The Poco F8 Ultra proves that 'flagship killers' can provide top-tier performance without sacrificing the norms of a great smartphone. Its cameras sparkle, the battery lasts well over a day, and HyperOS has grown into an OS anyone can use. The Poco F8 Ultra's design is clearly inspired by other flagships, but it also features some unique touches that help it stand out from the crowd — not least a formidable Bose speaker system.
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The Poco F8 Ultra demonstrates what’s possible when performance doesn’t come at a premium. Packing a top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, a huge 6,500mAh battery, and a bright 120Hz AMOLED display, it's among the very best phones on paper — but it's Poco's photography chops and unique Bose partnership that set the F8 Ultra apart from other ‘flagship killers’.
A trio of rear cameras steals the show. Poco phones (as well as those made by its parent company, Xiaomi) often sneak under the radar for photographic performance, but having shone in both day and nighttime environments during my testing, there’s rarely been any situation where the F8 Ultra’s cameras haven’t exceeded expectations. What’s more, Xiaomi’s HyperOS 3 seems to finally be fulfilling its AI-centric potential, with genuinely useful photo features that allow beginners to fine-tune their shots to perfection.
The brand's Bose partnership sets an equally high standard. While for many, the addition of a dedicated 1620 subwoofer in the phone's rear panel may seem like a token gesture, partnering it with symmetrical, dual 115F speakers quickly highlights how ‘flat’ other phones sound without external audio devices. Bass is noticeable, and the overall soundscape is more than pleasant enough to enable most to ditch the headphones entirely, so long as the situation suits!
While the F8 Ultra's design may bear a striking resemblance to that of Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro, that’s hardly a bad thing. The phone feels superb to hold and rivals its most premium opposition for style, despite its huge 6.9-inch display. The rounded corners, flat aluminum edges, and impressive thinness (7.9 or 8.3mm, depending on variant) help its size feel manageable, and it’ll quickly feel much like its more premium counterparts in everyday use. The denim-like variant is certainly an acquired taste, but I grew accustomed to it quickly and, frankly, it feels superb to use.
Under the hood, the combination of a huge 6,500mAh battery and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset is stellar. The F8 Ultra achieves all-day battery life with ease, all while retaining superb performance under strain from gaming or multitasking. The only drawback: it does suffer from the chipset’s trademark overheating problems. While I never found the phone to be fatally hot, this temperature increase is certainly noticeable when gaming for long periods, and it can lead to some performance drops as a result.
The phone's availability is another drawback. It's available in the UK via both carriers and retailers, but only via third-party retailers like Amazon and eBay in the US. Still, the latter is more than can be said for the best Xiaomi phones, so I suppose that's a small win. The Poco F8 Ultra isn't available in Australia at the time of writing.
The Poco F8 Ultra undercuts almost any comparable phone when it comes to price. It launched for $729 / £749 back in November 2025, but is now available for significantly less — especially in the UK — likely due to the imminent release of the Poco F9 Ultra, which is rumored to land towards the end of 2026.
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It's a win in itself to see one of Xiaomi’s devices available via Amazon or eBay in the US. It’s not available directly through carriers, though you’ll no longer have an issue using a US SIM with this device.
Even without a discount, the Poco F8 Ultra starts from the best part of $200 / £200 less than you’d normally expect to pay for a device boasting the latest chipset, triple cameras, and a huge battery. It even gets 4 years of major Android OS updates and 6 years of security updates. By which point, Xiaomi will almost certainly have released something of even better value to replace it.
Xiaomi and Poco do sell phones in Australia, but the Poco F8 Ultra isn't currently available in that region.
163.33 x 8.3 x 77.82mm (Black) 163.33 x 7.9 x 77.82mm (Blue)
50MP wide (f/1.7) + 50MP periscope telephoto (f/3.0) + 50-MP (f/2.4) ultrawide