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POCO is clearly being bold in 2025; the model’s X7 Professional Iron Man Version was a robust begin to the 12 months, and that was adopted by the F7 Extremely, its finest gadget but. POCO is continuous that momentum with the debut of the usual F7. Though the gadget does not have too many similarities to the F7 Extremely, it’s fascinating in its personal proper.
The F7 is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, which has big efficiency positive factors over the 8s Gen 3. I loved utilizing the chipset within the iQOO Neo 10, and it’s simply as performant on the F7 — Nothing can be set to apply it to the Telephone 3. However what makes the F7 that rather more attractive is the worth; POCO is as soon as once more undercutting its rapid rivals, and that makes the gadget a downright discount.
I used the F7 for the higher a part of two weeks, and if you would like a mid-ranger, there actually is not something that provides you fairly as a lot worth.
POCO F7: Pricing and availability
POCO unveiled the F7 on June 24, and the cellphone is about to go on sale beginning July 1. The cellphone is obtainable for ₹31,999 ($372) for the 12GB/256GB mannequin, and ₹33,999 ($395) for the version with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It is good to see POCO offering 256GB of storage with the bottom mannequin — similar to final 12 months.
Over within the U.Okay., the POCO F7 retails for £389 ($530) for the 12GB/256GB mannequin, and £429 ($584) for the 12GB/512GB variant. In the event you’re taken with shopping for the cellphone earlier than July 7, you possibly can choose up the 12GB/256GB mannequin at £319 ($434) and the 12GB/512GB mannequin at £359 ($488).
It can price the equal of $399 for the 12GB/256GB mannequin in different world markets, with launch pricing at $339. The 12GB/512GB mannequin prices $449, with POCO bringing it right down to $399 throughout the launch window.
POCO F7: What I like
POCO does not shrink back from daring designs, and the F7 takes this to a brand new stage. The white and black fashions have a two-tone design with a redesigned digicam housing, and the rectangular housing is break up into. The inexperienced accents in the midst of the housing give it loads of aptitude, and the dual-tone impact makes the design simply that bit extra refreshing.
The design is on one other stage
POCO additionally despatched over the silver variant, and that is the mannequin to get for those who’re taken with shopping for the F7. It has futuristic styling with an embossed Snapdragon emblem, and it simply attracts consideration. POCO went with flat sides, however the bevels on the perimeters make it snug to carry and use the cellphone, and it is not unwieldy although it has a large battery.
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The aluminum mid-frame and glass again make the gadget look upmarket, and POCO included IP68 mud and water resistance. The one problem I’ve with the design is that the fingerprint sensor is situated a little bit too low on the panel, making it tough to entry.
This AMOLED panel will get vivid
The F7 has an even bigger 6.83-inch AMOLED panel, and it will get brighter than its predecessor. I did not see any points with colour vibrancy or distinction ranges, and POCO continues to do a terrific job calibrating its panels. There’s Dolby Imaginative and prescient and HDR10+, and also you get dynamic colours in Netflix and YouTube.
Gaming is equally pleasing, and the F7 does not actually have any points on this regard. The stereo sound is restricted as you aren’t getting an identical channels, however you can also make out two distinct sources of audio, and it’s serviceable for those who’re gaming casually. Curiously, the cellphone will get 3,840Hz PWM dimming as normal, and it makes an enormous distinction for those who’re delicate to PWM points.
Class-leading efficiency is a assure
POCO outfitted the F7 with the most recent Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, and it’s one among Qualcomm’s finest mid-range chipsets in a very long time. It makes use of a design that is made up fully of huge cores — with the Cortex X4 main the way in which — and the Adreno 825 holds up significantly better than the Adreno 735 within the 8s Gen 3.
|
Class |
POCO F7 |
OnePlus 13R |
iQOO Neo 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6 (single-core) |
2049 |
2093 |
1988 |
|
Geekbench 6 (multi-core) |
6275 |
6246 |
6690 |
|
Geekbench AI (Quantized Rating) |
3590 |
3041 |
2900 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Excessive (rating) |
4246 |
4550 |
3566 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Excessive (FPS) |
25.43 |
27.25 |
21.35 |
|
3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (rating) |
7558 |
8075 |
5131 |
|
3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (FPS) |
28.74 |
30.71 |
19.51 |
Principally, this is among the quickest choices on this class, and it permits the F7 to shine in demanding video games. I did not see any points with visually-demanding video games, and the F7 delivers the most effective efficiency on this class by a protracted shot. Different niceties embrace UFS 4.1 storage modules, 256GB of storage even on the bottom mannequin, Bluetooth 6.0 modem — similar to the Xiaomi 15 Extremely and Xiaomi 15 — alongside Wi-Fi 7, AptX Adaptive, and dual-band GPS.
A battery that goes on (and on (and on))
POCO did not actually omit many options on the F7, and that is refreshing to see. On that be aware, the cellphone has an enormous 6,500mAh battery, and it lasts over a day and a half with medium use. Even for those who binge a whole season of a TV present in a single go, you will get a day’s price of use out of the gadget.
My solely annoyance with the battery is that the worldwide mannequin does not have the gargantuan 7,550mAh silicon battery that is unique to the Indian mannequin. POCO did this previously as properly the place it restricted the larger battery to the Indian model, and I need to see that change.
Aside from that, the cellphone will get 90W charging, and it takes simply over 44 minutes to cost the gadget. That is fairly respectable when you think about the dimensions of the battery, and that is with the 6,500mAh mannequin — I did not get to make use of the Indian unit with the 7,550mAh battery.
Extremely customizable software program
POCO’s telephones have the identical software program as their Xiaomi siblings, and the F7 runs Android 15 out of the field. There’s good optimization, so that you get a fluid interface with none noticeable lag in each day use. I bumped into just a few points with notifications, however disabling the reminiscence administration sorted these out.
Aside from that, there actually is not a lot to speak in regards to the software program. You get the same old AI-backed utilities, however they’re restricted to Xiaomi’s (err, POCO) personal companies, and I do not actually see a lot usability with these. What I like is that the F7 will get 4 Android OS updates alongside six years of safety patches. That is a optimistic transfer from POCO, and it permits the cellphone to be related that for much longer.
POCO F7: What I do not like
POCO will admit that cameras aren’t the best precedence for the model, and whereas the F7 Extremely modified this narrative, the usual F7 does not fairly ship the identical caliber of photographs. The cellphone makes use of a 50MP Sony IMX882 as the primary digicam, and it is joined by an 8MP wide-angle lens and a 20MP entrance digicam that lacks autofocus.
The cellphone takes respectable photographs in most circumstances, but it surely is not going to win any awards. You may get stunning pictures for those who’re prepared to tweak the settings, but it surely is not anyplace as easy to make use of because the Pixel 9a and even the iQOO Neo 10. The 8MP wide-angle lens is strictly common, and it does not measure up in low-light conditions. You get 4K60 video, however stabilization is not nice.
One other problem is with the software program; whereas I usually like what POCO is doing on this space, the F7 has method an excessive amount of bloatware put in out of the field. Sure, you possibly can uninstall or disable most utilities, however most customers will not trouble doing so.
POCO F7: The options
I just like the iQOO Neo 10; it has plenty of the identical options, and also you get a 7,000mAh battery as normal alongside 90W charging. It holds up simply as properly in each day use and intensive gaming, and it’s a smidgen lighter than the F7. I like iQOO’s software program higher, however the gadget will not get as many updates.
In the event you want the most effective cameras, the Pixel 9a continues to be a strong selection. The cellphone is not anyplace as quick because the F7, and it misses out in plenty of different areas. However for those who want a mid-ranger to take photographs, the cameras are exhausting to beat, and Google has an in depth suite of AI modifying options.
POCO F7: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You desire a cellphone that may flip heads
- You want the most effective battery life
- You are in search of the most effective efficiency on this class
You should not purchase this if:
- You are taking plenty of photographs and movies
The F7 is an existential menace to the Redmi Notice 14 Professional+; POCO one way or the other managed to ship higher efficiency, significantly better battery life, an even bigger AMOLED panel with brighter colours, and longer software program updates.
This makes me query why Xiaomi even bothers with the Redmi Notice sequence; positive, it takes higher photographs, however it’s inferior in each different method, and the pricing simply does not justify what you are getting.
In the event you want a mid-range cellphone and do not thoughts common cameras, there actually is not a more sensible choice than the F7 proper now.
I used all mid-rangers launched in 2025, and the F7 is the most effective of the lot. It has the most effective {hardware}, the most effective battery life, and the most effective AMOLED panel. You are not getting the most effective cameras, however for those who’re okay with that limitation, this can be a no-brainer advice.
