Compact phones with real flagship features are rare. Most small handsets either cut corners on battery and cameras or come with a high price. The Poco X8s, which has just appeared in Vietnam, tries to avoid that trade-off with a 6.35-inch screen, a large battery, 100W charging and a dedicated telephoto camera. Reports differ on whether this is a full launch or a pre-order listing, but the hardware is already well documented.
A fifth X8 model, and the smallest
The X8s is the fifth phone in the Poco X8 family. The X8 Pro and X8 Pro Max came in March, and the X8 and X8 Power followed in September. The new phone is the smallest of the group. Larger siblings such as the X8 Pro Max have a 6.83-inch display, which is hard to use one-handed, so a 6.35-inch model fills a gap for people who find big phones tiring.
The X8s was first spotted in a listing on Xiaomi’s official Shopee store in Vietnam. Before that, it had appeared in Geekbench and in regulatory databases under the model number 2609CPC5FG. Some reports call the Vietnam release a global launch, but the better-sourced accounts say Poco has not yet confirmed a formal announcement or availability elsewhere.
Display and performance
The screen is a 6.35-inch 1.5K LTPO OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, at a resolution reported as 1200 x 2656 pixels. LTPO technology lets the refresh rate drop when the screen is showing something static, which saves power. There is an in-display fingerprint sensor, and the phone is rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, a level of protection usually reserved for pricier devices.
Performance comes from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, a 4nm chip. It is paired with 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5X memory and 256GB or 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The phone ships with Android 16 and HyperOS 3. Connectivity includes Bluetooth 5.4, NFC and an IR blaster. One report lists Wi-Fi 7, while another lists only Wi-Fi 802.11ac, so check the official spec sheet before assuming support.
The telephoto is the main draw
In this price range, the telephoto camera is the most unusual feature. The rear setup has three sensors:
- A 50MP main camera with optical image stabilisation, reported as the Light Fusion 800 sensor
- A 50MP telephoto camera with an f/2.2 lens
- An 8MP ultra-wide camera, also at f/2.2
There is a 32MP front camera for selfies and video calls.
Mid-range phones often include a token 2MP depth or macro sensor to pad the camera count. A real 50MP telephoto is a different proposition. Optical zoom gives much cleaner results for portraits, distant subjects and street photography than cropping a main sensor, and it is a feature that buyers can see the benefit of in everyday use. For a phone like this, it is a stronger selling point than a headline battery number or a faster chip.
Battery and charging
The battery is 6,330mAh, which is generous for a phone this size, and it charges at up to 100W over a wire. Reverse charging at 22.5W is also reported. One source gives the battery as 6,300mAh, which is likely a rounding of the same figure. Poco has not said how long a full charge takes, but 100W charging typically refills a battery of this size in well under an hour.
The reported weight of 187 grams is another point in its favour. Packing a battery this big and a telephoto module into a phone this light would be an engineering achievement. The design is said to resemble the Redmi K90, and it comes in white, black and blue.
Price and availability
Vietnamese pricing starts at VND 11.5 million, roughly USD 440 or PHP 28,100, for the 8GB + 256GB model. The 12GB + 512GB version costs VND 14 million, around USD 540 or PHP 34,200. First-time buyers are reportedly offered coupons that bring those prices down to about USD 313 and USD 387. Pre-orders are open, and the first deliveries are scheduled for November 6 to 9, 2026.
These are not cheap numbers for a Poco phone. The brand built its reputation on value, and mid-range handsets from competitors with similar chips often cost less. The coupon discounts help, but the regular price tag will make buyers weigh the compact size and telephoto camera against cheaper, larger options. One Indian outlet estimates a price range of Rs 42,000 to Rs 51,000 should the phone arrive there, but that is speculation, not an announcement.
Who should care
The X8s makes the most sense for people who want a phone that is small without being compromised. The one-handed-friendly size, serious battery, rugged IP68 rating and real telephoto camera cover most of what such a buyer wants. People who care more about raw power or the lowest price will find better value elsewhere in the X8 range or from rival brands.
What to watch
Several questions remain. Poco has not confirmed other markets, including the Philippines, and local pricing is unknown. The conflicting reports about Wi-Fi support suggest that some details may be corrected once the official spec sheet appears. Real-world camera quality is another unknown: a 50MP telephoto sensor does not guarantee good results if the processing is poor.
For now, the Poco X8s looks like a thoughtful answer to a neglected niche. If Poco can bring it to more markets at a competitive price, it could be one of the more interesting compact Android phones of the season.
