POCO F8 Ultra Review: The Affordable Flagship That Dares to Be Different

POCO’s latest flagship brings serious upgrades over the F7 Ultra with a denim back, massive battery, improved cameras, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 power. But is it worth your money?

The POCO F8 Ultra arrives in 2025 with bold ambitions: to deliver true flagship performance without the flagship price tag. After a week of intensive testing, we’re ready to tell you whether POCO has succeeded in creating one of the most enticing affordable flagships of the year.

Spoiler alert: This isn’t just the F7 Ultra with a new processor slapped inside. POCO has gone all-in with upgrades across the board.

Quick Verdict

Rating: 8.7/10

The POCO F8 Ultra is a genuine flagship-killer that delivers exceptional value. With Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 performance, a massive 6,500mAh battery, improved camera system featuring a 50MP Light Fusion sensor, triple speakers with Bose tuning, and the world’s first denim-backed smartphone design, it punches well above its weight class.

Strengths:

• Incredible battery life (6,500mAh)
• Flagship performance (Snapdragon 8 Gen 5)
• Unique denim design option
• Excellent low-light photography
• Triple speaker setup with Bose tuning
• Fast 100W wired + 50W wireless charging
• eSIM support finally added

Weaknesses:

• Struggles with moving subjects (pets, kids)
• Telephoto camera underwhelming in low light
• HyperOS can be quirky
• Only 4 years of OS updates
• Bloatware pre-installed

Best For: Performance enthusiasts, battery power users, budget-conscious flagship buyers, photography lovers who shoot in good lighting.

Design: When Smartphones Wear Denim

The Most Unique Back Panel of 2025

Let’s address the elephant—or should we say, the pair of jeans—in the room. The POCO F8 Ultra features a denim back panel. Yes, actual denim. Not faux leather, not vegan leather, but genuine jean material.

In 15 years of smartphone reviews, we’ve never seen a manufacturer use denim. It’s certainly a bold choice that immediately sets the F8 Ultra apart from every other phone on the market.

The Denim Experience:

✅ Unique aesthetic – Guaranteed conversation starter
✅ Good grip – Better than glass, different from leather
✅ Comfortable texture – Softer than expected
✅ Stands out from the crowd – Unmistakable identity

Not a Fan of Cowboy Chic?

POCO also offers a standard black version for those who prefer more conservative styling. The functionality remains identical—only the aesthetic changes.

Design Language: Familiar But Refined

Beyond the denim novelty, the F8 Ultra follows current design trends:

Form Factor:

• 6.9-inch display – Genuinely “ultra” sized
• Flat display – No curved edges
• Flat iPhone-style edges – Modern aesthetic
• Substantial camera bump – Doubles as a finger rest for one-handed use
• Metal frame – Premium build quality

Durability Features:

✅ IP68 water and dust resistance – Fully submersible
✅ PCO Shield glass – Front protection
✅ Pre-installed screen protector – Out-of-box protection
✅ Scratch-resistant construction – Daily durability

Note: While IP68-rated, the F8 Ultra lacks IP69 certification for high-pressure water resistance. Keep it away from pressure washers.

Size Reality Check

At 6.9 inches, this is a substantial phone. It’s a proper hand-filler that won’t suit everyone, especially those with smaller hands or who prefer compact devices. However, the chunky camera bump provides a natural finger rest that aids one-handed use.

Display: Bigger, Brighter, Better

6.9-Inch AMOLED Powerhouse

The F8 Ultra’s display has grown from the previous generation and brings significant improvements in power efficiency.

Display Specifications:

Visual Performance

Color & Contrast:

The AMOLED panel delivers exactly what you’d expect from modern flagship displays—bright, vibrant, poppy colors with excellent contrast levels. Blacks are deep and true, while colors appear saturated without becoming garish.

HDR Content:

With full HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support, streaming content looks spectacular. Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, and other services display HDR content with impressive dynamic range and color depth.

Sharpness:

The 2680 x 1200 resolution delivers sharp visuals packed with fine detail. Text is crisp, images are clear, and even small UI elements remain perfectly legible.

Brightness Performance:

Peak brightness reaches approximately 2,000 nits in high brightness mode, making outdoor visibility excellent even in direct sunlight. The display scales down to just 1 nit for comfortable late-night viewing.

DC Dimming:

For users sensitive to OLED flicker (PWM dimming), POCO includes proper DC dimming support to eliminate flicker at low brightness levels.

Auto-Brightness Quirk

One minor complaint: The auto-brightness system isn’t always perfectly tuned. Occasionally waking the phone in a dark room resulted in medium brightness levels that felt retina-searing. Manual adjustment was sometimes necessary.

Responsiveness:

The 120Hz refresh rate delivers silky-smooth scrolling throughout the interface. Touch response is excellent, even when the screen is wet—perfect for rainy conditions or sweaty hands during workouts.

Audio: Triple Speakers with Bose Engineering

Unexpected Audio Excellence

Audio performance is a genuine highlight of the F8 Ultra, thanks to a triple speaker setup engineered in partnership with Bose.

Speaker Configuration:

• One speaker on the bottom edge
• One speaker on the top edge
• The third speaker mounted on the camera bump (rear-facing)

Real-World Performance

The results are impressively good. Place the phone face-down on a table or desk, and the audio output is comparable to a small travel Bluetooth speaker.

Audio Characteristics:

✅ Respectable bass – Surprising depth for smartphone speakers
✅ Clear mids and highs – Vocals and instruments remain distinct
✅ Impressive volume – Loud enough to fill a room
✅ Minimal distortion – Remains clear even at high volume

Customization Options:

The audio settings menu includes a full equalizer for manual tuning, along with various presets for different content types (music, movies, games, etc.).

Use Cases

While Bluetooth headphones or wired earbuds will always provide superior audio quality, the F8 Ultra’s speakers are excellent for:

• Casual music listening
• Video calls
• YouTube/streaming content
• Gaming without headphones
• Sharing audio with others

Performance: Flagship Power Unleashed

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Dominance

The F8 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, one of the most powerful mobile processors available in 2025.

Performance Specifications:

Vision Boost D8 Chipset

POCO includes a Vision Boost D8 chipset specifically for gaming enhancements. This adds features like AI super resolution to supported titles.

Currently Supported Games:

• Call of Duty Mobile
• Four additional titles

The AI super resolution aims to sharpen graphics and improve visual clarity, though the real-world difference can be subtle depending on your eyesight and the game.

Gaming Performance

Testing with demanding titles like Wuthering Waves revealed flawless performance:

Test Conditions:

• Graphics settings: Maximum
• Game Boost feature: Enabled (via HyperOS gaming toolbar)
• Duration: 1+ hour continuous play

Results:

• Perfectly smooth frame rates
• Zero frame drops
• No stuttering or hitching
• No thermal throttling
• Consistent performance throughout

Battery Impact During Gaming:

Approximately 4.5 hours of continuous Wuthering Waves gameplay on a full charge with:

• Graphics maxed out
• Game mode active
• Screen brightness near maximum

Thermal Management

The massive dedicated liquid cooling system works wonders. Even during extended gaming sessions, the F8 Ultra remained cool to the touch without any uncomfortable hotspots or performance throttling.

Battery Life: Weekend Warrior

6,500mAh Capacity: Game-Changing Endurance

The battery capacity has been significantly upgraded from the F7 Ultra’s 5,300mAh to a massive 6,500mAh in the F8 Ultra.

Real-World Battery Performance:

Light Usage Scenario

• ~5 hours screen-on time per day
• Messaging apps
• Light audio/video streaming
• Minimal camera use

Result: Full weekend on a single charge with juice remaining.

Moderate Usage Scenario

• Mixed app usage throughout the day
• Social media browsing
• Music and video streaming
• Regular camera use
• Maps navigation

Result: Full day with 30%+ battery remaining at bedtime.

Intensive Usage Scenario (Real Test)

On the most demanding test day:

• Woke up: 6:00 AM (100% charge)
• Heavy camera testing: Multiple hours
• Video chatting: ~1 hour
• Android Auto: ~1 hour
• Extensive video streaming
• Music streaming throughout day
• Heavy maps usage
• Urban navigation and photography

Result: Phone died around 12:30 AM the following day—over 18 hours of intensive use!

Charging Speeds

Wired Charging:

• 100W HyperCharge support
• 0-100% in approximately 40 minutes
• Requires compatible charger

Wireless Charging:

• 50W wireless charging supported
• Convenient for overnight charging or desk use

Note: Wired charging has been scaled back slightly from the F7 Ultra’s 120W, but 100W is still impressively fast.

Software: HyperOS 3 with AI Integration

Android with Xiaomi’s Custom Skin

The F8 Ultra runs HyperOS 3 based on Android, delivering Xiaomi’s heavily customized interface experience.

Update Commitment:

• 4 years of OS updates – Good but not best-in-class
• 6 years of security patches – On par with OnePlus
• Behind Google (7 years) and Samsung (7 years)

What’s New in HyperOS 3?

Honestly? Not much compared to HyperOS 2. The changes are incremental rather than revolutionary.

Notable Features:

✅ Dynamic Island clone – Selfie cam “turd” appears during music, navigation
✅ Strong personalization – Extensive customization options
✅ AI wallpaper generator – Hilariously entertaining
✅ Full Gemini integration – Google’s AI assistant
✅ Circle to Search – Google’s latest feature
✅ AI translation – Real-time language translation
✅ AI subtitles – Automatic video captioning
✅ Offline communication – Xiaomi device mesh networking

iOS Influence (Heavy)

HyperOS 3 continues Xiaomi’s trend of heavily borrowing from Apple’s design language. The Dynamic Island clone is the most obvious example—a feature that can be useful but didn’t need to look identical to Apple’s implementation.

AI Dynamic Wallpapers: Stupidly Addictive

One standout feature is the AI dynamic wallpapers generator. Choose any photo, send it to Xiaomi’s servers, and 2-3 minutes later receive an animated version.

Results Range From:

• Impressively good
• Slightly janky
• Completely unhinged (the best ones)

This feature is surprisingly addictive and provides hours of entertainment.

Software Stability

Despite testing a pre-release unit, HyperOS 3 performed admirably with:

• Zero crashes
• No weird glitches
• Stable performance throughout the week
• No app compatibility issues

Storage & Bloatware

Storage Options:

• 256GB UFS 4.0
• 512GB UFS 4.0

Pre-Installed Bloatware:

Unfortunately, POCO includes various third-party apps:

• AliExpress
• Amazon apps
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Various utility apps

Good News: Most bloatware can be uninstalled. It’s annoying but not horrendous compared to some manufacturers.

eSIM Support: Finally!

The F8 Ultra adds eSIM support, which was shockingly absent from the F7 Ultra. This is hugely beneficial for frequent travelers who can activate destination-specific eSIMs instantly upon arrival.

SIM Configuration:

• Dual physical SIM support, OR
• One physical SIM + one eSIM

Security: Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor

3D Ultrasonic Technology

The F8 Ultra features an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that records a precise 3D image of your fingerprint.

Performance:

The ultrasonic sensor works exceptionally well in all conditions:

✅ Wet fingers – No problem
✅ Oily fingers – Still works
✅ Greasy fingers – Unbothered
✅ Fast recognition – Nearly instant
✅ High accuracy – Rarely fails

This is a significant upgrade over optical sensors, which often struggle with less-than-perfect finger conditions.

Face Unlock:

Face unlock is also available as a backup authentication method. It works reliably in good lighting but isn’t as secure as the fingerprint sensor.

Camera System: Significant Upgrades

Light Fusion 950 Main Sensor

POCO has equipped the F8 Ultra with the 50MP Light Fusion 950 sensor, the same high-quality sensor found in Xiaomi’s flagship 17 series.

Main Camera Specifications:

Low-Light Performance: Where It Shines

The large sensor size is specifically designed to capture lots of light, making the F8 Ultra excel at night photography.

Night Photography Strengths:

✅ True-to-life colors – Accurate even in darkness
✅ Minimal noise – Clean images without grain
✅ Superior to rivals – Better than OnePlus 15 in low light
✅ Impressive dynamic range – Preserves shadows and highlights

Compared to competitors like the OnePlus 15, the F8 Ultra is noticeably more capable in low-light conditions. Night shots come out clean, detailed, and usable without excessive processing.

Moving Subject Weakness

The F8 Ultra’s camera has one significant weakness: moving subjects.

The Problem:

The phone apparently includes AI that recognizes moving subjects (like pets or children) and adapts to prevent blur. In reality:

❌ Often produces blurry shots with pets
❌ Struggles with active children
❌ Worse in non-ideal lighting
❌ Occasional blur even in good light

Portrait Mode:

Portrait shots generally turn out well if your subject can remain still. The background blur is convincing, edge detection is mostly accurate, and skin tones look natural.

Telephoto Camera: Periscope with Limitations

The F8 Ultra includes a periscope telephoto camera with zoom capabilities:

Telephoto Specifications:

• 5x optical zoom
• 10x in-sensor zoom
• 100x maximum zoom (with AI enhancement)

Zoom Performance:

✅ Good in bright daylight (up to 20x)
⚠️ Usable but softer (10x-20x)
❌ Don’t bother beyond 20x – Quality deteriorates rapidly
❌ Poor in low light – Soft and noisy even at 10x

Real Talk: This telephoto is best reserved for well-lit conditions and moderate zoom levels. It’s nowhere near flagship-tier telephoto performance.

Ultra-Wide Camera: Decent Performance

The 50MP ultra-wide camera delivers respectable results with some caveats:

✅ Good detail in well-lit conditions
✅ Wide field of view for landscapes
⚠️ Noticeable tonal shift vs main camera
⚠️ Obvious detail drop compared to main sensor
⚠️ Smaller sensor than main camera

It’s perfectly adequate for ultra-wide shots but doesn’t match the main camera’s quality.

Pro Mode: Manual Control

For enthusiasts who want full control, Pro mode offers:

• ISO adjustment
• Shutter speed control
• White balance tuning
• Focus control
• Resolution switching (12.5MP / 50MP)
• RAW format shooting

Video Recording

Video Specifications:

Video Performance:

The video quality is good but not exceptional compared to other flagships.

Observations:

• Sharp footage in daylight (especially 4K)
• Softer footage in evening/ambient lighting
• Dependable autofocus
• Okay stabilization (not amazing)
• Excellent audio capture even outdoors or while moving

Front Camera: 32MP Selfies

Front Camera Specifications:

• 32MP resolution
• 4K video @ 30fps (no 60fps option)
• HDR support
• Clear audio pickup

The front camera delivers quality selfies and is perfectly adequate for video calls and vlogging. The lack of 60fps video is disappointing but not a dealbreaker.

Camera System Verdict

Strengths:

• Exceptional low-light photography
• Large main sensor captures excellent detail
• Good color accuracy
• Solid video recording
• Comprehensive Pro mode

Weaknesses:

• Struggles significantly with moving subjects
• Telephoto underwhelming in low light
• Stabilization could be better
• Not quite flagship-tier overall

Reality Check: The camera is very good for the price but falls short of true flagship performance from Samsung, Apple, or Google. If photography is your primary concern, especially of pets, kids, or sports, consider this limitation carefully.

Value Proposition: Affordable Flagship Done Right

What You Get for Your Money

The POCO F8 Ultra delivers an impressive package:

✅ Flagship performance (Snapdragon 8 Gen 5)
✅ Massive battery (6,500mAh with fast charging)
✅ Premium display (6.9″ AMOLED, 2,000 nits)
✅ Triple speakers (Bose-tuned)
✅ Improved cameras (Light Fusion 950)
✅ Unique design (denim option)
✅ eSIM support (for travelers)
✅ IP68 rating (water/dust resistance)

Compromises Made

To hit the affordable flagship price point, POCO made some sacrifices:

⚠️ Camera limitations (moving subjects, telephoto in low light)
⚠️ Shorter update commitment (4 years vs 7 years)
⚠️ HyperOS quirks (personalization can be awkward)
⚠️ Bloatware (pre-installed apps)
⚠️ No IP69 rating (only IP68)

Who Should Buy the POCO F8 Ultra?

Perfect For:

✅ Performance enthusiasts – Want flagship power without flagship price
✅ Battery power users – Need all-day (and then some) endurance
✅ Night photographers – Low-light performance is exceptional
✅ Mobile gamers – Excellent sustained performance with cooling
✅ Media consumers – Large display with great audio
✅ Budget-conscious buyers – Want premium features at mid-range price
✅ Frequent travelers – eSIM support is hugely convenient
✅ Those who want to stand out – Denim design is unique

Consider Alternatives If:

❌ You photograph pets, kids, or sports frequently
❌ You need best-in-class telephoto zoom
❌ You want 7 years of software updates
❌ You prefer stock Android over custom skins
❌ You demand absolute camera perfection
❌ You want a compact phone (this is 6.9 inches!)

POCO F8 Ultra vs Competitors

vs POCO F7 Ultra

Winner: F8 Ultra decisively

• Much larger battery (6,500mAh vs 5,300mAh)
• Better camera (Light Fusion 950 vs older sensor)
• Faster processor (SD 8 Gen 5 vs SD 8 Gen 3)
• eSIM support added
• Unique denim design option
• Triple speakers vs dual

vs OnePlus 15

Winner: Depends on priorities

• F8 Ultra: Better battery life, unique design, lower price
• OnePlus 15: Better cameras overall, cleaner software, faster updates
• F8 Ultra: Better low-light photography
• OnePlus 15: Better telephoto performance

vs Xiaomi 17

Winner: Xiaomi 17 for camera, F8 Ultra for value

• Same Light Fusion 950 main sensor
• Xiaomi 17: Better overall camera system, premium build
• F8 Ultra: Much more affordable, similar core performance
• Both: Same HyperOS 3 experience

vs Samsung Galaxy S25

Winner: Depends on the ecosystem

• F8 Ultra: Better battery life, faster charging, lower price
• Galaxy S25: Better cameras, 7 years updates, Samsung ecosystem
• F8 Ultra: Larger display, triple speakers
• Galaxy S25: More compact, better software support

Final Verdict: Proper Ultra Smartphone

The Bottom Line

The POCO F8 Ultra is not an incremental upgrade—it’s a proper, substantial improvement that earns the “Ultra” designation.

What POCO Got Right:

🎯 Genuine flagship performance at sub-flagship pricing
🎯 Massive battery that actually lasts
🎯 Premium features (IP68, ultrasonic sensor, fast charging)
🎯 Unique identity (denim design stands out)
🎯 Excellent audio (triple speakers with Bose tuning)
🎯 Much-improved cameras (especially low-light)
🎯 Added essentials (eSIM support finally)

Where It Falls Short:

⚠️ Moving subject photography – Significant weakness
⚠️ Telephoto limitations – Not flagship-tier
⚠️ Update commitment – Only 4 years
⚠️ HyperOS quirks – Can be frustrating

Should You Buy It?

Yes, if you prioritize performance, battery life, unique design, and value for money. The F8 Ultra delivers flagship experiences in most areas while undercutting flagship prices significantly.

No, if camera perfection (especially for moving subjects) is your top priority, or if you demand 7-year software support and pure Android.

Final Rating: 8.7/10

Excellent – A true affordable flagship that makes meaningful compromises only in specific areas. For most users, the POCO F8 Ultra represents outstanding value and genuine “ultra” performance

The POCO F8 Ultra proves that “affordable flagship” doesn’t have to mean “acceptable compromises everywhere.” It’s a phone that delivers where it counts most while maintaining a competitive price. For the vast majority of users, it’s an excellent choice.

Disclaimer: This review is based on pre-release hardware and software. Final retail units may differ slightly in performance or features.