In case you were waiting for clarity, following today’s price hikes on certain Realme and OnePlus phones, POCO has also increased the prices of the POCO X8 Pro, POCO X8 Pro Max and POCO M8 in the country. As listed on Flipkart, the authorised seller of POCO phones online, the POCO M8 now begins at Rs 20,999. The POCO X8 Pro is carrying a price tag of Rs 34,999, while the POCO X8 Pro Max is retailing for Rs 44,999, up from Rs 42,999. As is the trend across the industry, these price hikes are likely linked to rising memory costs caused by supply shortages.

Revised prices of POCO smartphones

POCO M8 Images

Model | Launch Price | New Price | Total increase since launch
POCO M8 (6+128GB) | Rs 18,999 | Rs 20,999 | Rs 2,000
POCO M8 (8+128GB) | Rs 19,999 | Rs 22,999 | Rs 3,000
POCO M8 (8+256GB) | Rs 21,999 | Rs 24,999 | Rs 3,000
POCO X8 Pro (8+256GB) | Rs 32,999 | Rs 34,999 | Rs 2,000
POCO X8 Pro (12+256GB) | Rs 35,999 | Rs 37,999 | Rs 2,000
POCO X8 Pro Max (12+256GB) | Rs 42,999 | Rs 44,999 | Rs 2,000
POCO X8 Pro Max (12+512GB) | Rs 46,999 | Rs 48,999 | Rs 2,000

Given that POCO’s parent company, Xiaomi, has also previously raised the prices of several of its smartphones, such as the Redmi Note 15 series, it was only evident that POCO did the same to tackle the rising memory costs and make up for the shortage in supply of key storage components.

With the POCO M8 now selling for Rs 20,999, it directly goes head-to-head against the OnePlus Nord CE 6 Lite, which was introduced a couple of weeks back for the same price. While the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Apex on the Nord CE 6 Lite may deliver better benchmark numbers (10,15,733 on AnTuTu per our in-house tests), the POCO M8 excels by offering a curved AMOLED display that should offer better viewing angles, vibrant colours, and contrasty tones over Nord CE 6 Lite’s LCD panel. AnTuTu score OnePlus Nord CE 6 Lite 5G MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Apex 1,015,733 POCO M8 Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 862,268 AnTuTu assesses a smartphone's CPU, GPU, memory, and overall user experience (higher is better)

Bottom line is, if you value a vibrant display, a premium-looking design on a affordable, due to the curved display, the POCO M8 still makes itself worth it over the competition, like Nord CE 6 Lite and iQOO Z11x.

Moving on to the POCO X8 Pro Max, it’s now priced similarly to the iQOO 15R, slightly reducing its value-for-money aspect, given the identical set of specifications being offered by both these performance-centric mid-premium flagships. While both Dimensity 9500 on the X8 Pro Max and Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 on the iQOO 15R are competent enough for high-end gaming, the POCO smartphone has an edge when it comes to battery since it carries a large 9,000mAh battery.

Lastly, the POCO X8 Pro continues to be one of the most affordable phones in the country to carry the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 chipset, since the Motorola Edge 70 Pro sits at Rs 38,999. Though it also prioritises cameras due to its superior 50MP primary and 50MP ultrawide combo on the rear.