Head to head

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G vs Xiaomi Poco X8

Full specification and price comparison for Pakistan, updated 18 Aug 2026.

The short answer

The Xiaomi Poco X8 is the stronger phone of the two, scoring 78 against 72 on our combined specification score. It leads on battery & charging, memory & storage and value for money. The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G still wins on performance and camera, so it remains the better choice if that is your priority. The Xiaomi Poco X8 is the cheaper of the two at PKR 74,999 against PKR 169,999.

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The verdict

Spec-derived

Xiaomi Poco X8 takes it by 6.6 points on our weighted spec score.

Performance Samsung Galaxy S21 5G leads

Gaming score where available, otherwise chipset tier plus usable RAM.

Camera Samsung Galaxy S21 5G leads

Camera Score where available, otherwise sensor resolution and lens count. Megapixels alone do not measure image quality.

Battery & charging Xiaomi Poco X8 leads

Cell capacity in mAh weighted with rated wired charging output.

Display Level

Pixel density, refresh rate and panel technology.

Memory & storage Xiaomi Poco X8 leads

Highest advertised RAM and internal storage configuration.

Value for money Xiaomi Poco X8 leads

Combined spec score divided by current Pakistani retail price.

What actually differs

  • Xiaomi Poco X8 costs PKR 95,000 less.
  • Xiaomi Poco X8 packs a 4,340 mAh larger battery.
  • Xiaomi Poco X8 charges 42W faster.
  • Xiaomi Poco X8 offers 4 GB more RAM.
  • Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has a 14 MP higher-resolution main sensor.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G if…

you care most about performance and camera.

Buy the Xiaomi Poco X8 if…

you care most about battery & charging, memory & storage and value for money.

Full specification comparison

Specification Samsung Galaxy S21 5G Xiaomi Poco X8
Price in Pakistan
Retail price PKR 169,999 PKR 74,999 Cheaper
Design & build
Release date January 14, 2021 September 2026
Dimensions 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm 163.45 × 78.27 × 8.60 mm
Weight 169 g Better 223 g
Water resistance IP68 dust and water resistant (up to 1.5 m for 30 minutes) IP66 / IP68 / IP69 / IP69K
Display
Screen size 6.2 inches 6.83-inch Better
Resolution 2400 x 1080 pixels 1280 × 2772 pixels Better
Panel type Dynamic AMOLED 2X Adaptive 120Hz HDR10+ AMOLED 120Hz refresh rate 12-bit color depth, 3500 nits peak brightness, 3840Hz PWM dimming, DCI-P3,
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Performance
Chipset Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm) / Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm), depending on market Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 (4nm),
CPU Octa-core Up to 2.9 GHz on Exynos version Octa-core (4×2.4GHz Cortex-A78 + 4×1.8GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU Mali-G78 MP14 / Adreno 660, depending on chipset Adreno 710
Operating system Android 11, One UI 3.1 Android 16, HyperOS 3.
Memory & storage
RAM 8GB 6GB / 8GB / 12GB LPDDR4X Better
Internal storage 128GB / 256GB LPDDR5 UFS 2.2 (128GB) / UFS 3.1 (256GB)
Card slot No No
Camera
Main camera 12MP + 64MP + 12MP, OIS, PDAF, 3x Hybrid Optical Zoom, up to 30x Space Zoom Better 50MP, f/1.8, OIS, PDAF, 1/2.76" sensor, 0.64µm pixel size, 5P lens + 2MP depth sensor, f/2.4, LED flash.
Selfie camera 10MP, f/2.2, Dual Pixel PDAF LED flash, HDR, panorama 16MP, f/2.4, 5P lens, 1.0µm pixel size, Fixed Focus, HDR Better
Video recording Up to 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps 1080p@30fps (Front & Rear), 720p@30fps, Gyro-EIS.
Battery & charging
Battery capacity Li-Ion (non-removable) 4000 mAh Silicon-Carbon battery, (Non-removable) 8340mAh (Global), 9000mAh (India) Better
Wired charging 25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless charging 67W wired charging, 22.5W reverse wired charging Better
Connectivity & extras
SIM Nano-SIM + eSIM Dual Nano-SIM
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.0 5.1, A2DP, LE
NFC Yes Yes
Sensors Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass, Barometer, Hall Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor Fingerprint (under-display optical), Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Electronic Compass, Infrared Sensor.
USB USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 USB Type-C 2.0, OTG

“Better” marks the higher (or, for price and weight, the lower) figure. It is a specification difference, not a judgement about real-world experience.

Questions people ask

Which is better, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or Xiaomi Poco X8?

Xiaomi Poco X8 comes out ahead on our combined spec score, leading by 6.6 points. It wins on battery & charging, memory & storage and value for money. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G can still be the better buy if your priorities sit elsewhere or if you find it at a lower street price.

What is the price of Samsung Galaxy S21 5G and Xiaomi Poco X8 in Pakistan?

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is listed at PKR 169,999 and Xiaomi Poco X8 at PKR 74,999. That makes Xiaomi Poco X8 cheaper by PKR 95,000. Retail prices move often, so treat these as indicative.

Which has the better camera, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or Xiaomi Poco X8?

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G scores higher in our camera assessment. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G uses a 64 MP main sensor against 50 MP on Xiaomi Poco X8, though sensor size and processing matter more than resolution alone.

Which phone has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or Xiaomi Poco X8?

Xiaomi Poco X8 leads on battery. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G carries a 4000 mAh cell and Xiaomi Poco X8 a 8340 mAh cell, with 25W and 67W wired charging respectively.

Which is better for gaming, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G or Xiaomi Poco X8?

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is the stronger gaming phone here. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G runs the Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm) / Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm), depending on market while Xiaomi Poco X8 runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 (4nm),.

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Tools that use this data

Camera Score Tool Battery Score Tool Gaming Performance Checker AI Mobile Recommendation Tool All comparisons

Scores are calculated from the published hardware specification of each device using the same formula for every phone on WhatMobilePK — they are not paid placements and they are not laboratory test results. Prices are indicative Pakistani retail prices and change frequently.