Tipster Sanju Choudhary has shared detailed first impressions of the Tecno POVA 8 Pro after spending a week with the device, offering an early hands-on look at the phone across design, display, performance, battery, and software. The POVA 8 Pro launched at ₹46,999 for the 8GB RAM plus 256GB storage variant.
Design and Build Quality
According to the review, the POVA 8 Pro’s design looks genuinely impressive. The frame is made from polycarbonate, with slightly curved edges that contribute to a grippy, comfortable feel in hand. Weighing 189 grams and measuring 7.39mm thick, the device is described as comfortable to hold even during extended usage sessions.
On durability, the phone carries a combined IP68, IP69, and IP69K rating, offering strong protection against dust, water immersion, and high-pressure water jets, a genuinely comprehensive durability certification that stands out in this price segment.
Display: A Strong 144Hz AMOLED Panel
The POVA 8 Pro features a 144Hz display with 1.5K resolution using AMOLED technology. According to the review, the bezels appear nearly symmetrical, contributing to a clean overall look.
Outdoor visibility is reportedly very good, with content remaining easily readable even in direct sunlight. Color reproduction is also praised, with no noticeable lag or stuttering observed while playing 4K video on YouTube, and the display’s black levels are described as well-tuned.
One notable observation: while the display supports up to 144Hz, the reviewer found that in practice, the refresh rate only reaches this peak within a handful of first-party apps, with most everyday use sitting at 120Hz instead.
Sound and Haptics
According to the review, the phone’s haptic feedback is decent but could benefit from further tuning. Speaker performance, however, receives more positive marks, with the reviewer specifically noting being impressed by both the loudness and overall audio quality.
Performance: A Slightly Unusual Combination
The POVA 8 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 chipset, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage. The reviewer notes this pairing is a somewhat unusual combination, since UFS 2.2 storage is generally considered a step behind what’s typically expected alongside this tier of RAM, and expressed a preference for at least UFS 3.1 storage instead. That said, the reviewer notes the combination has performed well in practice so far.
Positive performance notes include parallel app-opening animations, and notably, the device didn’t show signs of overheating during benchmark testing or heavy usage. The phone also supports BGMI gameplay at up to 90fps, with the reviewer noting it performs better than expected. According to the review, a dedicated P1 chip helps manage frame rate consistency effectively during gameplay.
Battery and Charging
The POVA 8 Pro includes a 6,500mAh battery paired with 45W charging. According to the review, this combination comfortably lasts between 1 to 1.5 days of typical use, with a full charge taking approximately one hour based on the reviewer’s own usage patterns.
Software: Feature-Rich, But Update Commitment Could Be Better
The device ships with HiOS, built on top of Android 16, and comes with a promised 2 major OS upgrades plus 3 years of security updates. The reviewer noted this update commitment could ideally have been more generous, suggesting 3 years of OS upgrades plus 4 years of security updates would have been preferable, especially considering the phone’s premium pricing.
On the positive side, HiOS is described as a feature-rich interface with extensive customization options. The reviewer specifically praised the implementation of the Glyph Matrix lighting feature and the customizable side button, both described as being executed well by Tecno.
Camera samples were not yet available at the time of this review, with the tipster noting they would be shared separately.
Pricing
The Tecno POVA 8 Pro is available in two configurations:
- 8GB + 256GB: ₹46,999
- 12GB + 256GB: ₹54,999
The reviewer noted they had personally expected pricing to land somewhere in the ₹40,000 to ₹45,000 range, suggesting the actual launch pricing came in somewhat higher than anticipated given the phone’s overall spec sheet.
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