Poco F7 review: Serious bang for your buck

A couple of months again, Poco launched the F7 Professional and the F7 Extremely. They’re each critically highly effective telephones at extremely reasonably priced value factors, however the usual F7 was oddly lacking from the lineup.

I used to be starting to suppose the model might forego a normal mannequin this time round, but it surely has lastly arrived, and now that we all know what’s inside it, the delay begins to make a bit extra sense: This is likely one of the first telephones to characteristic the model new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor.

Should you’re not fairly on top of things with Qualcomm’s naming conventions, this chip is basically one step down from the almighty 8 Elite, however an enormous leap forward of the 7-series processors. Crucially, it’s far more reasonably priced, so it may be present in cheaper smartphones, just like the F7.

It’s not all concerning the processor, although. This telephone has an enormous battery, speedy charging, a slick design and a stunning show. On first impressions, it looks as if a little bit of a discount. I needed to see if that’s the case, so I slipped my SIM card in, and every week later, right here’s what I realized.

Design & Construct

• Aluminium body, plastic again
• 216g, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
• IP68 water and mud resistance

The Poco F7 is out there in three colourways, and considerably unusually, I’ve managed to get my mitts on all three choices to showcase on this overview. As commonplace, there’s a black model and a white model, which each have two-tone designs break up with a diagonal line down the rear panel. The higher portion has a extra matt end, whereas the decrease portion is extra shiny.

There’s additionally a particular restricted version silver model, which makes a bit extra of a press release. It’s black on high, with embossed components that give it the looks of a semi-transparent design, and shiny silver on the underside portion. It’s probably the most gamer-looking mannequin within the lineup, which could divide opinion, however I believe it appears to be like nice.

All three variants have aluminium aspect rails and plastic rear panels. Nonetheless, at a look, the rear appears to be like quite a bit like glass. The one actual giveaway is that the darker colors are a bit extra smudge-prone than traditional.

Total, the telephone feels fairly premium, and I believe the aluminium aspect rails are the primary purpose for that. That stated, it needs to be pretty sturdy, with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i coating the display and a flagship-level IP68 certification for mud and water resistance.

It’s a fairly large telephone, with a 6.83-inch show, and the boxy iPhone-like design means it feels substantial within the hand. I discovered it completely comfy to make use of, however I’ve huge fingers; these with smaller paws may need a tougher time.

Display & Audio system

• 6.83-inch, 2772 x 1280, OLED, 120Hz
• 3200 nits peak brightness
• Stereo audio system

The Poco F7 has a big, absolutely flat show, which is lush for watching content material and enjoying video games. It’s effectively specced, too. It’s an OLED panel with a speedy 120Hz refresh fee and an ample 2770 x 1280 decision.

Luke Baker

The display has a slim, even bezel on all sides, which instantly provides the handset a extra premium look than a few of the competitors. 

It’s a really brilliant panel, too, boosting as much as 3200 nits in sure eventualities. This implies you’ll by no means have hassle seeing it outdoor, and HDR content material from Netflix and YouTube appears to be like extremely dynamic.

Luke Baker

The telephone has twin stereo audio system. One speaker fires from the bottom, subsequent to the USB-C port, whereas the opposite doubles up because the telephone’s earpiece. I’m at all times completely happy to see stereo audio system on mid-range handsets; it’s a straightforward method for producers to chop prices, but it surely makes a big distinction to the listening expertise, and it’s particularly essential while you’re gaming with out a headset.

They sound fairly nice, too. The telephone kicks out extra quantity than most, with plenty of readability and little or no distortion. As traditional, it’s the bass that’s missing a bit, but it surely’s nonetheless decidedly above common. They’re greater than ok for taking part in video games and watching content material round the home.

Specs & Efficiency

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4
• 12GB RAM
• 512GB storage

As talked about within the intro, the Poco F7 is likely one of the first units to land with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 inside. Barely complicated naming apart, it needs to be a bit slower than the 8 Elite and quicker than the previous-gen flagship, the 8 Gen 3.

Luke Baker

In most benchmarks, that’s precisely what I noticed. I acquired some barely odd outcomes with GFXBench, however that has been identified to occur now and again. Crucially, the Poco F7 was capable of outpace the Samsung Galaxy S24 in Geekbench and 3DMark Wildlife Excessive – fairly spectacular stuff for a telephone this low cost.

In fact, the spectacular efficiency isn’t constrained to artificial benchmarks. This telephone will run nearly any sport you possibly can throw at it with the settings maxed out.

It does get sizzling after some time, however I used to be testing through the hottest week of the yr to date, in order that’s to be anticipated. Slipping on the included TPU case does a superb job of retaining that warmth away out of your palms.

Luke Baker

My take a look at unit got here outfitted with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which is the extra premium possibility; the bottom mannequin comes outfitted with 12GB + 256GB. Even with out expandable storage, each fashions supply lots for most individuals’s wants, and the telephone multitasks like a champ.

I received’t go into an excessive amount of element concerning the gaming choices, as they appear to be similar to all latest Poco units, however there are many choices to tweak if you wish to push the efficiency additional.

Luke Baker

I additionally like that there’s a sport launcher, quite a bit just like the one on Redmagic units, which might make your telephone really feel a bit extra like a handheld gaming system than a telephone, particularly when paired with a clamp-on controller just like the Gamesir X2 Professional.

Poco F7 benchmarks

Cameras

• 50Mp f/1.5 principal digital camera
• 8Mp f/2.2 ultrawide
• 20Mp f/2.2 selfie digital camera

The Poco F7 digital camera system nets you a extremely strong principal digital camera, a fairly mediocre ultrawide and an honest selfie snapper.

Luke Baker

It’s not as well-rounded as a few of its opponents, but it surely doesn’t should be. Whereas others put images on the forefront, the Poco F7 is all about efficiency, and as we’ve seen, it delivers that in spades.

That stated, the F7 cameras nonetheless outperform most gaming-centric telephones. Xiaomi is aware of what it’s doing on the subject of picture processing, and regardless of middling specs, the outcome I acquired from these cameras outshone something I’ve achieved with a Redmagic or Asus ROG system.

No matter lighting circumstances, you’ll wish to follow the primary digital camera as a lot as potential. The standard is noticeably increased, and it resolves a lot finer particulars than the opposite two lenses. When it’s darkish out, the distinction turns into much more obvious. Nonetheless, the ultrawide has its makes use of, and I’d moderately have a mediocre huge lens than none in any respect.

The selfie digital camera does a superb job in all lighting circumstances, and I used to be shocked by the dearth of movement blur in low-light photographs, which is a standard downside with competing units. Portrait mode cutouts are strong, too. Nonetheless, the portrait processing is a bit heavy-handed on the rear digital camera, even with magnificence mode turned off.

For video capturing, you possibly can seize at as much as 4K at 60fps, however solely on the primary rear digital camera. The opposite two lenses max out at 1080p. Stabilisation is superb, however the microphones are fairly prone to wind noise, so that you’ll should be cautious when capturing outdoor.

Battery Life & Charging

• 6500mAh battery
• 90W wired charging
• 22.5W reverse wired charging

One of many standout options of this telephone is the large 6500mAh battery. That’s an astonishing capability, and considerably bigger than most flagship telephones. The truth that Xiaomi can embody it on such an reasonably priced handset has me very enthusiastic about future units – perhaps 10,000mAh in a pocketable telephone is nearer than we predict.

That stated, the precise efficiency was a bit underwhelming. Don’t get me flawed, it’s a really strong battery, and I may handle two days on a cost with out concern – however I’ve been capable of do the identical with 5500mAh cells, too. Maybe the OS wants longer to be taught my habits and additional optimise issues.

Luke Baker

Our traditional PCMark battery drain take a look at gave a rating of 14 hours and 44 minutes, which is nearly precisely the identical because the Poco F7 Extremely (which solely has a 5300mAh battery). So it’s not simply my creativeness – Xiaomi clearly must do some tweaking to get probably the most from this enormous battery.

When it’s time to cost, the telephone helps wired charging at as much as 90W, and that speedy charger comes included within the field. It’s sufficient to take you from absolutely drained to nearly 80% charged in simply half an hour, so it’s tremendous handy.

There’s no wi-fi charging, however given the worth, that shouldn’t come as an excessive amount of of a shock.

Software program & Apps

• Hyper OS 2, based mostly on Android 15
• HyperAI options
• Some bloatware to take care of

The Poco F7 runs Hyper OS 2, the identical software program you’ll discover on all latest Xiaomi and Poco units. It’s a closely customised model of Android 15, which some love, and others discover laborious to adapt to. It’s not my favorite OS by default, but it surely’s very customisable, and with some tweaking, you will get it to look and behave nevertheless you want.

Luke Baker

You get all the traditional Google options like Gemini and Circle to Search, however Xiaomi has its personal suite of AI options, too. It’s principally the form of stuff we’ve come to anticipate, like translation instruments, a writing assistant and AI summarisation, however there are additionally some nifty picture enhancing instruments, like an AI object eraser, picture expander and a picture enhancer. 

The OS feels very fast and snappy, which is partially as a result of horsepower below the hood, however the animation fashion makes it really feel faster nonetheless. You’re by no means left ready lengthy, and also you’ll not often see stutters, it’s a clean, speedy expertise.

Luke Baker

The most important draw back is the quantity of bloatware that comes pre-installed. Sure, that is an reasonably priced system, and bloat usually comes with the territory, however there’s a substantial quantity right here, together with every kind of random video games. Most of it may be uninstalled, but it surely detracts from the expertise of organising your new system.

Value & Availability

The Poco F7 is out there to order now within the UK and Europe, however as traditional, it received’t be launching within the States. The bottom mannequin, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, will price you £389, whereas the 512GB model will set you again £429

That stated, if you happen to get in early, you possibly can nab this telephone for simply £319 or £359 within the UK for a restricted time from the Xiaomi web site. So, if you happen to’re eager on this handset, it’s value appearing quick.

The pricing places the Poco F7 up towards units just like the Google Pixel 9a, Nothing Telephone (3a) Professional and the Honor 400. A few of these mid-range rivals have the higher hand on the subject of images, however on the subject of efficiency and gaming, the F7 is clearly an enormous step forward.

Do you have to purchase the Poco F7?

Should you’re on the lookout for a sub-£400 telephone that may deal with some severe gaming, the Poco F7 is tough to beat. It performs on par with a few of the strongest flagships from final yr, whereas delivering a shocking display, huge battery, fast charging and a standout design.

It’s solely the digital camera system that falls barely behind a few of its equally priced competitors. That’s to not say the cameras are unhealthy – they’re really very succesful – however with out a devoted telephoto, the system is much less versatile than a few of the competitors.

In fact, at this value, you possibly can’t have every part, and Poco has clearly prioritised efficiency. Nonetheless, in contrast to devoted gaming handsets, the spec sheet is properly balanced, and also you don’t must make many concessions elsewhere.

The Poco F7 has been a pleasure to dwell with, and if you happen to’re in search of high efficiency at an reasonably priced value, you received’t be dissatisfied with this one.

Specs

• Hyper OS 2, based mostly on Android 15
• 6.83-inch, 2772 x 1280, OLED, 120Hz
• Optical in-display fingerprint sensor
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB / 512GB storage
• Digital camera:
  • 50Mp principal sensor
  • 8Mp ultrawide
  • 20Mp selfie digital camera
• As much as 4K @ 60fps rear video
• Stereo audio system
• Twin-SIM
• Wi-Fi 7/6/5/4
• Bluetooth 6
• 6500mAh battery
• 90W wired charging 
• 163.1 x 77.9 x 8.2 mm
• IP68 licensed
• 216g
• Colors: Black / Silver / White