POCO is gearing up to launch a new mid-range smartphone in India that promises to offer more than just good specs. The POCO M8 5G is confirmed to debut on January 8, 2026, and it brings with it a feature that's still rare in its price segment: very long-term software support.

The company has announced that the M8 5G will come with a promise of four years of major Android updates and six years of security patches. This means the phone, which launches with Android 15-based HyperOS 2, could potentially be updated all the way to Android 19 and receive security fixes until 2032. This kind of support is a major benefit for users who want to keep their phone for several years without it becoming outdated or insecure.

On the hardware front, the phone boasts a premium-looking 6.77-inch 3D curved AMOLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and a very bright 3200 nits peak brightness for outdoor visibility. It's also designed to be slim and light, measuring just 7.35mm thick and weighing 178 grams.

Powering the device is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor. POCO claims this offers an 83% performance boost over its predecessor and has shared an impressive AnTuTu benchmark score of over 825,000 points. This should translate to smooth performance for everyday tasks and gaming. The phone is also built to be durable, featuring an IP66 rating for dust and water resistance and a MIL-STD-810H certification for toughness.

For photography, it will sport a dual rear camera setup led by a 50-megapixel main sensor. While not officially confirmed, reports suggest it could be backed by a large 6,500mAh battery with 100W fast charging support.

The phone will be sold via Flipkart in India after its launch. While the exact Indian price is still a secret, a Russian listing hinted at a price equivalent to roughly Rs. 30,400 for an 8GB+256GB model. In India, it's expected to be priced competitively, likely under the Rs. 20,000 mark, continuing POCO's value-focused strategy.