Poco X8 Pro at $299: the end of cheap mid-range, or not?
Xiaomi launched the Poco X8 Pro in March with a 9,000 mAh battery for $299, but industry forecasts for 2026 expect general phone prices to rise by 7 percent.
Is a $299 phone with a battery larger than any flagship still “mid-range”, or is it a new category of its own? The question matters for anyone shopping for a new phone in 2026, because the Poco X8 Pro offers numbers that two years ago were reserved for devices at double the price. Pricing starts at $299 for the base version with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.
The headline feature of this model is the battery. Industry reports cite 9,000 mAh, nearly double what the strongest iPhone 16 Pro Max carries. The second important spec is the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra chip, which on raw performance sits close to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 of 2023, meaning this phone is not weaker than a premium model from two years ago.
1. What you get for $299
The phone has a 6.59-inch AMOLED display at 120 Hz. The main camera is 50 megapixels with optical stabilisation, an important detail because many competitors in this price tier offer only electronic stabilisation.
Wired charging is 90 watts, meaning a full battery in roughly 35 minutes. Wireless charging is not supported, a decision made to keep the price down.
2. The Pro Max version is a different story
The Poco X8 Pro Max, priced at $469, is already in a category that cannot really be called mid-range. It has a 6.83-inch AMOLED with QHD resolution and 3,500 nits peak brightness, more than most premium phones.
The processor is the MediaTek Dimensity 9500s, a version of the flagship chip from 2025 with slightly reduced output to save on cost. Charging is 100 watts. IP69K rating means the phone resists pressurised water, unusual at this price.
3. Why the talk about the end of cheap mid-range
Global forecasts for 2026 expect phone prices to climb roughly 7 percent over the year. The cause is rising memory and flash-storage prices, increasingly diverted toward servers for AI workloads rather than mobile devices.
In practical terms, if the Poco X8 Pro is $299 today, by the end of 2026 it could be $320 or $325. The next generation model probably will not start below $330. If you are planning a purchase and the base model suits you, it is worth thinking about buying sooner rather than later.
4. Competition in the same tier
The Samsung Galaxy A56 runs around 450 euros, has a weaker battery (5,000 mAh) and a slower chip but better software support (seven years of security updates versus Poco’s three years).
The Honor 200 Lite and Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro in a similar price band offer better design but weaker specs. Realistically, the only phone that competes directly with the Poco on value-for-money is the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ from the same Xiaomi family.
5. What to check before buying
Warranty across Europe is usually 24 months through authorised distributors, but grey-market imports that often have lower prices do not come with local warranty. Before buying, check whether the seller offers local warranty, because Xiaomi phone service through authorised centres costs significantly less.
The other important fact is the Android version. The Poco X8 Pro ships with Android 15 and the HyperOS 2 overlay. Three major Android updates mean support through to Android 18, reasonable for a phone in this tier but far short of Samsung’s seven-year policy.
Our recommendation
If you are looking for a phone under 300 euros that will reliably run for three years and your needs are mainstream (email, social media, occasional movies, light gaming), the Poco X8 Pro is the best value-for-money on the market right now. The 9,000 mAh battery has no rival in its tier.
If camera quality is your priority, consider the Samsung Galaxy A56 or wait for the autumn launch of the Pixel 9a, expected in October. Google typically delivers better camera software even with more modest hardware.
The phone is available across Europe through official Xiaomi resellers and major mobile carriers as part of two-year subscription bundles. The carrier bundle, at around 8 euros per month added to an existing tariff, can be more palatable than the upfront cost for many users.
