Xiaomi's sub-brand Poco has added a smaller phone to its mid-range X8 family. The new Poco X8s went on sale first in Vietnam through Shopee, and on October 26, 2026 it was announced for global markets. Its pitch is unusual for this price class: a 6.35-inch phone with a big battery, 100W charging and a dedicated 50MP telephoto camera, starting at an early-bird price of $399.
Compact Android phones are still rare, and the ones that exist often trade battery life or camera hardware for their smaller size. Poco is trying to avoid that trade-off. According to its official spec sheet, the X8s is 151.1mm tall, 8.06mm thick and weighs 187g.
Display, performance and cameras
The front has a 6.35-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with a 2656 x 1220 resolution, a 1–120Hz variable refresh rate and up to 3,500 nits of peak brightness. It supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, and the bezels are slim and even, measuring 1.18mm. Inside is the 4nm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset, cooled by Poco's 3D IceLoop system.
The cameras are the main thing that sets the X8s apart. It uses a 50MP Light Fusion 800 main sensor with optical stabilisation and an f/1.77 aperture. Beebom notes that this is the same sensor used in the Poco F8 Pro. Next to it are a 50MP telephoto and an 8MP ultra-wide. A proper zoom lens is still uncommon below $400, where most phones combine a main camera with only an ultra-wide or macro sensor.
Poco X8s highlights
- Display: 6.35-inch 1.5K LTPO AMOLED, 1–120Hz, up to 3,500 nits
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm)
- Memory: 8GB/256GB or 12GB/512GB (LPDDR4X RAM, UFS 2.2 storage per the official spec page)
- Rear cameras: 50MP main with OIS, 50MP telephoto, 8MP ultra-wide
- Front camera: 20MP
- Battery: 6,330mAh, 100W wired charging, up to 22.5W wired reverse charging
- Extras: ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader, IP68, NFC, Wi-Fi 6, 5G
- Software: HyperOS 3 based on Android 16
- Price: $399 (8GB/256GB) and $499 (12GB/512GB) early-bird
Where the compromises are
The X8s does cut corners in places. Xiaomi's global spec page lists LPDDR4X memory and UFS 2.2 storage, both older standards than the LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0 found in many rivals. You may notice this when installing large apps, copying files or loading games, even if day-to-day use stays smooth. Some early reports list faster memory, so buyers should check the exact listing in their region before ordering.
The early-bird price is also likely to be temporary. Poco hasn't announced pricing or a date for India, and availability and prices may differ from market to market.
What it means
If you want a phone that fits easily in one hand and still has a long-lasting battery, the Poco X8s is one of the more interesting options of the autumn. A 6,330mAh cell, 100W charging, IP68 protection and a telephoto lens are rarely found together in a phone this size at this price. Performance should be adequate for most people rather than flagship-level, and the older storage standard is a real drawback for heavy users. Still, at $399 the X8s looks like good value, especially for buyers who care more about battery life and zoom photos than benchmark scores.
