Lately, I’ve been trying to move through life with more intention.

I dress a little more thoughtfully before heading out and pay attention to how things fit together, from clothes to accessories to how my bag is packed. It makes ordinary days feel a touch more polished, even when I am rushing between errands.

That shift has changed how I consider what I bring with me every day. My smartphone is no longer something I grab as an afterthought.

It’s something I want to feel comfortable holding; something that should look at home beside a composed outfit; and something dependable when the day inevitably moves faster than planned.

It was in that season that I met the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G in Mocha Brown which felt less like a piece of technology and more like an accessory chosen on purpose.

The faux leather finish feels refined and warm, with the kind of understated elegance that makes you want to build a look around it rather than hide it behind a case.

A study in texture and taste

Mocha Brown belongs in the same universe as a well-made leather bag or a dependable pair of polished loafers. It has that beautiful tension between simplicity and richness that makes fashion personal.

The faux leather back introduces texture and warmth. The clean lines and slim profile bring a sense of restraint. And then there are the gold sides and camera island — a gentle nod to discrete luxury.

Placed on a café table, held in a mirrored elevator, or tucked into a structured bag, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G looks like it belongs.

The design’s appeal doesn’t end with looks. Beneath the refined exterior is Redmi’s Titan Durability, a reinforced build that protects against drops, pressure, and everyday wear without disturbing the silhouette.

It looks elegant and feels considered rather than delicate. And it is built to last, even when life is anything but gentle.

Built like your favorite designer bag

As a lifestyle journalist, Titan Durability sounds like a clever way of making toughness chic.

As someone who also works in marketing, I appreciate messaging that distills strength and longevity into one cohesive idea.

On paper, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G carries IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, making it one of the most water-resistant smartphones available today. IP6X protection keeps out fine particles.

Translated into real life, it simply means peace of mind.

Fashion rarely accounts for the least glamorous moments, yet those moments make up most of our day. I bring my smartphone into the bath, to the sink while washing dishes, and to the kitchen while prepping meals.

I even bring it through mud during obstacle courses, which is my sport. Frankly, I will not deny that I am glued to my phones.

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G kept up even when my fingers were wet and soiled. The display responded and the buttons worked.

The speakers stayed clear after dealing with dirt and sand. More importantly, the charging port remained unaffected — something I wish I could say of my iPhone.

Durability also means not flinching at drops. Titan Durability includes a high-strength motherboard, a strengthened midframe, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front.

The phone can withstand drops from up to 2.5 meters onto smooth granite and remain intact.

I saw that firsthand when we brought the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G to an outdoor gym last year. It survived everything without theatrics.

A year later, and the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G keeps that resilience, only this time more refined and even stronger.

With this kind of durability, you stop bracing for impact. You simply pick it up and keep going.

The luxury of not worrying about battery

With our days stitched together by notifications, playlists, messages, and endless streams of content, battery life becomes less about numbers.

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G’s 6500mAh silicon-carbon battery delivered two full days of use — impressive for someone who treats his phone as both companion and workhorse.

My morning begins with TikTok streaks and Olivia Dean on Spotify, transitions into message threads, “research” tabs, and campaign decks, and ends with Netflix and guilty-pleasure reality shows. It lasted through all of it without anxiety or the constant search for sockets.

Even a full binge-watch barely made a dent, and I finished Netflix’s Emily in Paris Season 5 without glancing at battery percentage every twenty minutes or so.

When power finally ran low, the 100W HyperCharge restored it in under an hour — 40 minutes with boost mode, to be exact.

With Xiaomi’s Surge Battery Management retaining at least 80% capacity after 1600 charge cycles, longevity extends beyond trends and seasons.

And with a battery this large, the 22.5W wired reverse charging was surprisingly useful for powering tiny accessories during long days out.

Now Playing: Emily in Paris Season 5

I have a soft spot for shows that blend glamour with a messy life, and there are few that do it as playfully as Emily in Paris.

The series feels like a whimsical mirror of my own world, not in couture or runway theatrics, but in the puzzle of pitching ideas, building campaigns, and keeping clients excited.

In my case, the settings are less Fendi and more coffee shops, restaurants, and meeting rooms, with deadlines tucked between lunch breaks and dinners that double as strategy sessions.

Season 5 charmed me with its exploration of becoming: Emily balancing ambition, romance, and her place in the world, choosing herself and her dreams with a conviction that felt quietly familiar.

Growth rarely arrives fully accessorized. It shows up in small decisions and the uncomfortable honesty of knowing what you want. It was fun to watch that unfold onscreen while trying to do the same offscreen.

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G’s All-Around Liquid Display made the experience feel indulgent. The 6.83-inch screen and 3,200 nits of peak brightness meant that Parisian drama and Roman escapades played beautifully even as I sunbathed on my balcony.

Dual stereo speakers and a 400% volume boost brought every soundtrack moment to life, though I will admit that some of Mindy Chen’s covers fall short of the earlier seasons. “Mon Soleil” is still undefeated. “Espresso” was fine, but let’s not pretend it was iconic.

If you are in your millennial era of preferring ambience over noise, the 400% boost can feel like wearing platform heels to brunch–fun in theory, aggressive in practice — though very useful when you need to drown out the world.

Tailored for the day’s demands

My unit came with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage, which meant I had more than enough room to capture photos and record videos for Instagram Reels without ever worrying about space.

Powered by Xiaomi HyperOS and the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 mobile platform, everyday performance feels reliable and smooth.

Multitasking is easy and apps load without hesitation. Moving between work, content creation, social media, and streaming never felt taxing.

Xiaomi HyperAI adds another layer to the experience, with features like AI Writing, AI Speech Recognition, AI Interpreter, AI Search, and AI Dynamic Wallpapers.

The Dynamic Wallpapers, in particular, stood out to me. They add a sense of personality, and they make the device feel more personal when you take the time to customize it.

Well dressed, but slightly unfinished

Performance is not only about speed and capability. It’s also about how it feels to use something every day. For a phone that presents itself as a statement piece, the user experience doesn’t quite match the couture-level confidence of its exterior.

HyperOS functions well, yet it rarely feels elegant. Finding themes that feel refined requires effort, and the overall interface leans more practical than polished.

The presence of bloatware is another friction point. From the moment the phone was turned on, several pre-installed apps appeared that I didn’t need or ask for.

They weren’t disruptive enough to break the experience, though they did distract from an otherwise composed first impression.

When you decide to glow up, it should go beyond appearances. Performance is part of that transformation. The screen is what we interact with all day, not the back of the phone, and the interface plays a big role in whether a device feels joyful to use.

You enjoy something more when you genuinely like how it performs and how it presents itself.

Thankfully, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G is a very capable midrange smartphone at its core. Its performance is dependable and its power is, surely, unquestionable.

With a more refined user interface and fewer distractions, it would feel as elevated on the inside as it looks on the outside.

When life becomes a lookbook

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G comes with a 200-megapixel camera system supported by a 200-megapixel AI Engine, which is safe to say it’s well-suited for slice-of-life storytelling.

It turns ordinary days into scenes worth remembering, capturing meals, places, outfits, and fleeting romance with clarity that looks beautiful on Instagram Stories.

That is something Emily Cooper would appreciate: the art of noticing, and the belief that even mundane things deserve to be romanticized.

I brought the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G with me through my usual rituals and a short island escape. It handled golden hour and mirror selfies with equal charm. Night time? Not so much unless you do it in Pro Mode.

Even so, details held up even when I cropped generously for Stories, and colors stayed true enough to feel editorial without being overstyled.

Is the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G your GadgetMatch?

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G feels like it was made for everyday affairs and misadventures.

There’s a confidence that comes from its Titan Durability, capable cameras, and an enduring battery; you worry less about keeping your phone pristine and you focus more on living.

If there is anything that betrays the illusion of luxury, it’s the software experience, which felt less polished than the hardware deserved.

For a device styled as fashionably as the Mocha Brown edition, I found myself wishing the UI and UX felt equally couture.

Swipe Right if you want a midrange phone that understands lifestyle as much as performance and can keep pace with intentional living.

Swipe Left if you need specialized power–better cameras or serious gaming, par exemple — and cannot compromise on those fronts.

For the rest of us, who value a mix of design, durability, and everyday capability at an accessible price, it’s a Super Swipe.

Because with everything it got, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G earns the GadgetMatch Seal of Approval.

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G retails for PhP 27,999. For the online-exclusive 12GB/256GB variant, it retails for PhP 25,999.

It comes in Mocha Brown, Glacier Blue, and Black. Along with the rest of the Redmi Note 15 series, it’s currently available on mi.com and across e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.

Promotional offers

The Redmi Note 15 series comes with added peace of mind through a comprehensive ownership package.

Buyers receive a 4-year battery replacement warranty, 2-year liquid damage coverage, and 2-year front and back cover replacement, all covered under a 2-year overall warranty.

The Redmi Note 15 series is also available via 0% interest installment plans through Home Credit. Monthly payments start at PhP 1,199 for up to 18 months.

From January 16 to 29, buyers can enjoy PhP 2,000 off the Redmi Note 15 Pro and Pro+ 5G. It comes with a free Xiaomi Smart Band 10 and a Black Box Gift Set. From January 30 to February 8, the free gifts continue even as the cash discount ends.

Every purchase also includes three months of Spotify Premium and a three-month 100GB cloud storage plan.

The REDMI Note 15 Series has been officially launched in the Philippines. It comes in four variants: the Note 15 Pro+ 5G, Note 15 Pro 5G, Note 15 5G, and Note 15.

Featuring “REDMI Titan Durability”, the lineup highlights long-lasting battery performance, reinforced drop resistance, and enhanced dust and water protection.

Alongside these physical upgrades, the REDMI Note 15 Series also comes with enhanced imaging capabilities, reliable performance, and a seamless overall user experience.

Xiaomi also introduced the Mijia Smart Audio Glasses and REDMI Buds 8 Lite, among others, expanding their ecosystem.

The top-of-the-line variants, the REDMI Note 15 Pro+ 5G and REDMI Note 15 Pro 5G, feature 6,500mAh batteries with 100W HyperCharge.

Making its REDMI Note Series debut, the Silicon-Carbon battery technology enables higher energy density within a compact form factor.

The Pro variants also come with better protection, with the Pro having a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and the Pro+ having a tough fiberglass back panel.

In addition, the Pro+ comes with IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K dust and water resistance ratings.

Meanwhile, the REDMI Note 15 5G and REDMI Note 15 house 5,520mAh and 6,000mAh batteries, respectively. These two models also have SGS Comprehensive Shock and Drop-Resistance certifications.

Cameras

Onto the series’ cameras, both Pro models boast of a new 200MP ultimate-clarity camera, along with the global debut of a 200MP HPE image sensor.

This large, 1/1.4-inch sensor backs 2x and 4x optical-level in-sensor zoom, triple-focal length DAG HDR, and advanced AI processing. This way, users can get detailed and true-to-life images across in various lighting conditions.

The two Note 15 variants, meanwhile, come with 108MP main cameras. These offer up to a 3x optical-level telephoto experience.

Creative and AI-powered tools complement the shooting experience. There’s ultra-clear portrait algorithm, Dynamic shots 2.0, and AI Creativity Assistant on the Pro models.

Across the entire lineup are everyday creativity features like AI Remove Reflection and AI Beautify.

Upgraded performance, smarter connectivity

The REDMI Note 15 Series also delivers balanced performance in the segment. Powering the Note 15 Pro+ 5G is a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 mobile platform and introduces the Xiaomi IceLoop cooling system.

The entire lineup also come with new generation Snapdragon and MediaTek chipsets for faster performance and smoother graphics.

All models support Google Gemini and Circle to Search with Google out of the box. The Pro+ also integrates Xiaomi HyperAI for a more personalized and intelligent experience.

And for enhanced connectivity, the Pro models support Xiaomi Offline Communication which allows for voice transmission even without network coverage.

Immersive audiovisual experience

In front, the series offers an upgraded viewing experience. The Pro models have 6.83-inch displays, while the base models have 6.77-inch screens.

These have up to 3,200 nits brightness and triple eye-care certifications. Complementing these are up to a 400% volume boost capability.

Price, availability

The REDMI Note 15 Pro models retail for the following prices:

• Note 15 Pro+ 5G: PhP 27,999 (Mocha Brown, Glacier Blue, Black)
• Note 15 Pro 5G: Starts at PhP 19,999 (Mist Purple, Black)

Early bird purchases (January 16 to 29) include a PhP 2,000 savings, Xiaomi Smart Band 10, and Black Box Gift Set.

From January 30 to February 8, the same freebies (minus the discount) are still available to claim.

On the other hand, the REDMI Note 15 base models are available for:

• Note 15 5G: Starts at PhP 14,999 (Glacier Blue, Mist Purple, Black)
• Note 15: Starts at PhP 9,999 (Glacier Blue, Purple, Black)

Customers can grab an additional PhP 1,000 off, REDMI Buds 8 Lite, and Xiaomi Black Backpack until January 29, with the two freebies available for purchases made until February 8.

Other perks include:

• 4-year battery replacement warranty
• 2-year liquid damage coverage
• 2-year front & back cover replacement
• 3 months Spotify Premium
• 3-month 100GB cloud storage

All models are now available across Lazada, Shopee, TikTok Shop, and mi.com.

Looking back at my first few months with GadgetMatch back in 2018 nostalgically evoked my Pocophone F1 core memory. It was touted as THE “flagship killer for less.”

Pre-pandemic, that “Pocophone” simply became “POCO” and became an “independent” kiddo who moved out of its parent’s house.

Almost eight years after that very first iteration, I’ve finally had my first (and long overdue) POCO-perience with the latest POCO M8 Pro.

Design: Repurposed with a purpose

While I have not held a POCO phone until very recently, I am still aware of the brand’s offerings over the years.

Seeing the POCO M8 Pro for the first time instantly reminded me of last year’s Redmi Note 14 Pro series. That’s not me saying POCO blatantly ripped the aesthetics as the POCO X7 also had the same design language.

Like a full circle moment, the aforementioned phones were launched back a year ago.

In all honesty, it still confuses me which direction Xiaomi is heading, especially with the non-stop rebadging of existing POCO and REDMI phones — just with scrambled internals and CMF (color, materials, finish).

Having said that, I still consider the M8 Pro a level up from the last M7 Pro. The former’s design felt like it was not given much importance.

The centered camera island with a squircle cutout seemed like a signature design element of Xiaomi’s newer midrange line moving forward.

I also love how the phone felt in my hands. Even with that plastic back, it felt grippy enough when held.

You have to be wary of fingerprint smudges though — especially if you rock the black colorway. Luckily, the green shade I have still looks clean despite those unwanted smears.

And, if you’re brave enough to clean it in running water, the POCO M8 Pro boasts not just one, not two, but quadruple IP ratings: IP66, IP68, IP69, and even IP69K. These used to be exclusive only among 2025 flagships.

Now Playing: IDOL I

Much like my fanaticism to anything tech, the same can be said with Korean Pop Stars. More known as “K-Pop Idols”, I have been a huge geek of K-Pop for 16 long years (and still counting).

Interestingly, after finishing a series that just ended in Netflix, IDOL I swiftly came by. Even if I am the type of viewer who values the drama’s synopsis more than the cast involved, this K-Drama instantly hit two birds in one.

For one, its starred by a true iconic idol herself: Choi Sooyoung — or one of the nine members of SNSD / Girls’ Generation a.k.a the ultimate 2nd generation K-Pop girl group I’ve been stanning since my youth.

Although Maeng Se-na here is a heartless and “selfish” lawyer, she is the opposite for being a huge (yet silent) fan of “Gold Boys” with Do Ra-ik as his “Ult” (or Ultimate Bias).

In a wild turn of events, the idol became a “murderer” overnight — blaming him for the sudden death of his co-member after waking up from their drinking session.

But, no matter how the general public looks at him as the prime suspect, finding faults against Ra-ik is difficult. That’s pointing out the fact that he was just sleeping in his bed while his former bandmate slash loyal friend got stabbed without clear answers.

I can pretty much say the same thing with the 6.83-inch screen of the POCO M8 Pro: I cannot see any fault at all.

For one, it’s an AMOLED display that made me enjoy binging the first four episodes non-stop. But, being able to display 68.7 billion Colors and 12-bit color depth aside from the usual HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support? That’s likely unusual for a phone in such price point.

And, with a 1.5K display resolution plus a pixel density of 447 ppi, it’s as crisp as it could get. Watching it outdoors is neither a problem with its mighty 3200 nits peak brightness.

While my eyes aren’t very sensitive to light and flicker, its 3840Hz PWM dimming and TÜV Rheinland Flicker-Free and Low Blue Light certifications are still worth mentioning — especially if you stay up all night binge-watching hours worth of titles like yours truly.

On Queue: Apink’s RE:LOVE + Chuu’s XO, My Cyberlove

Pumping up the volume by 60%, it’s expected that the POCO M8 Pro possesses a louder than ever sound output. However, my audio assessment doesn’t end just there.

Just like POCO starting the year with a bang, the K-Pop scene in January 2026 has already exploded with real hit bangers.

First and foremost, Apink finally gathered again to released their 11th Mini Album (their previous Mini Album dates back to 2020). As per usual, I used Apple Music to take full advantage of that Lossless format.

Their title track “Love Me More” not only brought a lot of the group’s nostalgic intro and dance break instrumental during their early days in the industry, it also reminded me of the pre-millennium K-Pop era back in the early 90s.

Pair that with b-sides such as “Sunshine” that sounded pure and soulful, this latest mini album will truly make Pink Pandas’ hearts flutter.

In addition, Chuu (LOONA) finally releases her 1st Full Album titled “XO, My Cyberlove.” It is a complete opposite of her first ever solo song “Heart Attack” almost a decade ago which highlighted her cutesy, innocent charms.

The comeback track of the same title is as quirky and whimsical as it gets. Not only does it highlight Chuu’s light yet ethereal vocals, but it shows her newer, more mature side.

Furthermore, lyrics that evoke unexpected budding love in this digital era where everyone enjoys making connections through the cyber world.

With POCO M8 Pro’s speakers, I fully enjoyed playing the entirety of her freshly-baked album while I was writing this piece. Teeny Tiny Heart and Love Potion are currently my fave b-sides from this release.

Such music fulfillment was possible with the Dolby Atmos stereo speaker setup and Hi-Res Audio support of the M8 Pro. Not only its proudly loud, the audio produced is full and immaculate with clear line between its highs, mids, and lows.

Performance: Adequate for most

On paper, the POCO M8 Pro runs Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 SoC based on a 4nm process. As confusing as it seems, this is different from the more powerful Snapdragon 7 Gen 4.

That being told, game settings will vary depending on how demanding one is.

For instance, CoDM (Call of Duty: Mobile) runs in Very High and Max settings upon first set-up.

Meanwhile, Racing Master (based on NVIDIA’s PhysX engine) can run Ultra settings at 60fps.

However, it throttles during the first two ranked races.

Fortunately, the game detects if it gets sluggish — suggesting lowering down the settings altogether.

Lastly, playing Zenless Zone Zero is doable but, at the lowest graphics by default.

You wouldn’t dare to go past it as Combat Mode will literally feel like combatting the phone itself due to how heavy the game is.

The only “remedy” for these hardware limitations? It’s none other than the Game Turbo mode that boosts graphics performance and input through Xiaomi’s software advancements. And it sort of helped make the gameplay smoother, but not fully.

For the rest of apps that are not graphics-intensive, the M8 Pro can breeze through various apps without hiccups, do split-screens, or multitasking along floating windows with ease.

I can truthfully say that the only thing dragging the POCO M8 Pro down is the software as a whole.

After experiencing the beauty of vivo’s OriginOS 6 and HONOR’s MagicOS 10, Xiaomi’s HyperOS still feels like an after-thought. While it can keep up with the modern-day Android features, its stability and optimizations simply don’t make the cut.

Besides, its built-in AI tools, device ecosystem, as well as cross-compatibility functionality aren’t as polished as what you get on other Chinese brands. Let alone, a rip-off from everyone’s fruit rival without much feature improvements.

Worst thing? Maybe the ad slash bloatware infestation found not just on the lock screen. Even transferring personal files through Xiaomi’s native File Manager app plays an unskippable ad.

Battery: Eat it up! Eat it, eat it up! 🍝🎶

At 8.31mm, the POCO M8 Pro is as slender as it can get. How they were able to fit a 6500mAh battery inside its chassis is a true feat of engineering.

For the record, this is the first POCO M-series smartphone to have such a ginormous battery. It joins the same league as the POCO F8 Ultra, F7, and the X7 Pro (in India).

For added context, the M7 Pro, as well as the X7 with a similar form factor, only had a 5110mAh battery. But, numbers are just part of the story.

In day-to-day scenarios with light to moderate usage, the POCO M8 Pro can last you a full day — even more when you hit the bed with around 30% to spare.

As one would expect though, the biggest hogging can be felt when playing games.

During my gameplay stress test, downloading resources in Racing Master for about 30 minutes already consumed 5% charge (92% down to 87%). An hour of racing ate up 11 percent — from 87% down to 76%.

Letting it rest on my desk for 18 hours, the phone depleted to 51%.

At around 9 in the evening, I then started playing HoYoverse’s Zenless Zone Zero for exactly an hour. Battery charge went down further to 36%. Then, a 1.5-hour game in CoDM resulted to a 28% battery percentage. And, as of writing, the POCO M8 Pro still had a 3 percent charge left in its massive tank.

That said, the POCO M8 Pro comes with Xiaomi’s 100W wired HyperCharge speeds — adapter still bundled in the box.

By default, the battery charging speed is set in regular with the prompt / option to enable boosting.

In my GadgetMatch Charge Test results, it can be seen that the difference isn’t too far off.

	Boosted HyperCharge	Regular HyperCharge	PPS Charging (UGREEN 100W Nexode)
START TIME From 0%	1:11AM	3:10PM	4:06PM
3 minutes	10%	8%	1%
5 minutes	17%	11%	4%
10 minutes	25%	18%	13%
15 minutes	40%	23%	21%
20 minutes	46%	32%	28%
30 minutes	70%	50%	46%
45 minutes	88%	71%	67%
1 hour	99%	91%	84%
1 hour 15 minutes	–	99%	96%
END TIME 100%	2:14AM 1 hour 3 minutes	4:27PM 1 hour 17 minutes	5:30PM 1 hour 24 minutes

PPS Charging is also possible. Although the device only showed “Quick Charge” while being filled up, it’s safe to say that it performs as fast as Xiaomi’s regular HyperCharge with a super close margin of only seven minutes.

Cameras: Surprisingly Satisfying

Prospective buyers of the M8 Pro wouldn’t have a hard time dealing with its conventional camera configuration: a 50MP f/1.6 main (wide) camera based on Light Fusion 800’s 1/1.55-inch sensor. That’s paired with a less outstanding 8MP f/2.2 UWA (ultra-wide angle) camera.

For the most part, the main camera does its job very well considering this type of device.

With the satisfactory 1x image sensor, 2x zoom is also possible, thanks to in-sensor cropping.

I honestly used the 2x mode more than I thought — especially when capturing my cats and food I devour.

You can go beyond the bounds. But, with obvious hardware limitations, the camera processing can only do so much.

Once that natural light disappears, it will be tricky to take low-light shots as this has NO dedicated Night Mode feature. No luck if you are using them indoors with artificial light around.

Instead, regular Photo Mode automatically detects a low-light subject and toggles Night Mode processing by itself.

While most results are satisfying, it’s also a testament that its cameras are far from being flawless.

Good thing, the flash exists for a funkier look in subjects that suit it — food specifically.

Portraits weren’t missed. Although it only relies on some software-based processing, it still gets the job done of separating the subject away from the background — humans and pets alike.

Personally, the aperture function was a bit of a nuisance.

For context, these shots were set to a low “f/1.8 aperture.” But, the M8 Pro rendered DoF (Depth of Field) that isn’t as shallow as what it’s supposed to show.

My frustration continues as the setting defaults back to f/4.5 after quitting and re-opening the camera app. That’s not even the standard lens opening when taking portrait photos.

And while we’re already here, selfies taken with its front-facing shooter.

Is the POCO M8 Pro your GadgetMatch?

While this isn’t the “flagship killer” most expect from a POCO phone, it’s hard not to go loco over how well-rounded yet wallet-friendly this POCO phone is — especially in the year 2026 where inflation is still unstoppable alongside the almost instantaneous and ridiculous RAM price hike.

ICYMI, the POCO M8 Pro has a starting price of GBP 299 / SG$ 389 / RM 1199 / PhP 16,999 (around US$ 279) for the 8+256GB configuration.

Meanwhile, the 12+512GB variant that I handle is priced at GBP 349 / SG$ 449 / RM 1499 / PhP 19,999 (approx. US$ 359).

Its closest rival is none other than the HONOR X9d. Coincidental or not, it was launched just a day after the unveiling of the M8 Pro.

Frankly, the only thing you’ll let go from HONOR’s sweet treat are its monstrous 8300mAh battery and more polished OS. This POCO-ffering blows it out of the water with a greater chipset, faster wired charging, bigger and better display, capable cameras, durability never forgotten.

Although it wasn’t totally highlighted, the POCO M8 Pro is undoubtedly a rebadged REDMI Note 15 Pro+ — Xiaomi’s upcoming midranger that heavily markets its “Titan Durability” capabilities.

The POCO M8 Pro has them all: from its sturdy aluminum frame, four IP ratings, even the fully-shielded front glass care of Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The biggest disparity? REDMI has a 200MP main camera over POCO’s 50MP shooter.

Despite some inconsistencies, the POCO M8 Pro is still an all-around midranger that will satisfy most users who want to purchase a shiny new smartphone without burning holes in your pockets.

It is a Swipe Right, Super Swipe, and a worthy recipient of the GadgetMatch Seal of Approval.