Poco has launched the X8s in global markets, a compact phone that packs a large battery and a zoom camera into a small body. The phone starts at an early-bird price of $399, and it is the fifth model in the Poco X8 series.
The X8s went on sale first in Vietnam, where it appeared on Xiaomi’s official Shopee store. Poco then announced the global launch on 25 October, with the phone reaching more markets from 26 October. It is not yet on sale in India.
The phone is built around a simple idea. Most small phones cut the battery to fit a smaller body. Poco has tried to keep a big battery in a phone that is easy to hold with one hand.
A small screen with flagship touches
The X8s has a 6.35-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,656 by 1,220 pixels. The screen refresh rate adapts between 1Hz and 120Hz, so static text draws less power than fast moving video.
Poco quotes a peak brightness of 3,500 nits, which should keep the screen readable in bright sunlight. The bezels are only 1.18mm wide on all four sides, and the panel supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
Inside, the phone runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip. It is built on a 4nm process and runs at up to 2.8GHz. Buyers can choose up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
The phone runs HyperOS 3, based on Android 16. It also has an ultrasonic fingerprint reader under the screen, an IR blaster, NFC, Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. The body carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
Cameras and battery
The camera setup is one of the strongest parts of the phone. On the back there is a 50MP main camera with optical stabilisation, a 50MP telephoto camera with 2.5x optical zoom, and an 8MP ultrawide camera.
The main sensor is a 1/1.55-inch unit, which is large for a phone at this price. The telephoto lens is the feature that sets the X8s apart from most rivals in its price range, where a zoom camera is often the first thing to be cut.
There is a 20MP camera on the front for selfies and video calls.
The battery is a 6,330mAh silicon-carbon unit, a newer type of battery that packs more charge into the same space. It supports 100W wired charging, which is fast for a phone of this size.
Poco says the battery keeps at least 80% of its capacity after 1,600 charging cycles. That figure comes from the company’s own lab tests, not from an independent review.
Price and availability
The early-bird price is $399 for the model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The model with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage costs $499.
Poco has not said how long the early-bird prices will last, which countries will get them, or what the phone will cost after the early-bird period ends.
In Vietnam, the list prices are 11,500,000 dong for the base model and 14,000,000 dong for the top model. Launch vouchers cut those prices to 8,242,500 dong and 10,190,000 dong. Pre-orders there ship between 6 and 9 November, and early buyers also get a pair of Redmi Buds 6 Play while stocks last.
The phone comes in three colours: black, blue and white.
The trade-offs
A smaller phone always involves compromise, and the X8s is no different. Set it beside the regular Poco X8 and the differences are clear.
The X8 has a larger 6.83-inch screen and a bigger 8,340mAh battery with 67W charging. The X8s cuts the battery to 6,330mAh but lifts the charging speed to 100W, so it should refill faster even though it holds less charge.
The X8s is the fifth phone in the X8 line. The X8 Pro and X8 Pro Max arrived in March, and the X8 and X8 Power followed in September. The X8s is the smallest of the five, and it is aimed at buyers who want a phone that fits easily in a pocket or a small hand.
For buyers, the question will be simple. If a compact body matters more than the biggest possible battery, the X8s offers a strong mix of screen, cameras and charging speed at its price. If battery life is the top priority, the larger X8 still holds more charge.
The phone has already appeared on certification lists under the model number 2609CPC5FG, and it was spotted on Geekbench before launch. Poco has not yet confirmed a full list of countries where it will go on sale, so buyers outside Vietnam will need to wait for local announcements.
