Poco F7 Review: Another flagship killer in the premium mid-segment

It seems to be raining flagship killers in what we know as the premium flagship segment of the market. After the iQOO Neo 10 (review coming shortly), it is now the turn of Poco to hit the segment with a device with specs that are from a much higher price zone. The Poco F7 comes with a starting price of Rs 31,999, which would seemingly place it alongside the likes of the OnePlus Nord 4, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, and the Redmi Note 14 Pro+. However, its spec sheet seems right out of the budget flagship range. Can it add a new dimension to a segment that was, until very recently, considered mainly to be about value for money with a few premium touches? Well, we think it could.

Poco F7 design and appearance: Poco delivers a head-turner

Poco’s phones have generally not been known for their outstanding design, tending to grab attention with their bright yellow colours rather than any design touches. The Poco F7 changes that. This is easily the most eye-catching Poco smartphone we have ever seen. It comes with a glass front and back, and a metal frame, exuding a very premium feel. The Poco F7 is available in three colours – Phantom Black, Frost White, and what Poco calls a Cyber Silver Edition. Of these, it is the Cyber Silver Edition that stands out. It comes with a dual-toned back with a reflective mirror finish, with the upper left portion giving a very geeky feel with not just a camera unit with green reflector lines separating the two cameras, but also the Qualcomm logo.

In fact, the upper portion gives an impression of being seemingly made up of blocks adjoining each other. A Poco logo in the bottom right corner completes it. The portion is plain silver, providing a contrast between a very busy upper portion and a plain lower one. The lettering on the phone seems to indicate it is a limited edition. Some might find it a little crowded, but it definitely catches attention, and there is zero chance of it being mistaken for any other phone.

If you find this too loud or edgy, then there are Frost White and Phantom Black are more quietly elegant alternatives with dual-toned mirror finish backs, and the green reflector lines on the camera unit give them a very distinct look. The sides are straight, with the top and left sides being blank, giving the phone a very clean, minimalistic look. The right side has a volume rocker and a power/display button, while the base houses the USB Type-C port, a speaker grille, and the SIM card tray. The front is a large 6.83-inch display with slim bezels. We got the Phantom Black version, and although keeping it dust-free is a challenge, it certainly is very striking. We only wish Poco had given a transparent cover in the box instead of a black one, as it covers the dual-tone elegance of the back.

The Poco F7 is a big phone – it is 163.1 mm tall but is surprisingly slim at 7.98 mm. At 222 grams, it is a little on the heavier side but not overly so. It is a pretty tough phone too – the front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass 7i, the frame is aluminium, and the entire phone comes with IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance, which means that it can survive a fall in the water quite comfortably. In terms of build and design, this is the most impressive device we have seen from Poco.

Poco F7 hardware and specs: Flagship killer in the house?

If its appearance will turn heads, the spec sheet of the Poco F7 will make eyes pop. In a price segment that is known for compromises to ensure an affordable price, the Poco F7 is close to a complete package. The phone comes with a 6.83-inch pOLED display with 1.5K (2772 x 1280) resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate, and 3200 nits of peak brightness (typical brightness is 700 nits). It runs on the flagship-level Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip, which is considered just a step below the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite processor seen in premium flagships. This is paired with 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256 GB and 512 GB of UFS 4.1 storage, making it a phone designed for heavy-duty performance and speed.

A much-hyped spec has been the large 7550 mAh battery, which Poco claims is the largest in India at the moment, which comes with support for 90W charging speed. It is only in the camera department that the Poco F7 Ultra seems to become more mid-segment than budget flagship, with a 50-megapixel main Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS and a 8 megapixel ultrawide, with a 20 megapixel selfie camera, all of which is very similar to the camera set up on the Poco F6.

The Poco F7 also runs on Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 on top of Android 15, and comes with an assurance of four years of Android and six years of OS updates. Some might point to the absence of an adaptive refresh rate (letting you switch from 1-120 Hz, instead of just broad values) and the seemingly repetitive camera setup, but even with those factored in, there is no way the Poco F7 is your run-of-the-mill premium mid-segmenter.

Poco F7 Performance: An out-and-out performer

With that sort of hardware on board, it is hardly surprising that the Poco F7 turns in a stellar performance on most fronts. That large display is not as colourful as some others in its segment, but it is still great to watch videos, films, and shows, and is visible even in bright sunlight. And thanks to very good speakers and that powerful processor, that large display is great for gaming too. The Poco F7 can easily run the likes of Call of Duty and the Asphalt series at high graphics settings, and even the resource-hungry Genshin Impact works smoothly on it, and looks an absolute treat. In short, its performance is good enough for it to take on more expensive devices like the OnePlus 13R comfortably. The phone did heat up a little initially, but a software update fixed that. The massive battery means that one can actually binge-watch shows and films on this without worrying about battery as well.

The Poco F7 sails through routine tasks easily. Whether it is handling multiple browser tabs, social media, messaging, or mail, the phone never seems stretched. HyperOS 2 does come with some bloatware (which is irritating but can be uninstalled), but also packs in some very handy features and comes stacked with a number of AI tools. Gemini works just fine on the Poco F7, as do functions like Circle to Search, AI Notes, AI Interpreter, and AI Recorder, as well as AI image editing tools like Image Expansion and Magic Eraser. What stands out throughout the Poco F7 user experience is the near absence of lags and stutters – this is a very smooth, very powerful operator. We would say that, alongside the iQOO Neo 10, it is perhaps the best phone for those wanting high-end gaming on a budget.

Poco F7 cameras: The only mid-segment patch in the flagship field

As we had mentioned earlier, the Poco F7 comes with cameras that are very similar to those seen on the Poco F6 – a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 main sensor with OIS, an 8-megapixel ultrawide, and a 20-megapixel selfie sensor.

In terms of performance, the Poco F7 cameras are a clear level above those of the Poco F6, whether due to better tuning or the processor. The 50 megapixel main sensor takes slightly oversaturated but very pleasant looking snaps, with bright colours, and is surprisingly good even in low light conditions if you can keep your hands steady enough. It even took some very good close-up shots, although portrait mode tended to go a little overboard with the bokeh.

Stick to the main sensor and you will get some very good street and food snaps, and even some good video (you can shoot in 4K). Things are not quite as good with the 8-megapixel ultrawide, which provides a different perspective but not too much detail, and the 20-megapixel selfie sensor delivers reasonably good vanity snaps while smoothing away blemishes even when you shoot in normal mode. They are not bad by any means – the main sensor is actually very good – but all said and done, the cameras are the most mid-segment aspect of the Poco F7.

Poco F7 battery and charging: The battery that does everything – lasts long, charges fast, and even charges OTHER devices fast

The battery is one of the biggest USPs of the Poco F7. Once again, the phone follows in the footsteps of the iQOO Neo 10 by placing an extremely large battery inside a phone that seems relatively slim and very powerful. The Poco F7 comes with a 7550 mAh battery that the brand claims is the largest in any smartphone in India. This makes it the second phone with a close-to-flagship chip (after the iQOO Neo 10, which came with a 7000 mAh battery) to be able to see out two days of normal use, and can actually get through two and a half days with careful usage.

The 90W charger that comes in the box takes about 55-60 minutes to charge the phone from zero to full, but can charge more than 50 percent of the phone in less than half an hour, and that is enough to see one through a day of use. But there’s more to the battery of the Poco F7 – the phone can not only reverse charge other devices but do so at a very quick 22.5W, which means that the phone can even double up as a fast charging power bank.

Poco F7 Pricing: Too good to be true level!

The Poco F7 is available in two RAM and storage variants at these prices:

12 GB/ 256 GB: Rs 31,999
12 GB/ 512 GB: Rs 33,999

These are almost too-good-to-be-true prices, when one considers that they are very close to what the premium mid-segment Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, OnePlus Nord 4, and the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ were launched at. In fact, the only competition the Poco F7 faces is from the iQOO Neo 10, which runs on the same processor and starts at the same price but with a 8 GB/ 128 GB variant, and has a slightly smaller (but still 7000 mAh) battery but with faster charging, and a smaller display (although with higher refresh rate). It is rare to see a phone have such a clear price edge over its competition, but the Poco F7 seems to have done it. For the record, the Poco F6 started at Rs 29,999 for its 8 GB/ 256 GB

Poco F7 Review verdict: THE best value for money budget flagship

Like the iQOO Neo 10, the Poco F7 is literally a budget flagship with a premium mid-segment price tag. And like it, it comes with a striking design on top of some very powerful hardware.

The combination of eye-catching design, large display, large battery, and close to flagship processor makes it one of the best (if not THE best) options for any person who wants a high-performance phone on a relatively tight budget. Those fanatical about camera performance might prefer the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro or be tempted to spend a little more and get the Vivo T4 Ultra, but those devices are far behind the Poco F7 in critical performance departments like processor and battery life.

The Poco F6 had started at a similar price point last year but had fought mainly on its processor, and had a rather plain design, no IP68 water resistance, and a smaller display and battery. The Poco F7 has all the muscle of its predecessor and adds some style to all the substance the F series is known for. And that makes the Poco F7 not just perhaps the best phone that you can get in the vicinity of Rs 30,000, but a phone that could redefine the mid-segment as we know it.

Buy Poco F7