POCO F7 has suspiciously good specs for its price. What caught our attention?

Xiaomi introduced the POCO F7 series at the end of March, which paradoxically did not include the base model – we only got the POCO F7 Pro phone at the (upper) mid-range level and the POCO F7 Ultra with the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Less demanding users, for whom alternatives like POCO X7 Pro are already too weak, were pleased by the Chinese manufacturer three months later. The POCO F7 arrived in full glory, and we were the first to publish its renders even before the official announcement. Now we have the phone in our editorial office to test it and explain why you should invest in it.

A phone with a range of premium features, but at a lower price

The POCO F7 perfectly complements the previously introduced duo. For currently 11 thousand Czech crowns, it offers features that even much more expensive phones wouldn’t be ashamed of. Compared to its previously introduced siblings, it primarily offers lower performance, which can be seen as an advantage in a way – Xiaomi didn’t have to pay as much for the processor, allowing them to set a lower final price. In some aspects, it even surpasses the Pro and Ultra models. Let’s take a closer look at the individual attractions of the new POCO F7.

Bold, yet premium-feeling craftsmanship

When I first got my hands on the POCO F7 renders, I honestly was a bit horrified. The fact is that the design might seem a bit too bold – this is due to the unusually shaped camera island with some kind of green element, which still somewhat reminds me of the now practically defunct Black Shark brand. Neither the Pro nor the Ultra models, although certainly not boring, ventured into such eccentricities. And that’s not even to mention the silver version of the POCO F7, which has a supposedly transparent upper back and stands out even more from the series.

In any case, I received the white variant, which of all three (black also exists) seems the least aggressive to me. My slight skepticism regarding the design then faded the moment I first picked up the phone. The glass back, flat side edges, and metal frame simply do their job, making the POCO F7 feel far more luxurious than it might with a price tag just over 10 thousand. Proportionally, the phone also suits me, and the larger 6.83” display is not an obstacle for me, as I am used to Google’s enormous Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Absolutely excellent performance for its price

It’s no secret that POCO phones primarily focus on performance. The F7 model is no different, with the relatively recently introduced Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 ticking under its hood. It reaches a clock speed of up to 3.21 GHz, a value that only much more expensive smartphones could enjoy until recently, and it reportedly offers 49% higher GPU performance compared to the previous model.

You’ll naturally appreciate this especially when gaming, which was one of the first things I delved into when testing the POCO F7. It didn’t take long for Diablo Immortal to be downloaded, and I could dive into clearing the map of monsters. With the highest graphics settings, the title can be played on the POCO F7 in 60 FPS mode, and you won’t experience long-term drops in frame rate even after half an hour of gaming.

Of course, with increasing temperature, which you’ll feel after about 15 minutes, you’ll occasionally encounter some minor stutters (especially in cities full of virtual characters and players, or when opening menus full of special offers). However, I cannot say that the phone overheats – perhaps a recent update, which was supposed to improve the device’s thermal management, helped with this.

According to manufacturer data, the POCO F7 managed to exceed the magical 2 million mark in the AnTuTu benchmark. We measured “only” 1,829,171 points, but even so, this is an excellent number that is not often seen in this price category.

Absolutely enormous battery

You’ve certainly noticed that Chinese manufacturers have significantly focused on increasing battery capacity this year. The new POCO F7 is no exception, coming with a rather shocking 6,500mAh capacity. This even surpasses the Pro model, which has “only” a 6,000mAh battery. Not to mention the Ultra model with 5,300 mAh… The manufacturer promises more than 16 hours of continuous use and over 20 hours of video playback. 

The icing on the cake is 90W charging support, which even many flagship phones wouldn’t be ashamed of. Also worth mentioning is 22.5W reverse charging, which allows the POCO F7 to be used as a power bank in an emergency.

AMOLED display great for gaming

The POCO F7 comes with a large 6.83” AMOLED panel, which is great for gaming and multimedia consumption. The manufacturer promises a peak brightness of up to 3,200 nits and 1,700 in HBM mode. The first value matches the maximum of the POCO F7 Pro, while the second is only 100 nits lower. Nevertheless, during testing, I had the feeling that I remembered the POCO F7 Pro screen being able to deliver a bit more. However, I no longer have the second phone with me, so I cannot compare this with 100% certainty. Objectively, however, it can be said that the POCO F7 performs very well even in the August sun.

Where there was certainly a reduction, however, is the resolution. The POCO F7 Pro and Ultra offer 1440 x 3200 pixels, whereas the cheaper addition to the family only has 1280 x 2772 pixels. Given the lower price, we cannot hold this against it. Among other specifications, we must highlight the 120Hz refresh rate, 3,840Hz PWM dimming, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, or Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection.

No extra charge for RAM or storage

Last but not least, the 12 GB RAM and 512 GB storage configuration, in which the POCO F7 is sold on our market, can be considered a clear positive. Furthermore, flagship-level LPDDR5X and UFS 4.1 technologies are utilized. For 11 thousand, you thus get storage that even a phone with twice the price wouldn’t be ashamed of, and an absolutely adequate amount of RAM given the phone’s target audience.

Verdict: POCO F7 is a bullseye

The POCO F7 is definitely one of the more attractive phones released this year. Especially if you fall into its target group. Are you looking for a device with a fast chip, long battery life, fast charging, and a very good display? This new Chinese device is ideal for you, and it costs just over 10 thousand. Of course, if the offered performance isn’t enough for you, you can look for one of the mentioned more expensive siblings. I tested both of them and compared them, and I even dedicated attention to the Ultra model in a separate review.

Does the phone have any disadvantages? Of course. If I disregard the design, which is quite subjective, then it’s about the cameras. POCO has long saved on cameras, and there’s a good reason for it. Its clientele desires a phone with a powerful processor at the best possible price, and investing in better camera hardware would only increase the final price. 

The 50Mpx sensor with a relatively small sensor (1/1.95″) at least has optical stabilization, but overall it won’t satisfy you as much as sensors used in phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+. The 8Mpx ultrawide is more for decoration, but if you occasionally need to take a photo and don’t insist on ultra-high quality, the weaker cameras are tolerable.

What do you think of the POCO F7’s features?