POCO M8s Lands in Nepal: Big Battery, Bigger Value

After a long hibernation that started in January 2024, POCO finally woke up in early 2026 and brought banger after banger: the X7 Pro, F7, F8 Pro, and many more. The best part? Only one of them has seen a price hike over the months, which is honestly impressive given the current market. And, POCO is riding on this momentum with the launch of the POCO M8s and M8 Pro. Here, we will primarily be focusing on the POCO M8s.

The POCO M8s made its global debut earlier this year and has officially arrived in Nepal. But what makes it more interesting is that the phone bears a striking resemblance to one of Redmi’s budget offerings. Let’s see which one.

Before we get into the design similarity, it’s worth understanding where the M series fits in POCO’s lineup. The F and X series have always been the headliners. The F8 Pro brought flagship-level performance, and the X7 Pro sat in the performance mid-range space. The M series, on the other hand, sits below both; it is POCO’s more budget-friendly offering.

So, back to which phone the POCO M8s resembles, it is the Redmi 15. Honestly, that is not a surprise at all. Both POCO and Redmi fall under Xiaomi’s broader umbrella, sharing the same parent company. It is not uncommon for the two brands to share hardware, designs, and even chipsets, just packaged differently and targeted at different audiences. Think of it as Xiaomi making one phone and selling it under two different jerseys.

The design similarities are obvious, but does the POCO M8s also deliver where it matters? Let’s find out.

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POCO M8s Overview

When I said the M8s resembles the Redmi 15, it’s not just about the specs; I am primarily talking about the dimensions and the design. Both phones share the same dimensions, and even the rectangular camera module is identical.

Being a budget phone, the body is entirely plastic, no surprises there. But at least the phone handles dust and water exposure better with an IP64 rating. The flat sides house the usual lineup: a volume rocker, a power button, a SIM tray, a USB-C port, and a single bottom-firing speaker. The power button also doubles as a fingerprint scanner, which is a common sight in budget phones.

What is more impressive, at least on paper, is the display. The M8s packs an FHD+ (1080 x 2340) AMOLED display with support for up to 144Hz. But here is the catch: given the hardware, which we will get into shortly, hitting that 144Hz in real usage is unlikely. In reality, you will probably hover closer to 120Hz, which is still perfectly smooth for scrolling and general navigation.

Moving to the hardware, the POCO M8s runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, the same chip as the Redmi 15 5G, which never made it to Nepal.

No hate on the processor; it is a capable chip. But the 6s Gen 3 launched back in mid-2024, and on a 2026 phone, it does feel a little dated. That said, it still offers far better performance than the Redmi 15 4G that launched in Nepal last year.

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The phone comes in 6GB RAM with 128GB storage, and there is also an 8GB variant with 256GB storage. If that is still not enough, there is a hybrid microSD card slot for further expansion.

The camera department, just like the Redmi 15, is not particularly exciting. The M8s packs a 50MP main camera alongside an auxiliary lens. The module may look like a triple-camera setup at first glance, but that third cutout is purely decorative. Up front, there is an 8MP selfie shooter.

We have already done a detailed review of the Redmi 15. You can see how the camera fares out below:

In short, the Redmi 15 did better on portraits, and the rest was just enough to get by. Expect a similar experience from the POCO M8s.

Moving to the battery, and this is where the POCO M8s truly shines. It features a massive 7,000mAh unit paired with 33W fast charging. It even supports 18W reverse charging, so it essentially doubles as a mini power bank in your pocket.

But here is where I find things a bit confusing. If it were a standard Li-Ion battery, a 7,000mAh cell in an 8.4mm thick body would make some sense. But POCO claims it is a Si/C battery, a technology specifically designed to make cells thinner and more compact. So if that is the case, why is the phone still 8.4mm thick? That is a question worth asking.

Meanwhile, POCO has even thought about those last desperate moments before your phone dies. When the battery drops to just 1%, the M8s enters a low-power standby mode that still keeps you reachable, offering up to 59 minutes of calls and up to 7.5 hours of standby.

On the software side, the M8s ships with Android 15 out of the box, layered with Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 skin. This was acceptable for the Redmi 15, but launching well into 2026, Android 15 on a POCO phone feels a bit dated. It is not a dealbreaker, but it is something worth keeping in mind for long-term users.

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The POCO M8s looks promising. The battery is genuinely impressive for the price, and the FHD+ display with 144Hz looks solid if it turns out to be true. The Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 is not the newest chip around, but it gets the job done for casual everyday use.

At Rs. 37,999 for the base model and Rs. 44,999 for the 8GB/256GB variant, POCO has once again delivered aggressive pricing in Nepal. If you’re looking for a phone with excellent endurance and dependable day-to-day performance under Rs. 40,000, the M8s is definitely worth considering.

What are your thoughts on the POCO M8s? Let us know in the comments below!