CHENNAI: DELETE normal’. While it might sound like a cliched catch-phrase, it seems to capture the philosophy behind the Pova 8 that is making a play in the Rs 30K segment. The Pova 8 is playing up two key attributes – a heavy duty battery and a design tweak that might remind you of one of Nothing’s 2026 smartphones. At a time when brands are under pressure and coping with rising input costs, consumers are also open to a winder set of brands and experiences that deliver value at a competitive price tag. The Pova 8 is aiming to bridge that gap. Does it have more than just a couple of tricks under its hat?
It all starts with the design. Purposeful design is one of the buzz words in the smartphone space. It’s not just design that looks different but also an approach to aesthetics that puts a focus on practicality. The Pova 8 leans towards a cyberpunk design language with a sci-fi inspired vibe. We like the glossy back panel, the flat-edged frame and the side-mounted fingerprint scanner that’s embedded in the tactile power button. The highlight of the device is the Alive Matrix.
Comparisons with Nothing’s Glyph Matrix are inevitable, This dot-matrix LED panel is cleverly integrated in the rear camera island and can trigger up to 49 unique animations. You can tweak the specific lighting patterns via the HiOS software that powers this device. It’s more than just a cosmetic upgrade, you also get handy, glanceable notifications if you experience FOMO during meetings or when you’re at the movies. The device comes in a choice of two RAM options – 6GB or 8GB. Both variants pack 128GB of internal storage. The device is powered by the MediaTek 7100 chipset that did well in our tests. It’s also gamer proof.
The biggest talking point of this device is a humungous 8000 mAh battery that comfortably lasted nearly two days in our tests despite extensive screen time and multi-media usage. There’s a 45W charger in the box and should take the battery from 1% to 100% in less than two hours. This is one of the best smartphones in the battery department in this price segment that we’ve checked out this year. You don’t have to worry about playback time when you binge watch videos on the 6.76-inch FHD+ IPS display (1080 x 2344 pixels) with a 144Hz refresh rate.
The display peaks at 950 nits and is quite immersive with a screen: body ratio of 91.29%. Camera performance was reasonably good with good results in optimal light. Camera duties are handled by an 50MP primary cam with an auxiliary lens that is complemented by a 13MP selfie shooter.
Results are average in low-light but the camera won’t let you down in too many scenarios.
The Pova 8 breaks the clutter in the mid-premium segment with an innovative design approach and finds a balance between a heavy duty device and one that scores with it’s edgy aesthetics. (Rs 29,999 onwards)
(Ashwin Rajagopalan is a lifestyle writer and consumer technology expert. Catch the latest digital and tech updates in this weekly column.)