 |
| Test of the Xiaomi Poco X8 Pro |
If you’re a mobile gamer on a budget, the past few years have been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Once upon a time, spending under €400 meant compromising on frame rates, dialing graphics down to “potato mode,” and praying your phone wouldn’t turn into a hand warmer. But the rules have changed.
MediaTek’s latest mid-range chipsets – especially the Dimensity 8500 Ultra inside the new Poco X8 Pro – pack GPU horsepower that would have been unthinkable at this price point just two generations ago. The question is: does raw benchmark muscle translate into real-world gaming bliss? And can a €300 phone truly embarrass devices that cost three times as much?
We put the Poco X8 Pro through its paces, running three of the most popular Android games on the market. Spoiler alert: Google’s flagship Pixel 10 Pro didn’t stand a chance.
Meet the Contender: Poco X8 Pro (€300 – €400)
Let’s get the specs out of the way. The Poco X8 Pro is powered by the Dimensity 8500 Ultra – a 4nm chip that pairs an octa-core CPU with a Mali-G720 MP8 GPU. Compared to its predecessor, the GPU gains an extra core, which immediately hints at better multi-threaded graphics performance.
But numbers on a slide mean nothing. What caught our attention is how this budget warrior performs in synthetic benchmarks. In the GFXBench 4K test (rendering at 3840×2160), the Poco X8 Pro doesn’t just beat other mid-rangers – it demolishes them. Even more shocking? It handily outruns Google’s current flagship, the Pixel 10 Pro, by a significant margin.
Of course, benchmarks are like trailer footage. The real movie is how games actually run.
Real-World Gaming: Three Titles, One Verdict
We tested three very different Android games: the lightweight zombie shooter Dead Trigger 2, the competitive battle royale PUBG Mobile, and the notoriously punishing open-world RPG Genshin Impact. All tests were run at maximum available detail levels (unless specified otherwise), with frame rates measured over 15-minute sessions.
Dead Trigger 2 – Casual but Demanding at High FPS
Dead Trigger 2 may be an older title, but its high-refresh support and particle effects can still trip up weaker GPUs. The Poco X8 Pro yawned at the challenge.
- Peak frame rate: 121 fps
- Average frame rate: 112.5 fps
- Observed range: 99–121 fps
For an affordable mid-range phone, averaging over 112 fps in a fast-paced shooter is remarkable. Gameplay felt buttery smooth on a 120 Hz display, with no noticeable stutter or input lag. Even during heavy zombie swarms with explosions and smoke, the Mali-G720 MP8 never broke a sweat.
PUBG Mobile – From Competitive 120 fps to Flagship-Level UHD
PUBG Mobile is the ultimate test of a phone’s versatility. It scales from low-end “smooth” settings all the way to Ultra HD (UHD) textures and shadows. The Poco X8 Pro delivered at every tier.
Smoothest (low settings, 120 fps mode):
Average 117.9 fps (range 100–121). Practically glued to the 120 fps cap. Competitive players will love this – it’s as responsive as gaming phones twice the price.
HD (medium graphics, high frame rate):
Average 89.1 fps (range 84–91). That’s well above 60 fps, giving you a real edge in firefights. Most phones in this bracket struggle to hold 60 fps at HD.
Ultra HD (maximum details):
Average 59.7 fps (range 57–61). Here’s where it gets wild. Running PUBG at UHD settings, the Poco X8 Pro delivers a rock-solid 60 fps – numbers you’d expect from a 2025 flagship, not a €300 device.
How does Google’s Pixel 10 Pro compare?
On the same HD setting, the Pixel 10 Pro (powered by Google’s Tensor G5) averaged only 39.6 fps with wild swings from 12 to 42 fps. That’s not a typo. The Poco X8 Pro more than doubled the frame rate of a flagship that costs over €900.
Genshin Impact – The Ultimate Stress Test
If a phone can handle Genshin Impact at max settings without choking, it earns our respect. This fantasy action RPG pushes even high-end Snapdragon chips to their limits. The Poco X8 Pro’s performance? Exceptionally strong.
At maximum graphical details (60 fps cap enabled), we measured:
- Average frame rate: 59.5 fps
- Range: 51–61 fps
That’s essentially running at the game’s cap for the vast majority of the session. Minor dips to 51 fps occurred during intense elemental burst animations in crowded areas like Sumeru City, but they were brief and barely noticeable.
The Pixel 10 Pro, by contrast, struggled to an average of just 39.1 fps (range 27–61). While it occasionally touched 60 fps in quiet scenes, combat quickly sent it tumbling into the 20s and 30s. For a flagship, that’s disappointing. For a budget phone like the Poco X8 Pro to so clearly outperform it? That’s headline news.
Why Is the Poco X8 Pro So Good for Gaming?
Three factors explain this price-to-performance anomaly:
- Mali-G720 MP8 architecture – ARM’s latest GPU generation brings efficiency improvements that allow sustained performance without aggressive throttling. The extra core (MP8 vs MP7 on older Dimensity chips) directly boosts fill rate and shader throughput.
- UFS 4.1 storage – The Poco X8 Pro we tested came with 512 GB of UFS 4.1 flash. Fast storage means game assets load quicker, reducing texture pop-in and stutter during open-world streaming (looking at you, Genshin).
- Aggressive cooling – Xiaomi has packed a substantial vapor chamber into the X8 Pro. After 30 minutes of Genshin, the phone’s back was warm but not hot, and frame rates remained stable. No throttling down to 40 fps after five minutes – a common problem on cheaper gaming phones.
Who Should Buy the Poco X8 Pro?
- Casual gamers who want to play PUBG, Call of Duty, or Arena Breakout at high refresh rates without spending €800.
- Genshin Impact fans on a budget – you get near-flagship performance for a third of the price.
- Anyone tired of flagship phones that overheat and throttle. The Poco X8 Pro stays cool and consistent.
Who might skip it? If you need the absolute best camera or wireless charging, look elsewhere. The Poco X8 Pro cuts costs on photography and premium features – and puts every saved euro into the GPU.
The Verdict: A Budget Gaming Champion
The Poco X8 Pro is proof that you no longer need to empty your wallet for a great mobile gaming experience. For as little as €300 (and rarely above €400), you get:
- 120 fps PUBG on low settings
- 90 fps PUBG on medium (HD)
- 60 fps UHD PUBG – flagship territory
- 60 fps Genshin Impact at max details
- 112 fps Dead Trigger 2
And it does all this while handing the Google Pixel 10 Pro its own head in benchmarks and real-world tests. Whether you’re a competitive battle royale grinder or a casual open-world explorer, the Poco X8 Pro delivers frame rates that simply shouldn’t exist at this price point.
Rating: 9/10 – An absolute steal for mobile gamers.
Note: All tests conducted on a retail Poco X8 Pro (12 GB RAM, 512 GB storage) running MIUI 15 based on Android 14. Results may vary slightly depending on ambient temperature and software updates.
Price check: Poco X8 Pro starts at ~€300 for the base model. Available via Xiaomi’s official store, Amazon, and select retailers.
Alternative devices to compare? Use our comparison tool to add other phones by model, GPU, CPU, or storage type. But honestly? At this price, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better gaming value in 2025.
 |
| PUBG Mobile |
 |
| Dead Trigger 2 |
 |
| Genshin Impact |