Poco M8 Pro review

Design, build quality, handling

Poco phones have been known for their flashier designs, and this continues to be the case with the new M8 series. The Poco M8 Pro, even if a mostly Redmi Note 15 Pro+ copy/paste job, looks different. And that should work in its favor.

The Poco M8 Pro has a flat Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and a plastic rear panel. Both sides have a subtle 2.5D curvature all around. The plastic frame is also flat with a similar 2.5D finish.

There is no eco-leather variant of the Poco M8 Pro, in contrast with the Redmi Note 15 Pro+. And the Poco Silver, Black, and Green versions all feature dual-tone designs.

For example, our Silver model has a carbon pattern across the edges with a glossy finish, and then glittering silver color with a frosted finish elsewhere. The silver part also has a dual-tone design with a clear division at the center.

Poco M8 in Green and Poco M8 Pro in Silver

The Black model uses the same black carbon stripes, while the Green one has a less flashy dotted texture.

The rounded square camera housing at the back seamlessly transitions to the rear cover.

The Poco M8 Pro is IP66/68 rated for dust and water resistance in Europe. For some odd reason, only non-EU markets get additional IP69/69K certifications for resistance against pressurized water jets.

Xiaomi is also advertising the Poco M8 Pro as drop-resistant thanks to its reinforced internal structure.

The Poco M8 Pro is undeniably a well-protected phone, and considering it's just 8mm thin - that's quite impressive. Even better, the M8 Pro is a good-looking phone with a fresh take on the two-tone colorways.

Now, let's take a closer look at the M8 Pro.

The 6.83-inch OLED screen occupies the front, protected with a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 sheet. The display has thin and even bezels.

There is a relatively small perforation on the OLED panel centered around the top - inside lies the new 32MP selfie camera. Also around here, almost invisible to the naked eye, is the earpiece that also doubles as a stereo speaker, together with an additional top-facing sound outlet.

The Poco M8 Pro features an optical fingerprint scanner under its screen, which works fast and reliably.

We've already talked about the back of the Poco M8 Pro a lot. The camera island has four rings - one for the 50MP primary camera, one for the 8MP ultrawide imager, one for the LED flash, and one for the IR blaster.

Finally, a look at the sides reveals typical positions of familiar buttons and ports.

The top of the Poco M8 Pro has one microphone and a secondary sound outlet for the top stereo speaker.

The bottom houses the USB-C port, the dual-SIM tray, the primary microphone, and the second stereo speaker.

Finally, the volume and power/lock keys are on the right.

The Poco M8 Pro measures 163.3 x 78.3 x 8.2 mm and weighs 207 grams, the same as the Redmi Note 15 Pro+.

The Poco M8 Pro is a well-built smartphone with solid resistance against the elements. We also appreciate its reinforced structure, too. Its colorways are likable, fresh even. And it feels balanced and lightweight when handled.

But the Silver and Black versions of the Poco M8 Pro are also smudge magnets. The matte surface accumulates plenty of fingerprints in mere minutes, and it's not that easy to clean. And then - the whole thing is quite slippery, so that's why we recommend using the bundled case.