POCO X8s Launches: Compact Phone, 100W Charging

Updated: November 9, 2026. The POCO X8s is the small phone most brands stopped making. POCO announced it in Malaysia on November 6, 2026, and it goes on sale there on November 10 — a 6.35-inch phone with a flagship-grade display, a real 50MP telephoto camera, a 6,330mAh battery and 100W charging, starting at about $467. And for the first two weeks, the launch price drops to roughly $344.

That combination is the story. Compact phones have all but disappeared from the mid-range: the regular POCO X8, announced just two months ago, is a bigger phone, and so is almost everything else at this price. The X8s is POCO's answer for buyers who want a phone they can actually use one-handed — without giving up the battery and camera that usually force you into a big handset.

One clarification on the timeline: the X8s is not brand new to the world. It debuted globally on October 26, 2026, launched in Vietnam before that, and reached Poland and Singapore on November 2. The Malaysia launch on November 6 is the fresh news — it is the phone's first big Southeast Asian market with confirmed prices and a sale date. This article covers the Malaysia launch, with the global context where it matters.

Currency note: Malaysian prices are in ringgit. This article gives US dollar equivalents only, converted at roughly 0.246 dollars per ringgit (mid-market rate, November 8-9, 2026). Global and other-market prices use the dollar figures reported by GSMArena and local press.

Malaysia price and sale date

POCO confirmed two configurations for Malaysia, both on sale from November 10 to 25, 2026 through mi.com and POCO's official stores on Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop:

The early-bird discount is the real price to watch: RM 500 off the base model and RM 400 off the 512GB model for the first 15 days. At roughly $344, the base X8s undercuts the phone's own global early-bird price of $399 (with the 12GB model at $499 globally). For comparison, the same 8GB/256GB model costs about $405 in Poland (PLN 1,599) and about $407 in Singapore (SGD 619), and it launched in Vietnam at $440, with launch vouchers bringing it down to $310. Malaysia's early-bird price is among the cheapest anywhere so far.

There is one small thing to check before buying: POCO's own product page tells buyers to check with the seller whether a power adapter is included in the box. The 100W charging needs a compatible 100W PPS adapter to hit full speed, so confirm what is in the box — or budget for the charger separately.

The compact pitch: a 6.35-inch flagship display

The X8s measures 8.06mm thick and weighs 187g, with a micro-curved aluminium frame and a glass back. That is the whole point of the phone: it is noticeably smaller and lighter than the 6.7-inch-plus phones that dominate the mid-range, and POCO is explicitly pitching it at one-handed use.

Small does not mean cheap here. The 6.35-inch display is a 1.5K (2,656 x 1,220) AMOLED panel using M10 display material, with a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate — POCO's first — and peak brightness up to 3,500 nits. It supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, carries three TUV Rheinland eye-care certifications, and is protected by Poco Shield Glass. The bezels are 1.18mm on all sides, which is why the phone feels smaller than its screen size suggests. An ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor works with wet fingers, a small but genuinely useful detail.

For context, this is the fifth model in the POCO X8 series, after the X8, X8 Power, X8 Pro and X8 Pro Max earlier in 2026. The "s" model is the compact one — the rest of the family is bigger.

Cameras: a telephoto, finally, in the X series

The camera setup is the X8s's other headline. The rear array is led by a 50MP Light Fusion 800 main sensor — a 1/1.55-inch sensor with an f/1.77 aperture and optical image stabilisation, the same sensor family POCO uses in the higher-end F8 Pro. Next to it, for the first time in the POCO X Pro Series, is a dedicated 50MP telephoto camera with 2.5x optical zoom (57mm equivalent focal length, f/2.2). An 8MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) completes the rear setup, and the front camera is 20MP.

Why that matters: telephoto cameras are usually the first thing cut from mid-range phones, and a 50MP telephoto at this price is rare. It means proper 2.5x zoom shots — portraits and distant subjects — instead of the digital crop most rivals offer. Rear video goes up to 4K at 30fps, front video up to 1080p at 60fps, and POCO includes a Live Moment mode for capturing short dynamic clips.

Battery and charging: 6,330mAh in a small body

The X8s packs a 6,330mAh silicon-carbon battery with 16% silicon content — the high energy density is how POCO fits a battery this size into a 187g phone. It supports 100W HyperCharge over USB-C, plus 22.5W wired reverse charging, so the phone can top up earbuds or another phone. POCO claims the battery keeps at least 80% of its original capacity after 1,600 charging cycles, based on its own lab tests.

There is no wireless charging listed in the launch specs. That is the one spec-sheet gap worth knowing: if you charge wirelessly today, this phone will not do it.

Performance and software

Under the hood is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, built on a 4nm process, cooled by POCO's 3D IceLoop system. It comes with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of UFS 2.2 storage. This is an upper-mid-range chip, not a flagship — it will handle daily use and heavy gaming well, but it is a step below the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 in phones like the Xiaomi 18 Pro, which is a different price class entirely.

Out of the box, the X8s runs Xiaomi HyperOS 3 based on Android 16. Other features: IP68 dust and water resistance (tested to 2 metres of freshwater for 30 minutes in lab conditions), dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, NFC, an IR blaster, 5G with eSIM support, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4. It comes in three colours — Black (with a black-silver finish), Blue and White — and the camera module matches the body colour.

World prices at a glance

Prices last updated November 9, 2026. Dollar figures for Malaysia, Poland and Singapore are conversions from local prices; the global $399/$499 figures are POCO's own early-bird prices.

Who should buy it — and who should wait

The X8s is for one specific buyer: someone who wants a smaller phone and refuses to pay flagship money or accept a weak camera and battery to get it. At the early-bird price of about $344, it is hard to beat — a 6,330mAh battery, 100W charging, a real telephoto and IP68 in a 187g body. The regular $467 price is still fair, but the early-bird window (November 10-25) is the time to buy.

Wait if you need a US version: POCO has announced no US launch, and the phone is not sold there. Wait too if wireless charging is a must-have, or if you want the fastest storage — UFS 2.2 is a step behind the UFS 4.x in true flagships, though it will not matter for most daily use.

The bigger picture is the price trend. Memory prices are climbing fast — our iPhone 18 Pro storage analysis showed Apple's flash costs up 4.5x year on year, and the OnePlus 16's tipped India price is up to 60% above its China price for the same reason. The X8s's $344 early-bird price looks like a deliberate move to lock in buyers before those costs push mid-range prices higher — and it is a reminder that launch-week pricing is often the best price a phone ever gets.

For traders and buyers in the UAE, the practical note is the same as always: the X8s is a Malaysia launch for now, with Poland and Singapore already selling it and more markets rolling out. If you are sourcing it, check the exact variant — global models carry HyperOS 3 on Android 16 with eSIM support — and run an IMEI check on any unit before you pay, so you know it is genuine and clean.

FAQ

When does the POCO X8s go on sale?

In Malaysia, sales run November 10-25, 2026 through mi.com and POCO's official stores on Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop. It is already on sale in Poland, Singapore and Vietnam, and it debuted globally on October 26, 2026.

How much does the POCO X8s cost?

In Malaysia, RM 1,899 (about $467) for 8GB/256GB and RM 2,099 (about $516) for 12GB/512GB. Early-bird prices from November 10-25 are RM 1,399 (about $344) and RM 1,699 (about $418). POCO's global early-bird prices are $399 and $499.

What chipset does the POCO X8s use?

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, built on a 4nm process, with POCO's 3D IceLoop cooling. It comes with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of storage.

How big is the POCO X8s battery and how fast does it charge?

6,330mAh, silicon-carbon with 16% silicon content. It supports 100W HyperCharge wired charging and 22.5W wired reverse charging. There is no wireless charging listed in the launch specs.

Is the POCO X8s available in the US or globally?

Not in the US — POCO has announced no US launch. It is available in Malaysia, Poland, Singapore and Vietnam, with a wider global rollout still pending. No global date beyond the October 26 debut has been confirmed.

Does the POCO X8s have a telephoto camera?

Yes — a 50MP telephoto with 2.5x optical zoom, the first telephoto in the POCO X Pro Series. It sits alongside a 50MP Light Fusion 800 main camera with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide, plus a 20MP front camera.

Sources: POCO via Lowyat (November 6), SoyaCincau (November 7), Pokde (November 8), GSMArena (October 26), Xiaomi Singapore product page. Prices converted at roughly 0.246 dollars per ringgit, November 8-9, 2026.