POCO F7 Review
POCO is back yet again to provide us with affordable yet exceptional options on the market. This time, we managed to get a model of the POCO F7.
This device is the base model of the F-series line that was launched globally in March this year. One of its key highlights is that it’s powered by a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. This chipset is slated to offer more power than its predecessor by 30 percent.
That being said, what other upgrades does this version of the device offer? Let’s dive right in.
Similar to the Pro and Ultra models, our review unit comes in Black with a two-tone finish. The back panel is made of glass which makes it look glossy overall.
While it does look nice, I have to let interested buyers know that this makes it fairly smudge prone. In contrast with the F6, we’re not sure what pushed POCO to revert their decision in the design language.
As per our reviewer Duane, who reviewed last year’s model, this iteration is heavier by a tad bit. It now weighs 215 grams compared to the F6, which weighed 179 grams. If I have to think about it more, it feels like I’m holding a Samsung Galaxy A56.
Speaking of, its pill-shaped camera enclosure is very similar. Our review unit just has a bit more flare to it because of the green accent in between sensors.
For buttons and ports, users can find the power button and volume rocker on the right side. On top, we have what I assume is a microphone. At the bottom, there’s a speaker grille, Type-C port, and the dual nano-SIM tray.
Wrapping this segment up, the F7 also has an upgraded IP68 rating. For reference, last year’s model had an IP64 rating, which is only good for splashes.
The POCO F7 sports a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with 1.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The screen also features Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection.
The display provides high pixel density with thin bezels that feel just right. Using the screen for browsing, streaming, and playing made for an immersive multimedia experience.
Audio-wise, users will get dual stereo speakers. While one can be seen on the bottom, the other is placed in a slit on top of the screen. Users may also make use of the Dolby Atmos toggle through the phone’s quick settings to improve your jamming sessions.
The speakers were great, earning points from us for clarity and loudness. The speaker at the bottom doesn’t get blocked when holding the phone horizontally as well. This is a nice touch for users who spend a ton of time on YouTube like I do. It does lack a bit of bass for my liking, though.
For biometrics, we have face unlock and an optical in-display fingerprint sensor. Registration was straightforward while both means of security responded quickly and easily.
On paper, nothing much has changed for the POCO F7’s camera system. It still has dual-rear shooters headlined by a 50MP Sony IMX882 main with OIS followed by an 8MP ultrawide sensor. It has a 20MP selfie camera on top of the display. For recording, it is capable of shooting 4K at 60 fps at the rear and 1080p at 60fps at the front.
I spend a good chunk of my time with my toy photography hobby, and using the F7 did not disappoint. The rear cameras offer a good mix of depth and color reproduction. You can even spot details on the figure itself in most of the sample shots below.
When it comes to ultrawide photos, it does a decent job with nice colors and contrast although zooming in reveals some soft details, especially in indoor lighting.
The HDR works just as well as last year’s model. It’s not too aggressive nor does it degrade quality. Considering this device is under the midrange segment, I think it’s a solid pickup. But hey, here are our sample shots for you to judge.
For recording, users are treated with a fluid experience that helps you stay social media ready. Here’s some sample videos with the rear and front camera.
Rear camera:
Front camera:
While this line is mostly centered on performance capabilities, its cameras are no slouch at all. POCO native users and new users alike are certain to appreciate this area of the device’s capabilities.
Powering this device is the new Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 that was released in April this year. For reference, our review unit comes with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
This device is capable of running games with ease. To reiterate, it’s ultra smooth with no frame drops. I’ve used it for games like Zenless Zone Zero, Wuthering Waves, and Path to Nowhere.
The chipset is largely complemented by LiquidCool Technology 4.0 with IceLoop and WildBoost Optimization 4.0 as well. Unfortunately, the same problem from last year’s model is still here. The phone still heats up when in use for more than 30 minutes. Of course, this is only when the phone feels strained depending on its task. In our case, this was during benchmarking and gaming.
When I tried using 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, the phone became too hot to touch to the point I had to leave it alone for a bit to cool down.
For less intensive tasks or regular use, it’s alright. This includes browsing, streaming, and taking photos or videos. We’ll leave our synthetic benchmark scores here for those interested.
Needless to say, the phone is solid, performance-wise. It boasts around 1.8 million in Antutu while having a six-digit storage score. In other words, it reads and writes really fast, making processing a bit of light work.
The POCO F7 ships with Xiaomi HyperOS 2 based on Android 15 out of the box. Generally, it’s smooth, clean, and intuitive. While the skin remains mostly the same from before, the added AI features spices things up.
It now offers Circle to Search. There’s also Song Search, AI subtitles, and a translate conversation tool which can be added for easy toggles.
Speaking of, one of the nicest updates this version of the device has is under quick settings. There’s now a button which lets users show or hide icon labels.
This helps people who aren’t as familiar with quick setting icons settle in easier. This was an issue for our reviewer last year, so it’s good to see POCO somewhat cater to it.
For cons, there’s a handful of bloatware grouped in folders. Notable and useful pre-installed apps include Gemini, Facebook, Spotify, Netflix, and Lazada.
At the time of recording, we aren’t sure how long the F7 will be supported for software updates and security patches. However, the F7 Ultra and F7 Pro are good for four major OS upgrades and six years of security patches.
So, we’re going to assume that the F7 will come with the same timeline. We’ll update our published review should there be an official announcement.
Battery-wise, the POCO F7 has a huge upgrade with its 6,500mAh battery. This comes with support for 90W of fast charging and 22.5W of reverse charging support.
I can safely say that POCO has improved under this department. For context, the issue was always that the brand offered good devices performance-wise but lacked in this area.
In PC Mark’s Work 3.0 Battery Test, our POCO F7 lasted 16 hours and 20 minutes. This test was conducted with 50% brightness, muted volume, and in airplane mode. It’s an improvement from last year’s model, which provided us with 13 hours and 25 minutes under the same conditions.
We’ve used the phone for browsing, taking photos, gaming, and streaming videos online. Users could see this as an incremental change, but it’s still progress from how much uptime POCO devices could provide before.
For connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, GPS, NFC, and 5G. Users have dual nano-SIMs to work with, which is pretty much standard these days.
There’s also an IR blaster that can be used for controlling smart home devices. Call quality on the phone is great either over Wi-Fi or via a signal from your local network provider.
The POCO F7 usually goes for PHP 23,999 for the 256GB version and PHP 25,999 for the 512GB. There is currently a Shopee-exclusive promo which bring the prices down to PHP 17,499 and PHP 19,499 that users can grab in Shopee 33.
To wrap things up, the POCO F7 does live up to the company’s reputation of offering budget-friendly devices that punch above its weight class. To recap, this F-series model comes with a design change, some upgrades, and still comes with a ton of value-for-money.
What we liked:
What we didn’t like:
POCO F7 specs:
6.83-inch 1.5K (2772 x 1280) AMOLED display, 447 ppi
120Hz refresh rate
Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4
1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.21GHz
3x Cortex-A720 @ 3GHz
2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.8GHz
2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.02GHz
Adreno 825 GPU
12GB RAM
512GB UFS 4.0 storage
Dual-rear camera setup
50MP main camera (f/1.5, OIS)
8MP ultrawide
20MP front camera
Dual stereo speakers
Dolby Atmos
5G
Dual nano-SIM
Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth 6
GPS, GNS, Beidou, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC
NFC
USB Type-C
Fingerprint sensor (in-display, optical)
Face unlock
IR blaster (device controls)
Xiaomi HyperOS 2 (Android 15)
6,500mAh battery
90W fast charging
22.5W reverse charging
IP68 rating for dust and water resistance
163.1 x 77.1 x 8.2mm (dimensions)
215 grams (weight)
Black, Silver, White (colors)
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