The premium mid-range smartphone segment, as I have been saying in my articles, is getting competitive and interesting at the same time. We are seeing flagship chipsets, good displays, the entry of carbon silicon batteries and advanced cooling systems at prices well below conventional flagship territory. Recently, Xiaomi’s Redmi Turbo 5 has made its debut and is considered to be a good option in the sub Rs 35,000 segment, thanks to several key components, including the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra chipset and 100W fast charging. But how it compares to the Poco X8 Pro. Find out?
The Redmi Turbo 5 is now on sale with a price of Rs 35,999 for the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage and Rs 38,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. The device is available in three colours- Asphalt Black, Nitro Blue and Turbo White.
On the other hand, the Poco X8 Pro is priced at Rs 32,999 to Rs 34,999 for 8GB + 256GB and Rs 37,999 for the 12GB + 256GB variant. The device is offered in Black, White and Green colour variants and is sold primarily through online channels.
The Redmi Turbo 5 comes with a 6.59-inch flat AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2756 x 1268 pixels and dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz. As claimed by the company, the brightness levels peak at 3,500 nits and the 12-bit panel offers a great panel. It also supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR Vivid, DCI-P3 colour coverage, 3840Hz PWM dimming, DC dimming and Wet Touch 2.0 support as well.
Speaking of the Poco X8 Pro offers a 6.59-inch flat AMOLED panel with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz and a peak brightness rating of 3,500 nits. Like the Redmi, it supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 12-bit colour depth and 3840Hz PWM dimming. Poco also gets ultra-slim bezels measuring 1.5mm on three sides and 1.7mm at the bottom, while protection is handled by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.
Both smartphones are powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 8500 Ultra processor manufactured on TSMC’s 4nm process. The octa-core platform reaches clock speeds of up to 3.4GHz and is paired with the Mali-G720 MC8 GPU. The Redmi Turbo 5 can be configured with 8GB, 12GB, or 16GB LPDDR5X Ultra RAM, alongside 256GB or 512GB UFS 4.1 storage. Meanwhile, the Poco X8 Pro comes with either 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB UFS 4.1 storage.
For thermals, the Redmi offers dual-layer 3D Ice Loop cooling architecture and the Poco offers 5300mm² dual-layer Ice-Loop cooling solution supported by large graphite sheets with an aim to offer sustained performance.
Here you will find some differences. The Redmi Turbo 5 houses a 7,540mAh silicon-carbon battery. It also integrates Xiaomi’s Surge P3 charging chip and Surge G1 battery management system. The Poco X8 Pro uses a smaller, though still substantial, 6,500mAh silicon-carbon battery and similarly relies on the Surge P3 power management chip.
Both devices support 100W fast wired charging and include support for 27W wired reverse charging through their USB Type-C ports.
The camera hardware is almost similar. Both phones offers a 50MP Sony IMX882 primary camera equipped with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). The sensor is responsible for handling day-to-day photography as well as video capture.
The Redmi Turbo 5 pairs the main camera with an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 20MP front-facing camera. Video recording is supported at up to 4K 60fps, with slow-motion capture reaching 960fps.
The Poco X8 Pro also combines its 50MP primary sensor with an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 20MP selfie shooter. It supports video recording up to 4K at 60fps and includes Poco’s “Ultra Snap” imaging engine for faster portrait capture.
The Redmi Turbo 5 comes with an aluminium internal frame structure, measures 8.18mm in thickness and weighs 204 grams. On the other hand Poco X8 Pro comes with a metal-reinforced frame and glass-back construction. It measures 8.38mm thick and weighs 201.47g.
Both smartphones carry IP68 and IP69K certifications, allowing protection against dust, water immersion and high-pressure water exposure. Audio duties are handled by stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support on both devices.
Connectivity, however, differs slightly. The Redmi Turbo 5 includes Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC and NavIC navigation support. The Poco X8 Pro upgrades to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 while also including an IR blaster, electronic compass, gyroscope and dedicated flicker sensor.
The Redmi Turbo 5 offers endurance and flexibility. It offers 7,540mAh battery, optional 16GB RAM configuration, 512GB storage variant and in-display fingerprint along with 2560Hz gaming touch response that make it particularly attractive for gamers.
On the other hand, the Poco X8 Pro comes with a different approach with focus on value, modern connectivity standards such as Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0, along with slimmer bezels, Gorilla Glass 7i protection and a lower starting price.
For buyers prioritising battery life and maximum hardware headroom, the Redmi Turbo 5 has the edge. Those looking for a more affordable package with stronger connectivity features may find the Poco X8 Pro the better fit.