Two new Android phones could put similarly priced Samsung Galaxy phones on notice, purely because these rival devices offer the specs on paper to please gadget fans looking to get the best value for money when buying a new smartphone.

The Poco X8 Pro and Poco X8 Pro Max are available to buy in the UK now, with prices starting from £349 and £469 respectively – and just £289 and £359 if you purchase them in early bird offers between March 17 and March 31, 2026.

Poco is a sub-brand of Xiaomi that once marketed its devices as gaming phones, but now concentrate on niche audiences who favour pure spec power and perhaps are not as concerned with thighs such as camera performance – highlighted by both phones’ 8MP ultra-wide lenses and lack of telephoto shooters.

The cheaper Poco X8 Pro boasts a 6.59-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, dual cameras fronted by a 50-MP lens, a huge 6,500mAh silicon-carbon battery with 100W charging and incredibly durable IP68/IP69K dust and water resistance, the highest rating any phone can currently claim in the world.

You get 8GB and 256GB of fast UFS 4.4 storage as standard too, and it’s powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra. Not at all bad for £349, with £399 getting you double the storage at 512GB.

If you compare these specs to Samsung’s £399 Galaxy A36, you’ll mostly find the Poco winning out. The Galaxy has a larger 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel, and does pack in triple cameras, with a 50MP main lens.

But its less efficient lithium-ion battery is smaller at 5,000mAh with slower 45W charging, it’s only IP67 rated, and for £399 you get just 6GB RAM and 256GB of slower UFS 2.2 storage.

Poco also has you covered with stereo speakers, as does the Samsung, but the X8 Pro has support for Hi-Res wireless playback.

But if you’re looking for an Android upgrade and want the best bang for your buck, the X8 Pro Max is available in the early bird offer for £399 instead of £519, with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. This Max version has even better specs than the Pro, with a slightly thinner build and a larger 6.83-inch 120Hz AMOLED display.

It’s got the Dimensity 9500s, a chip that should outpace its sibling as well as the Samsung alternative, which uses the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3.

The Max has the same dual cameras as the Pro, but has a larger – much larger – 8.500mAh battery. This should easily get two or three days of battery life thanks to the size and more efficient silicon-carbon tech.

Both Poco phones also have RGB lights around both camera lenses, with small LEDs lighting up when the phone is face down to make you aware of notifications.

Even at its £519 RRP, the X8 Pro Max is taking the fight to the jewel in Samsung’s mid-range crown, the £499 Galaxy A56.

You can buy the Poco X8 phones from Xiaomi’s UK website.