POCO F8 Ultra: The Most Premium Poco Ever Made! Full Review & Honest Verdict
Every year, Poco drops a phone that stirs up the tech world, but this time, they’ve delivered something that genuinely made me pause mid-unboxing. The POCO F8 Ultra isn’t just another “performance monster” with Poco branding slapped on it. It feels… different. More refined. More luxurious. More confident.
But does that new identity justify its premium pricing?
Let’s walk through everything—the good, the great, and the parts Poco really needs to fix.
✨ First Impressions: Poco Finally Feels Premium
The moment I picked up the POCO F8 Ultra, I knew Poco had stepped into new territory. This is easily one of their best-feeling phones to date.
A Build That Speaks Luxury
The metal frame instantly sets the tone—cold to the touch, sturdy in the hand, and unmistakably premium. But the real showstopper is the back panel. It has this unique textured finish that resembles high-quality denim fabric. Subtle, classy, and nothing like the glossy fingerprint magnets we see everywhere.
The horizontal camera bar?
Yes, it’s giving Apple vibes—but in a tasteful way.
At 8.3 mm thickness and a solid 234 grams, it does feel substantial. Not light, not slim—but unmistakably flagship.
And Poco didn’t hold back on durability either.
IP68 certification means the F8 Ultra is ready for accidental spills or dust-heavy environments.
One complaint, though:
The haptics are surprisingly soft, almost too gentle for a phone trying to feel premium. And yes—no SD card support.
🌈 Display: Poco’s Most Beautiful Screen… Ever
If there’s one area where the F8 Ultra shines like a supernova, it’s the display.
This is not hyperbole.
This is genuinely Poco’s best display to date and one of the best I’ve seen in this price bracket.
Why the Display Is a Showstopper
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6.9-inch Hyper RGB AMOLED
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120 Hz refresh rate
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1.5K resolution
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12-bit colors
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HDR support
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Symmetrical nano-thin bezels
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Protected by Poco Shield Glass
The result?
Colors that look alive. Blacks that are inky. Details that pop off the screen. And brightness levels that honestly feel unfair to other phones:
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2000 nits HBM
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3500 nits peak brightness
Yes, you can roast your retinas—outdoors, indoors, anywhere.
This display alone pushes the F8 Ultra into flagship territory.
🔊 Sound by Bose: A Legitimate Flex
Audio is often an afterthought on smartphones, but Poco went big this time and teamed up with Bose.
And you can hear the difference.
The dual speakers are
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Extremely loud
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Spacious
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Rich in bass
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Surprisingly immersive
There’s a “woofer-like” depth in the lower frequencies that you never expect from a phone. It’s the kind of sound that makes you double-check whether a Bluetooth speaker is connected.
📸 Camera: Big Specs, Big Ambition… But Not Flagship-Grade
Poco clearly wanted to make a statement with its first-ever Periscope Telephoto Lens—and on paper, the camera system looks extraordinary:
The Camera Setup
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50MP Main (OIS, Light Fusion 950 sensor)
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50MP Periscope Telephoto (OIS)
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50MP Ultrawide
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32MP Selfie Camera
Fast shutter speed? Absolutely.
Sharp photos? Yes.
HDR performance? Solid.
But the issue is consistency.
Where the Camera Struggles
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Colors sometimes appear overly contrasty or overly brightened.
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Skin tones get a “beauty filter” look—whitish and over-sharpened.
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Portrait mode at 1x and 2x? Poor depth detection
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Portrait mode at 5x (Periscope)? Surprisingly excellent
This camera performs well for a normal user—but if you’re expecting top-tier flagship quality, this isn’t there yet.
And the reviewer was clear:
“The camera needs improvement.”
⚡ Performance: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Dominates
The POCO F8 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, built on a 3nm process.
And it performs exactly how you expect—like a beast.
Spotlight Performance Numbers
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Antutu: 3.8 Million+
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12GB LPDDR5X RAM
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256GB UFS 4.1 Storage
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Ultra HDR gaming support
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Stable 120 FPS gameplay
This phone doesn’t break a sweat…
Well—almost.
The Throttling Issue
During the CPU throttle test:
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Performance dropped to 51% stability
Meaning:
It performs beautifully in short bursts but heats up and slows under long, heavy workloads.
But for 99% of users, the performance is more than enough.
🔋 Battery, Charging & Software: Big Power, Small Annoyances
Battery & Charging
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6500 mAh battery—massive
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100W fast wired charging
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50W wireless charging
A true powerhouse. You won’t be battery-anxious with this phone.
Software: HyperOS on Android 16
Smooth, clean animations and fast transitions.
But here comes the frustration…
❌ Ads in the UI
Yes, you read that right.
A flagship phone with ads when you search in the app drawer.
And pre-installed apps that no one asked for.
Completely unacceptable at this price.
Connectivity is loaded.
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Wi-Fi 7
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Bluetooth 6.0
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NFC
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11 5G bands
No issues here.
💰 Price & Final Verdict: Worth the Money?
The POCO F8 Ultra is priced at €649 in Europe—about ₹68,000 to ₹69,000.
Sadly, it’s not launching in India.
Only a regular POCO F8 is expected here later.
So, should you buy it (if available in your country)?
What I Absolutely Loved
✔ Stunning premium design
✔ Best-ever Poco display
✔ Loud, punchy Bose audio
✔ Flagship-level performance
✔ Huge battery and blazing charging speeds
What Poco Needs to Fix
✘ Camera consistency
✘ Portrait mode issues
✘ Ads & bloatware (a flagship at this price shouldn’t have this!)
Who is this phone for?
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Gamers
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Performance enthusiasts
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Display lovers
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Users who want premium design
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Media consumers
Who should skip it?
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Camera-focused users
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People who hate ads or bloat
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Those looking for a light/compact phone
Final Thoughts
The POCO F8 Ultra is one of the most exciting phones Poco has made—bold, premium, and packed with serious firepower. It’s a flagship that’s genuinely impressive in almost every department… except the camera and software.
If Poco can fix those two pain points, their next flagship might genuinely shake up the market.
But even today, the F8 Ultra stands out as a powerful, beautifully designed device with a display you’ll fall in love with.
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