### Xiaomi HyperOS 3 (for Poco), Android 16 underneath

the Poco F8 Ultra and the F8 Pro are the first Xiaomi devices for the global market to ship with HyperOS 3.0 and Android 16 out of the box. Additionally, Xiaomi promises 4 major OS upgrades and 6 years of security patches for the two.

This isn’t our first encounter with HyperOS 3, though. We had time to play around with the Chinese version of the ROM, running on the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. So make sure to check out the software section of that review as well.

Home screen • Control center • Recent apps

HyperOS 3 hasn’t changed much visually from the previous generation, but there are a few notable developments. For instance, Xiaomi worked on the animations, which now appear to be a bit smoother and probably faster. System icons are also redesigned and are now flatter and simpler.

Interconnectivity

The HyperAI features,on the other hand,seem to be the same ones as before. You can ask the AI to help you with yoru writing, transcription, translation or even show subtitles when watching videos on YouTube. You can make dynamic wallpapers out of still images.

HyperAI: Gemini • In-house stuff

Lastly, Xiaomi says it has worked toward improving the efficiency and performance of HyperOS by making some under-the-hood adjustments, but as is usually the case, those things can’t be measured so we can only take Xiaomi’s word for it.

Features and UI design aside, Xiaomi’s HyperOS 3 felt smooth and snappy to use. no complaints there.

Performance and benchmarks

The Poco F8 Ultra, as befitting an Ultra, packs Qualcomm’s latest high-end Snapdragon – the 8 Elite Gen 5. By now a familiar sight and a proven performer,the chip can be found in proper flagships and