POCO’s X8 Power 5G challenges Realme’s P4s 5G with superior battery and durability in India

The POCO X8 Power 5G arrives in India, offering enhanced battery life, durability features, and longer software support, positioning itself against Realme’s new P4s 5G in a price-sensitive mid-range market.

POCO’s X8 Power 5G has arrived in India with a clear proposition: spend more than you would on Realme’s freshly launched P4s 5G, and in return get a markedly larger battery, faster charging and a longer software support window. The timing matters. Gadgets 360 reported that the Realme handset, the eighth device in the P4 family, went on sale on 3 September 2026 through Flipkart, while The Tech Outlook said POCO’s X8 Power 5G, unveiled on 4 September, is due to reach buyers on 11 September at 12pm. (gadgets360.com)

Price is where the contest becomes more complicated than a simple spec-sheet win. Realme’s own newsroom said the P4s 5G would be available from INR 31,999 through realme.com and mainline stores, but that appears to be an offer-led figure rather than the list price. Gadgets 360 and 91Mobiles both put the sticker price at Rs 34,999 for 8GB/128GB, Rs 37,999 for 8GB/256GB and Rs 41,999 for 12GB/256GB, with a Rs 3,000 bank discount, while 91Mobiles also noted up to 12 months no-cost EMI. By contrast, The Tech Outlook’s launch coverage priced the POCO X8 Power at Rs 35,999 for 8GB/128GB and Rs 38,999 for 8GB/256GB, with sale offers including a Rs 1,000 bank discount or exchange benefit and a Rs 2,000 coupon. (gadgets360.com)

On hardware design, Realme and POCO are aiming at slightly different buyers. Gadgets 360 said the P4s pairs its plastic body with a 7,000 sq mm vapour chamber and a 13,624 sq mm graphite area, while the handset keeps IP68 and IP69 protection and comes in Electric Cyan or Titanium Grey. The Tech Outlook’s launch report and India Today’s database listing point to a tougher framing for the POCO, with IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K ratings, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and a vegan leather back, plus Yellow and Black finishes. The same launch report also lists extras such as an underwater camera mode, SGS five-star certification and a claimed 3m drop test, features that push the X8 Power closer to a durability-focused device than a conventional mid-range phone. (gadgets360.com)

The display trade-off is more balanced. Realme’s panel is the quicker and brighter one on paper: Gadgets 360 listed a 6.78-inch Samsung M14 AMOLED screen at 1.5K resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ and up to 6,500 nits peak brightness, with a 3,000Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate. 91Mobiles added that Realme claims 1,400 nits of high-brightness mode output in ordinary use. POCO’s X8 Power uses a slightly larger 6.83-inch AMOLED panel at the same 1.5K class resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, and The Tech Outlook said it adds Dolby Vision and Gorilla Glass Victus 2. India Today’s listing also puts the POCO’s touch sampling figure at 480Hz, which suggests that early third-party spec tables for the device are not yet fully aligned. (gadgets360.com)

Performance is less clear-cut than the original head-to-head comparison suggests. Realme is using MediaTek’s Dimensity 7400 Ultra alongside what its official launch material calls a HyperVision+ AI chip, and the company is presenting the phone as a gaming and entertainment model with AI frame interpolation, up to 26GB of dynamic RAM and 4K video capture tools. That tallies with 91Mobiles’ assessment that the P4s is being sold primarily on battery, display and gaming features rather than raw benchmark bragging rights. POCO’s counter is the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5, which The Tech Outlook described as a 1M-plus AnTuTu class chip. Even so, memory reporting around the X8 Power is untidy: India Today lists 8GB and 12GB RAM options with UFS 2.2 or UFS 4.1 storage depending on variant, while The Tech Outlook’s launch write-up mentions LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 more generally. (realme.com)

Where POCO has the strongest practical advantage is endurance. Before launch, Gadgets 360 reported that POCO was promising up to 3.5 days of playback time from the X8 Power’s 10,000mAh battery, together with 100W wired charging, 27W reverse wired charging, bypass charging, PPS charging, smart charging and a claimed six-year battery life rating. Realme’s battery is still unusually large by market standards at 8,000mAh with 80W charging, but it is plainly the smaller system. On cameras, the two phones are closer: both use a 50-megapixel main camera and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide, but the POCO adds a 32-megapixel front camera where Gadgets 360 lists a 16-megapixel selfie unit for the Realme. Realme’s own announcement also stresses AI imaging, HDR imaging and 4K recording as part of its pitch. (gadgets360.com)

Software support may matter more over three years than small benchmark differences. Gadgets 360 said the P4s ships with Android 16-based Realme UI 7.0 and is promised three years of OS upgrades plus four years of security updates. The Tech Outlook said POCO is offering HyperOS 3 on Android 16, with four years of Android updates and six years of security patches. There is one small date discrepancy worth noting: India Today’s database page lists the X8 Power with a launch date of 3 September 2026, but POCO’s own pre-launch announcement, as reported by Gadgets 360, set the unveiling for 4 September, and The Tech Outlook’s launch-day report uses that same 4 September date. For buyers, the practical milestone is simpler: sale begins on 11 September. (gadgets360.com)

Taken together, the two devices are not really chasing the same kind of buyer. Realme appears to have built a sharper value proposition for shoppers trying to stay near the Rs 35,000 mark after offers, especially if they care about a 144Hz Samsung panel, more RAM options and easier day-one entry pricing. POCO is asking for more, but it is also giving more in the areas that are hardest to replicate later: battery capacity, charging headroom, broader ingress protection, Dolby Vision support and a longer update commitment. If your priority is the lowest effective price for an entertainment-led mid-ranger, the P4s 5G looks more aggressive. If you want maximum endurance and longer-term ownership, the X8 Power 5G is the more distinctive device. (91mobiles.com)