Poco F7 Pro review

Competition

The F7 Pro's formula is tried and tested, and Poco is sticking to it - flagship (or thereabouts) results on the fundamentals, less focus on the camera, more than reasonable price (at €600 for the 12GB/256GB version at launch with some strong discounts going on, which bring the price to €500). The 512GB version is €50 more. The competition can find areas to exploit, but the Poco has a lot to counter with.

To get one thing out of the way first, this year, the F series has an Ultra and that one adds more camera versatility into the mix, alongside an even beefier chipset. For a bit of extra money, of course.

The brand new Galaxy A56 will probably save you a small amount of cash and it will bring One UI which could be an appealing proposition. Other than its notably superior selfies, the Galaxy's camera isn't really an advantage in this comparison. The Poco wins by wide margins in the performance race and charging speed and also has the upper hand in display quality.

A Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has a bit more to offer when it comes to taking photos, thanks to a properly nice 3x zoom module with close focusing - the Poco has no real answer to that. The rear LEDs can also be a deciding factor, and a bit of savings can't hurt. The F7 Pro's vastly more powerful chipset is a strong counterargument, as are its smaller victories in the display and battery department.

Another alternative that can be entertained is the somewhat aging Honor 200 Pro. That's a more capable cameraphone than the Poco, both on its back and when it comes to selfies. The Poco still wins for raw performance, battery life and display quality, and will stand its ground for anything related to its main camera performance.

Matching the F7 Pro's performance, in fact, will require stretching your budget a bit. Our thought process in this direction got us to the OnePlus 13R, which has the same chipset as the Poco. The 13R's zoom camera just might motivate you to do the extra spending, and there will be some endurance gains to try and tilt the balance in OP's favor.

Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra • Samsung Galaxy A56 • Nothing Phone (3a) Pro • Honor 200 Pro • OnePlus 13R

Verdict

The F7 Pro is just like the F6 Pro, only a year newer. That means it's staying true to the lineup's key principles and it's offering plenty of performance at a reasonable price and it's even doing really well in the imaging department.

There are some aspects that rubbed us the wrong way. The selfies aren't exactly wow-material. There is no wireless charging, and the lack of eSIM support will limit its use to frequent travelers. And you have to get an extra charger to get the speediest possible charging (at least in the EU).

Still, the Poco F7 Pro packs a potent Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip that's hard to find elsewhere at this price point, even more than a year after its release. The right charger will get you some of the fastest charging for the money, so it may very well be worth paying a little extra for one if you don't get it bundled. The display is also among the nicest in the class. And the main camera takes great photos, even at 2x, while the ultrawide, as basic as it is, punches above its weight in both day and night.

All in all, if you're looking for a nice, high-performance smartphone that's no slouch in the camera department, the Poco F7 Pro is well worth serious consideration.

Pros

• IP68-rated glass-metal body.
• Excellent display - bright, Dolby Vision-compliant.
• Large battery, class-leading fast charging.
• Loud and nice-sounding speakers.
• Feature-rich HyperOS; powerful SD 8 Gen 3 chipset.
• Excellent main camera - day and night, even at 2x.

Cons

• Charger does not come in the box in some markets.
• Ultrawide camera lacks 4K video or AF.
• Selfies are unremarkable.
• No eSIM support.