main camera produces detailed, well-balanced shots with natural colours. The optical image stabilisation helps noticeably in lower light. The ultrawide is serviceable but unremarkable — fine for group shots and landscapes, though detail falls off at the edges.
There is no telephoto lens, which means zoom performance relies entirely on digital cropping. The 32MP front camera (f/2.2) handles selfies well, with accurate skin tones and decent dynamic range.
Build and Design
At 184g and 7.9mm thick, the Poco M8 Pro 5G is comfortable to hold and pocket-friendly. It carries an IP64 rating — splash-resistant but not submersible. The design is clean and modern without being particularly distinctive.
What Is Missing
The main compromises for the price are the absence of wireless charging, no eSIM support, and no telephoto lens. If any of those are deal-breakers, you will need to look at pricier options. For most users, however, these are acceptable trade-offs given the overall package.
Pricing
The Poco M8 Pro 5G launches at €199.90 for the 6/128GB model, €229.90 for 8/128GB, and €249.90 for 8/256GB — aggressive pricing that undercuts most competitors offering similar specifications.
Ready to Purchase?
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