Poco F8 Extremely Canadian overview: Android’s iPhone

Once I pulled the Poco F8 Extremely out of its field for the primary time, my preliminary thought was the corporate had despatched me the flawed system. It regarded and felt precisely like an iPhone 17 Professional Max, proper right down to the digicam housing. Solely as soon as I turned it on did I bear in mind this can be a high-end Android.

Poco’s model of Android is making an attempt to be iOS. This isn’t essentially a foul factor. The telephone is quick, polished and performs exceptionally effectively. Nevertheless it’s a telephone that follows, not leads, and it’s that lack of originality that an Android loyalist like me finds irritating.

Is that this an ideal telephone? Hell sure. Is that this an ideal Android? Effectively, there’s some nuance to discover earlier than answering that query.

A premium performer in a well-known face

Once I pull the F8 Extremely out of my pocket, it will get mistaken for an iPhone. The rounded-corner, all-metal chassis with the aluminum alloy center body and rectangular deco on the again all contribute to a sense of deja vu. The black variant I’m utilizing has a matte-gloss fibre construct and feels elegant, however the Denim Blue model makes use of Xiaomi’s third-generation nano-tech materials and is meant to have a denim-like really feel that’s sturdy and dirt-resistant. I didn’t get to play with that one, however the complete lineup jogs my memory of what Android appears like when it’s following, not main.

Efficiency-wise, I’ve zero complaints. The telephone is blazing quick due to its dual-chipset structure with a flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and an upgraded VisionBoost D8 chipset. Poco claims an AnTuTu rating of over 3.9 million and I consider it. I put it by way of my very own Geekbench take a look at, and it returned a single-core rating of three,583 and a multi-core rating of 10,989, on par with the iPhone 17 Professional with 3,900 single-core and 9,900 multi-core.

I by no means as soon as hit a stutter within the few weeks I used this as my day by day driver. Even multitasking was a breeze. It video games effectively, too, and loaded Name of Obligation: Cellular and Honkai: Star Rail rapidly. Its customized cooling system consists of a 3D dual-channel IceLoop system that works laborious and the telephone solely grew to become heat taking part in these video games. However this isn’t a devoted gaming telephone just like the Redmagic 11 Professional I simply reviewed, so I wasn’t blown away. Nonetheless, this isn’t meant to be a gaming telephone. It’s only a highly effective multipurpose system.

A feast for the eyes (and ears)

The Poco F8 Extremely really shines as an leisure system.

The display is beautiful. Poco debuted its HyperRGB show right here, and in contrast to conventional 2K OLEDs, it makes use of a full RGB subpixel construction. The outcomes are distinctive readability that’s corresponding to 2K however with 20 per cent much less energy consumption than an everyday OLED. It has deep blacks and vibrant colors and I may nonetheless see clearly on a sunny winter day. My favorite elements of the display are the slim 1.5mm bezels. I don’t like bezels.

The place this telephone is healthier than any iPhone is the audio system. They merely rock. I used to be actually excited concerning the partnership with Bose and they didn’t disappoint. Poco collaborated with the audio large to create a premium triple-speaker acoustic system with 2.1 channel structure. What this jargon means is the sound is loud and clear. I proceed to be blown away by the wealthy bass and detailed sound that this skinny system pumps out.

You’ll be able to select between a Dynamic sound profile for wealthy bass or Balanced for pure vocals. In fact, I selected Dynamic.

Professional-level images with a catch

The digicam system is nice. The primary setup incorporates a 50-megapixel major shooter with optical picture stabilization (OIS). A big 1/1.31 inch sensor leads to elevated mild sensitivity in comparison with the F7 from final yr. The pictures are sharp, detailed and ideal.

I’m an enormous fan of the Xiaomi digicam interface Poco continues to make use of on all its gadgets. It’s my favorite digicam UI of all telephones, notably the Professional setting that enables me to regulate each little element of the digicam, from the f-stop to the ISO to the white steadiness. The lenses have lastly caught as much as this glorious interface.

These cameras embody Poco’s first-ever 50-megapixel 5x periscope telephoto lens, and sadly, that is the place I bumped into issues. I attempted to zoom in so far as potential on distant objects, and the sensor merely couldn’t work out what I used to be taking a look at. The output stayed blurry because the lens would by no means focus. I pulled again a little bit and the digicam would immediately stabilize and change into clear, however I couldn’t get a transparent shot when zoomed in to the utmost.

Video, then again, was glorious. Android has at all times lagged behind iPhone with regards to video, however the Poco F8 Extremely is the primary shut contender I’ve used. It captures distinctive video, smooths out the bounces and jolts, and outputs in good 4K 60 fps (my private candy spot for cellular video). Poco additionally consists of software program enhancements like 1440P ultra-clear dynamic photographs with EIS stabilization and HDR enhancement. The result’s this telephone information video higher than the most recent Pixel or Galaxy S25.

Good video seize paired with these Bose audio system makes this a wonderful YouTube or TikTok streamer’s system.

A stifling OS however an ideal battery

The Poco F8 Extremely packs an enormous 6,500mAh battery, the biggest Poco has used. A full day and a half of standard use isn’t any drawback. 100W wired HyperCharging solely takes 38 minutes to go from 0 to 100 per cent, in line with Poco, however I wouldn’t know as a result of they didn’t embody a charging brick within the field. It does assist 50W wi-fi charging, which I  used with out complaints.

In actual fact, my largest grievance about this system is unchanged from final yr’s F7 Extremely: the OS. The telephone runs on Xiaomi Hyper OS 3, which is engineered with AI options and Google Gemini.

The issue is that Poco has gimped Android by locking down all the things. Theming, icons, dwelling display format and different customizations are solely obtainable by way of what Poco permits. I couldn’t drop a brand new launcher on it in any respect. I’m a fan of Good Launcher 6, however identical to final yr, it might not work on a Poco F-series system. I have already got an iPhone; I recognize Android for its deep customizability, so I discover this walled-garden method extraordinarily irritating.

Do you have to purchase it?

The Poco F8 Extremely is a improbable telephone for somebody who merely needs nice {hardware} that’s dependable, quick and feels good to make use of, however doesn’t need an iPhone. The non-technical normies amongst us will recognize this system. This can be a nice alternative when you don’t care about customization and need glorious cameras, audio system, and a wonderful display.

Nonetheless, when you’re a heavy customizer or an Android fanatic, you’ll want to move. Simply get an iPhone 17 Professional at this level.