POCO has been on sale recently and the brand does all the right things with its budget and mid-range phones. What’s particularly interesting is that POCO is now partnering with Marvel to release limited edition models of their phones, just like last year. X7 Pro Iron Man Edition. The brand renews this license in 2026 with the launch of the POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition.
This year’s phone looks completely different and, if anything, more eye-catching. I’ll get to the design in a minute, but let’s start with the X8 series. POCO is debuting the X8 Pro and X8 Pro Max globally, and the devices are now available in the UK, India and other key markets. The X8 Pro starts at ₹289 ($385) in the UK and ₹33,999 ($367) in India for the 8GB/256GB model.
The Iron Man edition retails for $399, and it comes in a 12GB/512GB configuration – the phone costs ₹43,999 ($476) in India. The POCO X8 Pro Max starts at the equivalent of $469. The price of these devices:
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- POCO X8 Pro (8GB/256GB): $329 / £289 / ₹32,999
- POCO X8 Pro (12GB/256GB): ₹ 37,999
- POCO X8 Pro (8GB/512GB): $369 / £319
- POCO X8 Pro (12GB/512GB): $399 / £349
- POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition (12GB/512GB): $399 / ₹37,999
- POCO X8 Pro Max (12GB/256GB): $469 / £359 / ₹42,999
- POCO X8 Pro Max (12GB/512GB): $529 / £399 / ₹46,999
POCO X8 Pro Max is quite interesting as it comes with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500s platform and a huge 8500 mAh battery. It’s clear that the POCO device aims to be a mid-range alternative to the Nord 5 and Pixel 10a, and it delivers a lot in that regard. I will talk about the X8 Pro Max in a separate post, instead I will focus on the X8 Pro.
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Since I’m using the X8 Pro Iron Man Edition, I’ll focus on the design. The phone comes in a unique box with lots of Marvel accessories – including a custom case – and there’s a sense of occasion when you take the phone out of the box. The phone itself feels better than its predecessor, and that’s because it has a smaller 6.59-inch panel.
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You get Iron Man in black and gold armor with the Stark Industries logo underneath. The gold accent serves to make the design stand out a bit and contrasts well with the overall aesthetic. Although it’s a bit gaudy, there’s no doubt that the X8 Pro Iron Man Edition is built to turn heads – even with the case open, you’ll get a lot of attention when using this phone outdoors (I definitely did).
I also like how the cameras don’t stick out too much and the minimalistic design of the camera body doesn’t draw attention away from the Iron Man armor. The back has a silky texture that feels good to hold and I often didn’t bother with the case. Another positive is the metal middle frame; it feels nicer to hold and use and definitely gives the phone a premium look.
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There are also a few special icons and software effects, but other than that, the X8 Pro Iron Man Edition looks like a regular model. The 12GB/512GB configuration is an ideal fit and you get LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage modules, so the device is no different in this area. F8 Ultra or other flagships.
I like that the global model gets a bigger 6500mAh battery this time around – which was exclusive to the Indian model last year. The larger battery comfortably lasts all day and even with heavy use, it has no problem reaching the end of the day. Xiaomi’s standard 100W charging technology is intact and based on USB PD, you can use any PD charger and charge the phone at 100W.
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The smaller 6.58-inch OLED panel is a joy to use; it’s brighter and has great colors than last year, and you get all the software customization you’re used to on other POCO phones. You also get 3,840Hz PWM dimming and Dolby Vision content on select streaming platforms.
Moving on to the internals, the Dimensity 8500 Ultra is almost identical to last year’s 8400 Ultra; it uses the same cores and is also built on a 4nm node. It is slightly faster due to higher frequencies, but the difference is not noticeable in daily use. That said, it remains a decent mid-range chipset and I haven’t seen any issues with regular use.
It’s a similar story with the cameras, and the 50MP main camera does a pretty decent job. It’s not on the same level as the F8 Ultra, but it’s better than its predecessor and holds up well enough in this category.
The X series has sold incredibly well in India, and the X8 Pro builds on last year’s X7 Pro. It’s a little faster, lasts a little longer, and the cameras take a little better photos — an iterative improvement, if ever there was one. However, the X7 Pro debuted at ₹26,999 ($292), so POCO needs to convince buyers to pay more to get a basically similar phone. I think there’s enough innovation with the X8 Pro to justify a purchase, and if you’re interested in the device, the X8 Pro Iron Man Edition is an obvious choice.
