With phone brands suddenly changing their naming scheme superlatives, TECNO also decides to jump on the bandwagon with the ubiquitous “Ultra” labeling.

Ditching that truly unique “Premier” branding, 2026 ushers in a new era with the all-new CAMON 50 Ultra. But is it “Ultra” enough to dissolve its Premier line?

Felt that svelte

After having to experience the last two premium midrangers by TECNO, I was surprised by how they’ve shaken things up.

The most evident change is its back. This year’s CAMON 50 series all share the same design cues, regardless if it’s the base, Pro, and the newer Ultra model.

This not only ditches that signature, premium-looking circular camera cutout two generations in a row, all models are also hard to distinguish from one another.

As a visual guy, it felt like TECNO’s CAMON 40 and Samsung’s Galaxy S26 had a forbidden relationship — with the CAMON 50 being the child out of wedlock.

Still, I’m glad TECNO kept that distinct swan-neck curve which I truly admire since the CAMON 30 lineup.

However, looks are just part of the story. The moment I held the CAMON 50 Ultra for the first time, I felt nothing but featherweight lightness. While it’s subjective, personally, I love how I was able to hold it without feeling too bummed by its sheer size.

And, even with that lightweight-ness, holding it for long still felt premium to the touch — especially with its glass back.

Those dual-curved edges don’t feel sharp and are gentle in my palms.

And while we’re still here, I want to commend how TECNO bundled this lavish-looking case that most (if not all) phone brands fail to provide.

Praiseworthy performer

Beneath that premium-feeling backing lies MediaTek’s Dimensity 7400 Ultimate SoC.

For those who keep stereotyping chip makers saying MediaTek is always a step behind from Qualcomm, it’s your brand bias kicking in.

As we always say, we don’t rely on benchmarks here. Still, here’s the list if you wanted to deep dive into all that nerdy stuff.

With that out of the way, let me be precise and concise with my real-life experience. Setting the bar high, this 4nm Dimensity chip is still a better performer than the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4-equipped POCO M8 Pro I reviewed at the start of 2026.

With HoYoverse’s Zenless Zone Zero as a prime example, I was able to run the game here in a more modest Medium settings. The Snapdragon chip I mentioned? It runs in the lowest resolution by default.

Result? The CAMON 50 Ultra performed smoother with less game hiccups compared to its POCO rival.

For utmost fairness, I also played two other games I’ve played in that previous write-up.

Another one is Racing Master running on Ultra-High graphics along a 60fps frame rate.

While the POCO M8 Pro suffered heavily during the first two ranked races with severe throttling, the CAMON 50 Ultra breezed through with ease.

It’s given though that CoDM (Call of Duty: Mobile) will run well in both phones. Luckily, the CAMON 50 Ultra also offers that slippery-smooth 144Hz refresh rate to fast-track opponents’ movements without jitters.

Heat is always the by-product of energy. For an hour of gaming, of course that heat can be felt especially when your games run in the most extreme setting possible.

The only downside for me is, again, the lack of a bigger 512GB storage. With all the chunk of data we get nowadays, it’s easy to fill up that storage. Also, the lack of eSIM support which further hinders network compatibility when used in other countries.

Fascinating familiarity

Love it or not, phone brands have followed the “Liquid Glass” trend. TECNO isn’t an exception to that with the newly-refined HiOS 16 based on Android 16.

This is a welcome change I’m willing to embrace. Apple bringing back Frutiger Aero-like aesthetics is honestly a breath of fresh air. After all, I’ve been a huge fan of such translucency most especially during its peak with Windows Vista back when I was in 4th grade.

Also, maybe I just got fed up when minimalism dominated each and every part of the world like a wildfire.

Sentiments aside, HiOS 16 isn’t just about polished looks and keeping up to the trend. Overall feel is smoother and more responsive compared to its past releases.

They have also kept the best things around — including the One-Tap button found on the phone’s left side that can be triggered through single or long presses.

Single press activates the new One-Tap FlashMemo. This is where TECNO AI analyzes what’s on your screen and stores it in its megamind.

The latter is system-configurable — even if it’s a game you wanted to play. That’s something other brands will hinder you from doing so.

Unlike last year though, TECNO moved the button further down so it’s more reachable by everyone’s fingers.

Another direction TECNO tries to move forward with: cross-connectivity between your host of devices.

With OneLeap Collaboration, this enables you to manage multiple devices into one. It enables both content transfer and multi-screen connection in just one hub.

And no, this isn’t limited to just TECNO devices. It even stores info of my appliances that can be controlled through the phone itself via IR (Infrared).

Other than the presence of Google’s Gemini and Circle to Search, Ella is still here to stay. By default, it can be summoned by long-pressing the power button.

And, unlike other AI assistants, TECNO gives you the freedom to choose whatever AI engine you prefer, whether that’s ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Gemini, MetaAI, or the ever-intriguing Grok.

Now Playing: The Art of Sarah

One K-Drama after another, The Art of Sarah instantly hooked me in during its Netflix premiere.

Much like how auspicious Sarah Kim is (and all her persona), the 6.78-inch AMOLED display of the CAMON 50 Ultra is crazily alluring to the eyes with some tomfoolery going on.

The bezels, while not as thin like the rest of the competition, still feels right for the eyes.

Despite those gloomy and sulky tones, the three actors in the drama made me watch the series even more — which made me admire how fine their visuals are.

And unlike the cold corpse of “Sarah Kim” in the sewer who failed to survive that cold temperature, this phone is of the opposite. TECNO’s CAMON 50 Ultra can withstand temperatures as cold as -20ºC and as extreme as 45ºC.

The CAMON 50 Ultra’s front is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i. For an affordable midranger, that’s still a big win as others of the same league have nothing at all.

Now that we’re here, it’s also worthy to point out that the CAMON 50 Ultra not only boasts IP68 and IP69 water and dust resistance ratings, it’s also improved to IP69K. This makes it a tougher phone that can withstand even high-pressure water jets or sprays.

On Queue: Hearts2Hearts’ RUDE! + XG’s THE CORE

Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without testing out its speakers. On paper, it has a stereo speaker setup powered by Dolby Atmos.

As the iconic line of Hearts2Hearts’ (H2H’s) “Stella” in RUDE! : “Boy, does it look like I could care? I couldn’t even care less!” It felt like the CAMON 50 Ultra embodies the same spirit. As long as it’s loud enough, it begs to get in all the way.

In real-life, the speakers are loud enough to fill in your empty room. However, my nitpicky ears can easily tell that the bass isn’t that deep. More so, sound gets distorted once it reaches above 80%.

I tried comparing it to my other phones and my observations were right all along.

Even when I tried playing lossless versions of the full THE CORE album by XG in Apple Music, the same thing persists.

In songs like 4 SEASONS and TAKE MY BREATH, that loudness sounds alright as the songs are more into the solemn side. However, playing tracks like GALA and O.R.B, they instantly become a sore in the ears. Highs, mids, and lows all get distorted.

Not sure if this is just my unit though. Hopefully, TECNO can also work on improving their phones speakers in future iterations.

Still that solid snapper

ICYMI, TECNO’s CAMON 40 series last year (except Premier) all shared the same main camera sensor.

The same story happens this year as all CAMON 50 models are still equipped with a 50MP Sony LYT-700C image sensor. As the saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

 

And with the same sensor, the CAMON 50 Ultra will still be able to provide crisp and rich 2x shots even if it relies on in-sensor cropping.

Surprisingly, CAMON 50 Ultra’s 50MP 3x telephoto zoom module (85mm equivalent) is also found in the CAMON 50 Pro. Last year’s Pro models don’t have any.

In subjects that are really far away, the CAMON 50 Ultra delivers consistently.

While other brands fail to provide consistent colors between its cameras, the CAMON 50 Ultra begs to differ.

Speaking of color consistency, TECNO’s trio color styles (or profiles) are still there. However, it’s now tucked inside the lower collapsable menu unlike before where it’s exposed at the upper right top.

That has been replaced by a new feature they call “AI Auto Zoom” for better re-framing of shots even without hitting the shutter button.

Regardless, the looks are still the same like previous generations: Standard for a balanced look, Bright for more vibrant shots, CAMON for that subdued, soulful look.

Regardless of the focal length you choose, these color profiles should work.

One complaint when using the telephoto zoom? Its minimum focusing distance.

Other smartphones have telephoto zoom that works within closer ranges. But, the CAMON 50 Ultra struggles when doing so. It clearly reminded me of the periscope telephoto shooter found in last year’s CAMON 40 Premier with the same issue.

The only “fix” for this is to switch to the 85mm focal length (instead of 70mm). By backing up from your subject a little bit, you can take zoomed shots that are still closer in distance.

But, the best camera feature found in this midranger wonder? Its none other than its FlashSnap capabilities that lets the phone snap photos even before you click that shutter release.

I wouldn’t able to take these stellar shots without TECNO’s wonderful feature. Barcelona’s beach gulls are the (un)paid actors here for letting me snap these picture-perfect photos in a time freeze.

They have improved it this year too as it’s now capable of zooming in as much as 5x. It was limited to 3x on last year’s CAMON 40 Premier and 2x on the Pro model.

BONUS: Instant time-freeze with these crazy-fast toy cars during TECNO’s Booth Tour at MWC 2026

Low-light shots work wonders too. I didn’t expect it too look this good despite the SoC used that usually affects the overall quality of the night shot.

I didn’t even realize I took a lot more than what I have thought.

And before I forget, the ultra-wide performs well too at night even though it’s just the standard 8MP camera with a 112-degree FoV (Field of View).

Portraits aren’t that perfect — but should work day and night.

Now, the only things that draw the line (other than the the chip and lack of 5G connectivity) is the 50MP front-facing camera of the Ultra.

Both the base and Pro CAMON 50 models only have 32MP without AF (Auto Focus), only relying on FF (Fixed Focus).

Even if selfies are always against my will, here are some references.

Badly-needed battery boost

After handling various TECNO phones throughout my career, battery endurance is where it ultimately suffers. I felt it hard when using my PHANTOM V Fold2 from 2024 that keeps draining even on standby.

While this isn’t TECNO’s largest battery in a smartphone (as the award goes to the POVA Curve 2 5G with its monstrous 8000mAh capacity) this 6500mAh single-cell battery is something I’ve been wanting to have for long.

I’m also fortunate enough as other regions have a slightly downsized 6150mAh dual-cell battery. Still, both are heaps larger than last year’s 5100~5200mAh range. It’s even a milestone as the newly-launched Samsung Galaxy S26 series never got the battery bumps they all deserved.

With heavy-hitting tasks, the CAMON 50 Ultra ultimately consumes juice. A total of 145 minutes (or around 2.5 hours) of gameplay means losing as much as 84%. Three to four hours of binge-watching? That’s only a 8~10% deduction though. Streaming music for another hour? A mere 5% depletion.

In the moderate, regularly-mannered use-case, this phone lasts you through a full day with around 10% to spare.

Best of all? Standby time can last up to 3 or 4 days! My other TECNO phones usually die after a day or two even without doing anything.

TECNO says it will still maintain its 80% capacity after 2000 charging cycles (or about five years). Only time can tell.

Once it totally depletes, the CAMON 50 Ultra can be filled up through its bundled 45W charger.

 

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At first, that sounded like a disappointment. However, my initial testing actually shows that the speeds are somewhat similar to the 90W speeds of my vivo X-flagship.

My GadgetMatch Charge Test further proves that point:

	TECNO CAMON 50 Ultra 6500mAh 45W Hyper Speed Charging	vivo X300 Pro 6510mAh 90W FlashCharge Regular
START TIME (From 0%)	4:34PM	1:59PM
3 minutes	4%	1%
5 minutes	6%	3%
10 minutes	12%	10%
15 minutes	21%	18%
20 minutes	30%	24%
30 minutes	43%	38%
45 minutes	65%	57%
1 hour	85%	71%
1 hour 15 minutes	99%	99%
END TIME	5:51PM 1 hour 16 minutes	3:15PM 1 hour 16 minutes

So how is that even possible? Only the amazing people behind the tech can explain it.

As the reviewer myself, I am both in awe yet still in disbelief: are charging speed labels the real deal or are they’re just labeled for the sake of saying it’s “fast” enough?

Is the TECNO CAMON 50 Ultra your GadgetMatch?

As of this writing, TECNO has not provided exact pricing. But, for a phone still positioned below the US$ 600 / EUR 400 pricing range (approx. below PhP 30,000), the TECNO CAMON 50 Ultra is still one of those midrangers aimed towards users with a lean budget who also happens to value mean performance.

Swipe Left only if a curved edge display and 45W wired charging are dealbreakers for you — even if my charge test says otherwise.

Personally, it’s still a Swipe Right and a Super Swipe for me.

Its slender chassis, battery capacity boost, and solid shooting experience are already given. The combo of a reliable hardware plus refined OS are more reasons why the CAMON 50 Ultra is a phone worth checking out.

I may not have the consensus but, it seems like TECNO values what their community is saying.

For one, most of us wanted a bigger battery not just by numbers, it delivered a long-lasting endurance too.

Others pointed out that smaller and flat display on last year’s CAMON 40 Premier. This year, they brought back that bigger 6.78-inch curved display tech.

Last but definitely not the least, a streamlined and ever-fluid OS compared to what it was from two years ago.

If only they bring back 75W charging, a larger 512GB storage configuration, and even eSIM support, the next CAMON will instantly crush the mid-class.

Now, is the price bump from last year’s CAMON 40 line justifiable? Well, I am still blaming the AI-ddiction that led to component shortages as well as price hike craze.

404 Premier Not Found: The new era

As I still can’t get over how extremely catchy KiiiKiii’s latest hit track 404 (New Era) is, it inspired me to realize what TECNO did with its latest CAMON 50 series line. This might mark as the new era for TECNO — a bittersweet new beginning if I must insist (or resist).

Other than the company itself, no one knows why they went with this route. Based on my observation alone, it seems like TECNO is trying to play it safe this time, though not in a bad way.

They want to upkeep with the demands of their aimed market without having to spend more for production and/or raise the overall price of its new line of smartphones two to threefold. And based from the spec sheet alone, the CAMON 50 Ultra is more of the successor to last year’s CAMON 40 Pro 5G rather than being the total replacement of the CAMON 40 Premier.

Also maybe, TECNO just wanted to “simplify” their model naming by omitting the “4G” and “5G” titles of the CAMON Pro lineup, making it sound cleaner and less confusing. But, that change still confuses a lot (myself included) with the “Ultra” being a newcomer — all while the signature “Premier” is nowhere in attendance.

Now, despite my sentiments of truly missing their Premier line, this new midranger still is a compelling choice. I never even thought I would enjoy the CAMON 50 Ultra as much as I would. It’s a well-refined piece of slab culminated by TECNO’s continuous strive to innovation.

I’m just wishfully thinking TECNO is just hiding the CAMON 50 Premier up in its sleeves and brings out that wild card on the deck months after this release. Hopefully, it doesn’t end up like their flagship PHANTOM X series that was never heard of since 2022.

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The new HONOR Magic8 Pro isn’t just getting a camera upgrade — it’s getting an entire system built around long-range photography.

At the center of this unboxing is the HONOR Magic8 Pro Professional Imaging Kit. It’s a modular accessory setup designed to push mobile telephoto shooting further. With the attachable 2.35x Telephoto Extender, protective case, and Shot Imaging Grip, the Magic8 Pro reaches an equivalent 200mm focal length. It can also digitally extend far beyond that. It’s a bold attempt to solve one of smartphone imaging’s hardest problems: clear, stable zoom at night.

The hardware story is just as ambitious. The Magic8 Pro features a 200MP Ultra Night Telephoto camera with a large 1/1.4-inch sensor, wide f/2.6 aperture. It also has an CIPA 6.5-rated stabilization — an industry-leading benchmark for optical image stabilization. HONOR says this new system shifts from passive shake correction to proactive prediction, improving micro-shake detection and keeping distant details sharp even in low light.

Color science also gets an upgrade. The new AiMAGE Color Engine focuses on true-to-life tones, balancing complex lighting scenes like blue hour skylines or neon-lit streets. Expect cleaner highlights, preserved shadow detail, and more consistent skin tones across environments.

But the real story of this kit is experience. The Shot Imaging Grip adds DSLR-style ergonomics, complete with a shutter button, zoom lever, and quick-launch controls. There’s even support for 67mm filters, opening the door to more creative shooting setups.

SEE ALSO:

• HONOR Magic8 Pro Stage Mode at a TWICE concert
• HONOR Magic8 Pro review: What sorcery is this?

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 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.