The Poco F8 Pro is the best affordable flagship phone I’ve used in recent memory — for many reasons

Poco F8 Pro review: Two-minute review (Image credit: Nirave Gondhia) Over the past two decades, I’ve been lucky enough to test hundreds of smartphones from a range of brands around the world.

Some of these brands receive the credit they’re due, others are criticized fairly or unfairly, and some fail to get the global recognition they deserve.

Xiaomi's sub-brand, Poco, falls into the latter category, and the Poco F8 Pro is another example of an extraordinary phone that should be talked about more than it is.

While its pricier sibling, the Poco F8 Ultra , packs true flagship specs and a stunning denim material finish, the Poco F8 Pro more closely follows Poco’s model: take the core features that every smartphone user needs, build a great overall experience, and offer it at a truly affordable price.

The Poco F8 Pro marries the first-gen flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage.

Yes, this is not the second-gen Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 that powers many of the current best Android phones , but you’d be hard-pressed to notice the difference.

The Poco F8 Pro flies through day-to-day tasks with flagship-level ease, and its Bose-tuned stereo speakers deliver the same great audio experience as its pricier sibling.

There’s also an excellent 6.59-inch 120Hz OLED display, which is my favorite size for a smartphone screen, and it’s wonderful to use, with a 3,500-nit peak brightness and excellent color reproduction.

As is customary with Poco phones, there’s no skimping on battery life, either, with the F8 Pro packing a 6,210mAh battery that can last for multiple days, and 100W charging that’s among the fastest on any phone.

There’s also a 2.5x telephoto camera, a first for Poco’s Pro lineup, although it does lack OIS.

That’s indicative of the Poco F8 Pro as a whole; yes, there are compromises — including a lack of wireless charging, occasional slowdowns under heavy gaming loads, sluggish USB speeds, and some bloatware in apps — but if you can live with them, this phone offers the best value-for-money in its price bracket.

Poco F8 Pro review: price and availability (Image credit: Nirave Gondhia) Launched for £549 The current retail price in the UK is ~£449 Not available in the US or Australia In terms of availability, the Poco F8 Pro falls into the "widely available outside the US" category, and if you’re in the UK, you’ll find it’s priced extremely aggressively (the phone can be imported to the US, but its network compatibility will be limited).

At the time of writing in August 2026, the 256GB model is available for just £449.