I recently wrote about how the cult flagship OnePlus 15 dropped in price — and that really was good news. But while I was talking about the OnePlus 15, the POCO F8 Ultra appeared, which costs less and offers more in several key areas. 43 thousand rubles for the global version on AliExpress, and this is a full-fledged flagship with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Bose subwoofer, and 5x periscope. Let me break it down in detail.

Truly the best smartphone among all the rest

POCO F8 Ultra for 43 Thousand — What Is It Exactly

The POCO F8 Ultra on AliExpress starts at 43,000 rubles for the global version with 12/256 GB. For context: the global version of the OnePlus 15 costs 50,000 rubles. The difference is 7 thousand rubles. At the same time, the POCO F8 Ultra uses the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 as the OnePlus 15 — the chips are identical.

Buying the POCO F8 Ultra — this is a global version with Google services support, Russian LTE bands, and HyperOS 3 on Android 16. There are several versions: 12/256 GB, 12/512 GB, and 16/512 GB — prices vary accordingly.

POCO F8 Ultra Design and Display — Unexpectedly Serious

The POCO F8 Ultra specs for the display are impressive: 6.9 inches, AMOLED, 1.5K resolution, adaptive refresh rate 1-120 Hz, peak brightness of 3500 nits. This is one of the brightest displays on the market in 2026, meaning it’s perfectly readable in direct sunlight.

The screen is bright and excellent

The design is a separate story. The Denim Blue colorway with a matte texture imitating denim fabric — this isn’t a marketing gimmick, it’s genuinely a pleasant material in hand. It doesn’t slip, doesn’t collect fingerprints, and looks more expensive than its price. IP68 — full-level water and dust protection. Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, eSIM, Poco Shield Glass.

Why the POCO F8 Ultra Has the Best Sound Among Smartphones

Here’s the main unique feature that prompted me to write this article. The smartphone with the best sound among everything I’ve held in my hands is the POCO F8 Ultra. And it’s not about marketing.

On the back of the smartphone, there’s a Bose subwoofer measuring 16×20 mm. Not just a large speaker, but a full-fledged subwoofer in a 2.1 system: two stereo speakers in front and a low-frequency subwoofer in the back. This is the first smartphone where a 2.1 system is implemented physically: not through a software algorithm, but through a separate hardware module.

It’s literally a speaker with a built-in smartphone

In practice: movies and TV shows on this smartphone sound like a small speaker — with real bass and volume that flat stereo speakers of any other smartphone simply can’t match. For those who regularly watch content without headphones — this is a fundamental difference from all competitors.

POCO F8 Ultra Camera — 5x Periscope vs 3.5x on the OnePlus 15

The POCO F8 Ultra camera features a system with three 50 MP modules each:

  • Main: Light Fusion 950, 50 MP, f/1.6, OIS — a large sensor for day and night shooting;
  • Periscope telephoto: 50 MP, 5x optical zoom, OIS;
  • Ultra-wide: 50 MP, f/2.0, autofocus.

Now for a specific POCO F8 Ultra vs OnePlus 15 camera comparison. The fundamental difference is in the telephoto. The OnePlus 15 offers a 3.5x periscope, the POCO F8 Ultra — 5x. This is noticeable: when shooting people, architecture, or sports events, 5x zoom gives a noticeably closer shot without quality loss.

5x zoom on POCO. Image: gsmarena.com

3.5x zoom on OnePlus. Image: gsmarena.com

Honestly about night shooting: the main Light Fusion 950 sensor handles it well, but it doesn’t quite reach the level of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra or vivo X300 Ultra. The POCO F8 Ultra is not primarily a camera phone — it’s a flagship with a very good camera. The difference exists, but it’s not critical for most scenarios.

Performance and Battery

A smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — one of the fastest mobile chips available today. AnTuTu scores around 3.9-4.0 million points — on par with any top flagship of 2026. 16 GB LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 — no delays when working with heavy applications.

The 6500 mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging. Full charge in 35-40 minutes. Wireless charging is an important advantage over the POCO X8 Pro, which lacks this feature.