POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition Review

Special edition smartphones often focus heavily on their visual appeal. That said, it seems the new POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition doesn’t only give that thematic look, but also attempts to combine a collector’s phone with capable hardware.

From the glossy Iron Man-themed back panel to the custom software interface, this phone embraces the “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” aesthetic throughout the entire experience.

However, beyond the Tony Stark vibes, how does the phone handle everyday tasks?

In this review, we’re taking a closer look at how the POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition performs. Can this be your next daily driver? Let’s find out.

Design and Construction

First up, let’s talk about the looks. As its name suggests, the POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition features design elements inspired by the fictional hero, and we see that immediately out of the box.

You get a glossy back panel featuring a full Iron Man-themed print. Though the finish is smooth and reflective which can be a bit of a fingerprint magnet.

Thankfully, it does come with a case that follows the same theme. It fits snugly and complements the Iron Man motif while adding minimal bulk.

Its edges provide extra grip, which helps when using the phone for extended periods, whether gaming or browsing.

Despite the flashy design, the phone itself is well-built, and the front panel is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7 which should help repel scratches and minor bumps.

The phone is 8.38 mm thin and weighs about 201 grams. It fits comfortably in the hand and feels similar in size to many current midrange and upper-midrange smartphones.

The phone also carries an IP68 rating meaning it’s resistant to dust and capable of surviving immersion in water for a short time. While this doesn’t mean we should be intentionally dunking the phone underwater, it does add some peace of mind for everyday situations like accidental spills or a sudden rain.

Display, Multimedia, and Biometrics

Flipping the phone over, it features a 6.59-inch AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution that translates to 2756 by 1268 pixels. The panel supports a 120Hz refresh rate.

Brightness is another strong point. The display can reach 3500 nits peak brightness with 2000 nits in high brightness mode (HBM), and 800 nits typical brightness.

In daily use, this means the screen remains readable even under the harsh sunlight.

The display also supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, allowing compatible streaming content to take advantage of improved contrast and color accuracy.

There’s Dolby Atmos support here as well, complemented with stereo speakers, capable of producing clear and sufficiently loud audio for videos, games and music.

That said, the speaker quality could be better in my opinion. While they are perfectly usable, the overall output lacks some depth and fullness, but it does have good highs and decent mids nonetheless.

For security, the phone uses an in-display fingerprint sensor which works quickly and reliably in most situations. Face unlock is also available as an additional option for quick access.

Cameras

Talking about the cameras, the POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition features a dual rear camera setup. The main camera uses a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS).

The second camera is an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, and for selfies, you get a 20-megapixel front camera.

In good lighting, the main camera captures detailed images with balanced colors. Photos taken outdoors generally show good clarity while indoor shots remain usable as long as lighting conditions are reasonable.

Like most ultrawide cameras in this class, it offers more framing flexibility but slightly lower detail compared to the main sensor.

Selfies appear clear in good lighting and are suitable for social media or video calls. Skin color and texture are quite accurate in my experience.

POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition sample photos

Mar 3 – 10

Meanwhile, video recording on the rear camera supports 4K at 60fps and benefits from electronic stabilization and the OIS on the main sensor. This combination makes the footage look more stable while achieving the high resolution and high frame rate quality.

The front camera, though, is limited to 1080p at 60fps.

Rear camera video:

Front camera video:

Performance and Benchmarks

Powering the POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition is the MediaTek Dimensity 8500-Ultra, a 4nm chipset with an octa-core CPU clocked at up to 3.4GHz and paired with a Mali-G720 GPU.

Our review unit came with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

In AnTutu version 11, it achieved over 2 million points, which is honestly a solid score. And in 3DMark Wild Life, it managed to get MAXED OUT. Testing it out in Wild Life Extreme, which is a more demanding graphical benchmark, it got about 23 FPS of average frame rate.

Setting the numbers aside, the phone feels smooth and responsive for everyday use.

App launches are quick, navigating through the interface is a breeze, and multitasking is handled pretty well thanks to the generous RAM. Switching between apps rarely results in reloads and the overall experience feels consistent.

Gaming performance benefits from this upgraded hardware as well.

In Mobile Legends, the phone runs the game smoothly at 120 FPS even with High graphic settings. In our experience, it didn’t stutter one bit during team fights where multiple effects are happening on the screen.

Meanwhile, more demanding titles pushed the chipset further, but surprisingly, the phone managed quite well. In Wuthering Waves, the phone is capable of running the game at Maxed out settings with almost little to no lag even during combat sequences.

However, the tradeoff becomes more noticeable in terms of thermals. When running Wuthering Waves at these Max out graphical settings, the phone starts to heat up fairly quickly in less than five minutes of gameplay.

The heat is most noticeable near the upper portion of the device. While the phone remains playable, the increase in temperature is something users may notice during extended gaming sessions.

But that’s to be expected, so I’d suggest keeping the graphics settings from Low to Medium to maintain relatively cooler thermals.

Performance-wise, the POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition surely delivers strong processing power, capable enough for gaming and productivity.

Benchmark results and real-world usage both point to a capable chipset that can handle everyday tasks and demanding games. Although sustained heavy loads can cause the device to heat up relatively fast.

OS, UI, and Apps

Onto the software side, the POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition ships with Xiaomi HyperOS 3 built on top of Android 16.

The interface feels smooth and responsive mainly because it’s using strong hardware.

Navigating through menus, switching between apps, and performing everyday tasks rarely results in stutters or slowdowns.

Because this is the Iron Man Edition, the software experience also carries a unique theme that reflects the collaboration. The Iron Man UI elements appear across the system from wallpapers and custom app icons giving the phone a more thematic feel compared to standard versions of the device.

This theme ties in with the overall design of the phone and helps reinforce the Iron Man branding throughout the user experience rather than limiting it to just the exterior design. And to me, that is a nice touch.

Furthermore, customization options remain one of HyperOS’ strengths.

Users can adjust themes, icon styles and system layouts to suit their preferences. The interface also includes several useful features such as floating windows, split-screen view and a suite of AI tools like Xiaomi HyperAI including Google’s Circle to Search and Gemini.

However, like many Xiaomi devices, the phone comes with several pre-installed apps. These contribute to a certain level of bloatware and ads, although many of them can be uninstalled or disabled if you don’t want them.

Despite this, the overall user experience remains reliable. The combination of strong hardware and HyperOS optimizations ensures that the system feels quick and responsive for daily use.

As of writing, POCO hasn’t mentioned the update policy for the X8 Series. But we can expect at least two to three years of major OS upgrades.

Connectivity and Battery Life

Battery-wise, the POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition includes a 6500mAh battery, which is larger than what most smartphones offer nowadays.

In our PCMark battery test, it garnered a result of 16 hours and 47 minutes. That’s honestly enough to get you almost an entire day of use even if you’re gaming, streaming videos or doomscrolling through social media.

Charging is fast thanks to 100W wired charging, which refills the phone from zero to 100% in no time.

The phone also supports up to 27W reverse wired charging, allowing it to charge other devices or even other accessories over wired connection.

There’s still no bypass charging here, but just like its Pro Max sibling, the POCO X8 Pro has this “Smart charging” feature that automatically adjusts charging speed based on battery level, temps, and usage.

One caveat though, there’s no charging brick in the box. It’s disappointing but I’m not surprised at this point since every other company is doing it. But for a special limited edition, it would’ve been cool to see a custom Iron Man-themed power brick. You do get a red cable though, so at least we still get something.

Connectivity options include dual nano-SIM with 5G support, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, GPS, USB-C, NFC, and the staple for Xiaomi phones, an IR blaster. However, there’s still no eSIM support, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Verdict

Now, here comes our verdict. The POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition surely focuses on performance, battery life and multimedia features while adding a themed design that appeals to Marvel fans alike.

Its AMOLED display is sharp and bright, the Dimensity 8500-Ultra chip handles everyday tasks and gaming well, and the large battery helps the phone last through longer use.

Gaming performance is generally strong, though very demanding titles may require small adjustments to graphics settings to keep thermals cool.

And while the dual camera setup is relatively simple, the main sensor provides dependable results for casual mobile photography.

As of making this article, we don’t have the official price tag for the POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition just yet.

But, if the price is right, for users who are looking for a phone with strong overall performance, solid battery life, and a distinctive design, the POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition is a phone worth looking into.

What we like:

• Powerful chipset
• Bright display
• Decent cameras

What we didn’t like:

• Lots of ads, bloatware
• No charging brick in the box

POCO X8 Pro Iron Man Edition specs:
6.59-inch 1.5K AMOLED display
2756 x 1268 resolution, up to 120Hz refresh rate
3500-nit peak brightness, 2000-nit HBM, 800-nit typical
12-bit color depth, 68 billion colors, DCI-P3 wide color gamut
3840Hz PWM dimming, Wet Touch Display 2.0
HDR10+, Dolby Vision
TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light, Flicker Free, Circadian Friendly certifications
Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
MediaTek Dimensity 8500-Ultra
4nm process, octa-core CPU up to 3.4GHz
Mali-G720 GPU
8GB, 12GB RAM
256GB, 512GB storage
Dual rear cameras:
– 50MP f/1.5 main, Sony IMX882, OIS
– 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide
20MP front camera
Dual nano-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth
GPS
USB Type-C
NFC
IR blaster
In-display fingerprint sensor
Stereo speakers
Dolby Atmos
Hi-Res Audio & Hi-Res Audio Wireless
2-mic array
IP68 dust and water resistance
Xiaomi HyperOS 3
6,500mAh battery, 100W HyperCharge, 27W reverse charging
157.53 × 75.19 × 8.38 mm (dimensions)
201.47 grams (weight)