Poco F8 Ultra review round‑up: denim‑backed Bose flagship lands with Black Friday deals and stackable 10% discounts (November 28, 2025)

Poco’s new F8 Ultra and F8 Pro flagships pair a denim‑style design with Bose‑tuned speakers and even a built‑in subwoofer. Here’s a complete specs, review and deals round‑up as of November 28, 2025.

Poco F8 Ultra & F8 Pro: Poco finally goes fully premium

Poco, long known as Xiaomi’s “performance on a budget” sub‑brand, has just completed its most serious flagship push yet with the global launch of the Poco F8 Ultra and Poco F8 Pro. The pair were announced on November 26 at an event in Bali and are now rolling out globally, including to the UK and other key markets. ^[1]

What makes this launch different is how aggressively Poco is leaning on design and sound:

A denim‑style back that makes the F8 Ultra stand out in a sea of glass slabs. ^[2]
A Bose‑tuned 2.1 audio system with an actual subwoofer in the F8 Ultra – a genuine first among mainstream flagships. ^[3]
Big batteries, top‑tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 silicon on the Ultra and aggressive early‑bird pricing designed to undercut other Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phones. ^[4]

As of November 28, 2025, there’s now a flurry of fresh reviews and Black Friday deals, including new write‑ups today and stackable 10% discounts in markets like the UK. ^[5]

Let’s break down what the F8 Ultra and F8 Pro actually offer – and whether they deserve a spot on your Black Friday shortlist.

Key specs at a glance: Poco F8 Ultra vs F8 Pro

Poco F8 Ultra – headline features

From Poco’s own spec sheet and multiple launch reports, here’s what defines the F8 Ultra: ^[6]

Display: 6.9″ HyperRGB AMOLED, 120Hz, 2608×1200
- Up to around 3,500 nits peak brightness, with ultra‑low 1‑nit minimum for comfortable night use. ^[7]
Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) with VisionBoost D8 co‑processor
RAM & storage: 12GB/256GB or 16GB/512GB LPDDR5X + UFS 4.1 ^[8]
Cameras (rear):
- 50MP “Light Fusion 950” main sensor (1/1.31″, OIS)
- 50MP 5x periscope telephoto (approx. 115mm, OIS)
- 50MP ultra‑wide
- 32MP selfie camera ^[9]
Battery & charging:
- 6,500mAh battery
- 100W wired & 50W wireless fast charging, plus up to 22.5W wired reverse charging ^[10]
Audio:
- Triple‑speaker setup with a dedicated rear subwoofer; Bose‑tuned 2.1‑channel sound with Dynamic and Balanced sound profiles ^[11]
Other:
- IP68 water and dust resistance
- Ultrasonic in‑display fingerprint reader ^[12]
- HyperOS 3 based on Android 16, with four OS updates promised (but historically slow roll‑outs) ^[13]

In short, on paper the F8 Ultra looks like a classic “flagship killer” that has quietly grown up into an actual flagship.

Poco F8 Pro – still flagship, but more restrained

The Poco F8 Pro sits just below the Ultra, sharing much of the same DNA but trimming a few specs: ^[14]

Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite (previous‑gen Elite, still 3nm but slightly behind Gen 5)
Display: 6.59″ 120Hz AMOLED
Battery: 6,210mAh with 100W wired charging
Audio: Stereo speakers tuned by Bose, but no subwoofer
Cameras: Triple camera with a 50MP main and 2.5x telephoto rather than the Ultra’s 5x periscope

If you don’t care about the built‑in sub or periscope zoom, the Pro is essentially a slightly smaller, cheaper sibling.

Denim design: why everyone is talking about how this phone feels

The F8 Ultra’s Denim Blue finish might be the most eye‑catching smartphone design of late 2025.

Poco and Xiaomi are very clear: it isn’t actual cloth. It’s a nano‑tech polymer that mimics denim’s texture and appearance while behaving like a durable phone back. ^[15]

Reviewers who’ve spent time with the device say the denim‑like back improves grip and feels much friendlier in hand than frosted glass, especially given the phone’s 220g weight and 6.9‑inch footprint. ^[16]
The big, metal camera bar plus the circular Bose subwoofer grille give the back a distinct “techy hi‑fi” vibe rather than another generic camera island. ^[17]
The “denim‑looks and killer audio” angle is strong enough that CNET’s hands‑on coverage literally frames the F8 Ultra as a “phone rock star”. ^[18]

Color options currently include Denim Blue and Black, with both models packing an aluminium frame and IP68 sealing to match other premium devices. ^[19]

Bose‑tuned 2.1 sound: does the subwoofer actually matter?

The headline feature is audio, so let’s talk about that.

How the system is set up

Unlike regular stereo phone speakers, the F8 Ultra uses three drivers:

A top speaker
A bottom speaker
A dedicated rear “micro‑subwoofer” housed next to the camera module, complete with “Sound by Bose” branding. ^[20]

Bose helped tune the whole system and contributed two sound profiles:

Dynamic – pushes bass and low‑end impact
Balanced – emphasises vocals and a wider, more neutral soundstage ^[21]

What reviewers are hearing so far

Across early reviews and hands‑ons, there’s a rare consensus: this is one of the loudest and richest‑sounding phones you can buy right now.

YugaTech calls the 2.1 system surprisingly immersive, highlighting that the subwoofer delivers genuine low‑end that you can feel, not just thin thumps. ^[22]
PhoneArena describes the rear driver as a major selling point and notes how unusual it is to see a proper sub module on a handset. ^[23]
Android Central goes as far as saying the F8 Ultra has better onboard sound than any other phone they’ve used this year, after two weeks of testing. ^[24]
TechRadar is impressed by the innovation but half‑jokes that they “hope they’re not sitting near one on the bus,” reflecting worries about antisocial volume in public. ^[25]

If you watch a lot of YouTube, Netflix or TikTok directly through your phone speakers, or you game without headphones, the F8 Ultra is essentially trying to replace a small Bluetooth speaker – and early reviewers say it comes surprisingly close.

Display, performance and thermals: built for long gaming and streaming sessions

Audio is the hook, but the rest of the hardware is built to match.

HyperRGB AMOLED with VisionBoost D8

Poco’s 6.9‑inch HyperRGB AMOLED isn’t just big – it’s tuned to be bright and efficient.

Up to around 3,500 nits of peak brightness in some tests puts it among the brightest displays in any phone right now, while the panel can dim to about 1 nit at night. ^[26]
VisionBoost D8 acts as a dedicated display co‑processor, enabling 120fps frame interpolation, improved HDR and AI‑powered upscaling for games and long‑form video. ^[27]

Reviewers note that while the resolution (2608×1200) is technically lower than some QHD+ rivals, text and images still look crisp, and the panel’s brightness and color accuracy are more noticeable in daily use than the pixel count. ^[28]

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 + IceLoop cooling

On the inside, Poco is using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 plus its own VisionBoost D8 chip and a 3D dual‑channel “IceLoop” cooling system. ^[29]

Benchmarks from early reviews show top‑tier single‑ and multi‑core scores, effectively matching or beating other 2025 flagships using the same chip. ^[30]
The enlarged cooling plate and dual‑channel layout aim to keep both the SoC and camera module cool during extended gaming or 4K recording sessions. ^[31]

Android Central, which used the phone for two weeks, reports that the F8 Ultra feels like one of the fastest phones you can buy right now, with no noticeable slowdowns in day‑to‑day use. ^[32]

Battery life and charging: 6,500mAh done right

A big screen and a subwoofer call for a big battery, and Poco delivers:

6,500mAh dual‑cell silicon‑carbon battery, the largest yet in the F‑series
100W wired fast charging (about 0–100% in just over half an hour under Poco’s lab tests)
50W wireless charging and 22.5W reverse charging to top up other devices ^[33]

Real‑world reviews generally report a full day to a day and a half of heavy use, including gaming, camera use and streaming, with lighter users stretching to well into day two. ^[34]

The F8 Pro’s 6,210mAh cell plus 100W charging is only slightly behind, so battery life shouldn’t be a concern on either model if you’re near a charger. ^[35]

Camera system: three 50MP lenses and a serious 5x zoom

On cameras, Poco is clearly aiming at bigger names like Samsung and Google.

F8 Ultra camera hardware

The triple‑50MP setup includes: ^[36]

50MP main (Light Fusion 950, 1/1.31″, OIS)
50MP 5x periscope telephoto with OIS
50MP ultra‑wide
32MP selfie

Early testing suggests:

Daylight shots are detailed with good dynamic range, and the larger sensor helps in low light. ^[37]
The 5x periscope is one of the big differentiators in this price bracket, delivering sharp zoomed images where many rivals still rely on cropped 3x sensors. ^[38]
The overall camera package can compete with phones like the Pixel 10 and Galaxy S25, even if ultra‑premium devices from Vivo and Oppo still have a slight edge in some scenarios. ^[39]

The F8 Pro has a more modest telephoto (around 2.5x) and a lower‑specced ultra‑wide, but should still be more than adequate for most users. ^[40]

Software and updates: powerful but still a bit “Xiaomi”

Both phones ship with HyperOS 3 based on Android 16. ^[41]

Reviewers note a few common themes:

The UI is feature‑rich and familiar to anyone who has used recent Xiaomi or Poco phones. ^[42]
Visually, it’s starting to feel dated next to more modern Android skins – and there’s still some bloatware to prune. ^[43]
Poco promises four Android OS updates, but Xiaomi’s track record on timely roll‑outs is mixed, so you may wait longer for major new versions than you would on a Pixel or Samsung device. ^[44]

If you value ultra‑clean software and day‑one updates above all else, that’s still one of the F8 Ultra’s few real weaknesses.

Prices and deals as of November 28, 2025

Global MSRP and early‑bird prices

Across multiple launch reports, Poco is positioning the F8 series as value‑first flagships: ^[45]

Poco F8 Ultra

MSRP:
- $729 / about €829 / £749 for 12GB + 256GB
- $799 / about €899 / £799 for 16GB + 512GB
Early‑bird (until around December 10 in some markets):
- $679 and $729 respectively

Poco F8 Pro

MSRP:
- $579 / about €649 / £549 for 12GB + 256GB
- $629 / about €699 / £599 for 12GB + 512GB
Early‑bird:
- $529 and $579 respectively

NotebookCheck and Livemint both confirm that these early‑bird prices undercut other Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagships by a meaningful margin. ^[46]

Black Friday & 10% stackable discounts

Today’s Black Friday wave has pushed prices even lower in some regions:

In the UK, TechRadar notes that the F8 Ultra has dropped to around £549 (12/256) and £599 (16/512), while the F8 Pro is down to about £399 and £449 for 256GB and 512GB respectively – huge cuts versus MSRP. ^[47]
A deals round‑up by independent tech writer Senja Arunika reports that UK buyers can stack a 10% discount code on top of Poco’s official early‑bird pricing at select retailers, squeezing the price even further. ^[48]
A separate Black Friday feature describes the F8 Ultra as Poco’s “most ambitious phone yet” and highlights a discount big enough to “make Samsung and Apple nervous.” ^[49]

Important: exact prices, discount amounts and codes vary by country, retailer and date, and many Black Friday deals are time‑limited. Always double‑check the current price on the retailer’s page before buying.

Early verdict: should you buy the Poco F8 Ultra or F8 Pro?

Based on today’s reviews and the latest pricing, here’s who each phone is for.

Buy the Poco F8 Ultra if…

You want class‑leading speakers and genuinely powerful bass from your phone, without carrying a separate Bluetooth speaker. ^[50]
You care about a unique design – the denim‑style back really does stand out and improves grip on such a large phone. ^[51]
You want flagship‑level performance and battery life without paying $1,000+. ^[52]
A 5x periscope telephoto is important to you for travel and portrait shots. ^[53]

Buy the Poco F8 Pro if…

You like the sound of the F8 Ultra but don’t need a subwoofer or 5x zoom. ^[54]
You want something slightly smaller and lighter with similar performance and battery. ^[55]
You’re after maximum bang for buck and plan to grab one of the aggressive launch or Black Friday deals. ^[56]

You might want to look elsewhere if…

You prioritise clean software and fast updates above all else – Google and Samsung still lead there. ^[57]
You hate large phones; even with the denim grip, the F8 Ultra is still a big 6.9‑inch slab. ^[58]

Quick FAQs

Is the Poco F8 Ultra really the first phone with a built‑in subwoofer?

It’s one of the first mainstream global flagships to ship with a Bose‑tuned dedicated subwoofer alongside stereo speakers, and reviewers agree the bass performance is noticeably better than typical “loud” phones. ^[59]

How bright is the Poco F8 Ultra’s screen?

Independent testing has clocked the F8 Ultra’s peak brightness at roughly 3,400–3,500 nits, with ultra‑low minimum brightness under 1 nit – excellent for both outdoor and bedtime use. ^[60]

Does the denim back use real fabric?

No. Poco uses a nanotech material that looks and feels like denim but is still a synthetic back panel, which avoids fraying and moisture issues while keeping the look. ^[61]

How long will Poco update the F8 Ultra?

Poco is promising around four Android OS updates and multiple years of security patches, but historical delays on Xiaomi‑family devices mean you shouldn’t expect Pixel‑level speed on new version roll‑outs. ^[62]

If you’re shopping this Black Friday and you care about sound, stamina and style more than having a squeaky‑clean UI, the Poco F8 Ultra in Denim Blue is shaping up as one of 2025’s most interesting Android buys – especially while those launch and 10% stackable discounts last.

Poco F8 PRO vs Poco F8 Ultra - The Difference Is Not What You Think!

Watch this video on YouTube.

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