Xiaomi Poco X8 Pro Max
Xiaomi Poco X8 Pro Max
The long-lasting battery is the star of this affordable phone, backed up by fast charging and solid performance
SCORE
PRICE
256GB, £299 (£359 inc VAT)
from
mi.com
The “Pro Max” branding suggests this phone could be a rival to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but no. In this case the “Pro” label is pure marketing – there’s no cheaper version, and that’s hardly surprising as this handset costs only £359.
While the price is low, it gets you a decent hardware specification, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage in a choice of white, blue and black finishes. For an extra £50 you can double the storage – a competitive price for the upgrade, if you want to fill up on apps and games.
And there’s no reason why you shouldn’t. Inside, the X8 Pro Max uses a MediaTek Dimensity 9500s chipset, which isn’t on a par with Qualcomm’s premium Snapdragon range but is still an admirable performer. The Poco X8 Pro Max easily handled all the usual games I play when testing phones, from online shooters to PC strategy ports and assorted indie titles, even with high-detail graphics settings.