Poco F7 review: Fast, furious, and a double threat to rivals

India Today

6 days ago

Truth be told, I did not expect Poco to come this far. I am sure that many of you who are reading this didn't either. Some of you might not even have heard of it until today. If you have, it could be that you still don't know everything about it. The smartphone world is large and dynamic. Not everybody knows everybody. Players come and go. People mostly have their favourites, and they usually stick with that, unless told otherwise, which is when something comes out of nothing and blows their mind away in ways they didn't think or imagine. It's a perception thing. It can change. But it is hard.When Poco spun out of Xiaomi in the middle of 2018, it was one of the biggest surprise stories of that year, at least for tech-savvy Indian consumers. People love good deals and Poco promised them a deal they couldn't refuse with the Poco F1. They had absolutely no idea it was possible to put the fastest chip around inside a Rs 20,999 phone. They didn't know what to call it. (They still don't.) Poco was basically running laps around OnePlus and beating it at its own game in a way Xiaomi couldn't. But the world of smartphones isn't kind to one-hit wonders. Persistence pays the bills. Somehow, it was different for Poco.advertisementAn ode to a classicThe Poco F1 was perhaps so ahead of its time, Poco couldn't figure out how to make a true sequel that was as good if not better. It came to a point where everyone started to think and believe (and accept), it would never happen – but Poco kept saying, never say never. The brand even launched other phones like the Poco X3 Pro in the interim and pitched them as a standby replacement. It is crazy how one phone was able to create such an impact. It is now 2025, and we're well past a few F-series phones (Poco F3 GT in 2021, Poco F4 in 2022, Poco F5 in 2023, and Poco F6 in 2024), and yet, a true Poco F1 successor, eludes us. Maybe some things are not meant to be replaced. But I digress.
Poco F7 has a glass back.
advertisementPoco has now launched the Poco F7 in India. It has all the underpinnings of your typical F-series phone. The choice of chip is right up there as one of its biggest selling points. But while the Poco F1 featured the fastest chip on the block of its time, subsequent models have come with slightly less powerful hardware. The upside was, modern-day Poco was usually able to give people the first dibs at a new chip, and it was almost always flagship-level. For Poco F6, it was the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, for instance. But with Poco F7, that is not the case. It has the latest Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, but Poco is not the first to use it. It was iQOO with the iQOO Neo 10.In all fairness, it doesn't matter who got there first, but brands – even Poco – do tend to exaggerate this aspect far more aggressively than you'd think, so, it is only befitting to mention the times when they don't. That's just how fast things move now, and I am sure that Poco knows it well, given how it once called out peers for failing to catch up with the performance of the Poco F1 after 30 odd months, a period it likened to a lifetime. It took time, but rivals have caught up. Poco can't rely on past laurels alone. The future is wide open.
The frame is made of metal.
Of course, Poco knows this and so, it has come prepared with not one but two big features. The chip is one. The other is the battery. The Poco F7 has a 7,550mAh battery, which is by far the biggest we've seen on any smartphone in India to date. (Poco could have gone with a smaller 6,500mAh like it has in other markets, but I reckon that competition made it step things up.) The value of 'Silicon-Carbon' cannot be overstated and while it is still early days, the benefits far outweigh any concern potentially creeping up in your mind when you picture such a mind-boggling number and look at how slim and light some of these phones can be. Stuff like this makes it seem like anything is possible.And when it works the way it is supposed to work, you get a sense of great wonder and joy, and then you sit back and say to yourself, maybe this is all you ever wanted from your smartphone. It is one of the things you expect – when brands throw jacked-up spec-sheets at you – but more often, your expectations are not met, or they are half met, and you realise that you were taken for a ride. You paid hard-earned money for something. It is obvious to expect your money's worth at the very least.advertisementPoco F7: Performance and batteryThe Poco F7 is one of those rare phones that delivers more bang for each buck you spend on it. Performance across the board is simply off the charts. Everything from day-to-day tasks to graphics-intensive gaming is a walk in the park for this phone. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 works as advertised here, proving Qualcomm's approach to offering top-tier performance at relatively rock-bottom prices is working. It follows hot on the heels of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (seen on the Poco F6), bringing notable gains which - per Qualcomm - could be as high as 49 percent in the case of the GPU.Since it is technically an 8-series chip, it is supposed to go hard and push the limits, meaning that two things are a dead-given. It is superfast, and it runs hot when pushed. If anything, it can run slightly hotter because it doesn't have any 'little' efficiency cores quite in the literal sense. It has only performance cores (1xCortex X4 prime core clocked at 3.21GHz and 7xCortex A720 clocked at different frequencies), which is also why it has good multicore/threaded performance.
The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip.
advertisementBut you've got to know that it isn't as fast as the Snapdragon 8 Elite. It isn't as fast (or feature-packed) as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 either, but it can get close enough – and that's the point. Brands can choose to price their phones differently, but phones with 8s Gen 4 can go for as low as Rs 30,000. Something like this wasn't possible before. Poco is giving generous amounts of RAM and storage as well: 12GB (LPDDR5X) and up to 512GB (UFS4.1). The iQOO Neo 10 may go neck and neck but Poco has undercut it in pricing, making it the undisputed winner as far as a value proposition is considered.Battery life is phenomenal. The phone chugs through a day and a half easily with a mix of moderate and heavy use, outclassing competition in big and meaningful ways. There is support for 90W fast charging and 22.5W reverse charging, which turns the phone into a fast and portable power bank to charge other devices, a quality-of-life thing you start to appreciate over time.advertisementPoco F7: Design, display, software and camerasWhat makes the Poco F7 stand out even more is how it doesn't go about just chasing raw numbers. While previously, you could write these phones off as one-trick ponies meant for only the most serious of gamers in the business, now they have other tricks up their sleeve. The Poco F7 has a stunning glass and metal design boasting premium materials like Gorilla Glass 7i and top-tier IP68/IP69 water resistance.The Poco F1 had a wonky, utilitarian design, while the F7 could fit just as easily anywhere and everywhere, with its dapper looks and slick form factor. Poco has tried to please both parties, gamers and casual users alike, but regardless of the colour you go for (white, black, or the 'limited edition' cyber silver), be prepared for a mirror-like finish which is prone to smudge easily (a silicon case is provided in the box). It's impressive how Poco keeps coming up with new designs generation after generation, and yet, manages to eke out a styling that is instantly recognisable. There is no way you can confuse it with another phone.
The bezels are kept minimal.
The screen size has been bumped up. It is 6.83 inches (up from 6.67- on the Poco F6) and it can get brighter, particularly when watching HDR content (3200 nits vs 2400 nits). Up to Dolby Vision is supported. Panel-wise, it is as high-end as high-end gets at this price. Poco is using a p-OLED display with 1.5K resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate, though not LTPO. Some people might buy into the idea of a bigger phone, but some prefer smaller ones, too. Poco doesn't have an answer for that yet. The same way, there is absolutely no logic behind why it chose to go with the same cameras as last year.The Poco F7 has the same exact specs, which means that it has only a single usable camera – a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 with f/1.5 aperture lens with OIS. It has its moments which is when it shoots pleasing photos with good detail and generally wide dynamic range but, it's not a good look for a phone that's basically throwing everything but the kitchen sink in almost every other department. The 8-megapixel ultrawide and 20-megapixel selfie cameras feel like an afterthought.Software-wise, it is good to see that things have improved. The Poco F7 runs the latest Hyper OS 2.0 with Android 15. There is some bloat, but the overall experience is smooth and, might I add, surprising. There are no weird bugs or anything and no hassles in multitasking. Optimisation is mostly on point. And if AI catches your fancy, there are a bunch of conveniences, from writing tools to real-time translations available at your beck and call. Poco is committing to four years of major OS and six years of security updates with this phone.Should you buy the Poco F7?Look, the Poco F1 was an outlier. Very few phones have come to hold a cult status like that. Even fewer will get there, in the near and distant future, maybe. But that is okay. What matters is, if that legacy lives on, so people who want a phone like that – one that is both fast and furious without breaking the bank – can call upon a certain Poco – or iQOO, or OnePlus, what have you – and be rest assured, they have the option.Time changes everything. The same is true with smartphones in 2025. What was pure unbelievable excess in 2018 is what people expect, like clockwork, even take for granted, today. So, a phone brand must meet those requirements. Whether it can deliver on those expectations while keeping the legacy alive is the challenge.
The Poco F7 offers great value.
The Poco F7 pulls through that challenge with flying colours, and head held high. It is a sign of a confident new Poco that, when you consider it in all its totality, demands respect and adulation, for a brand that not many still don't know enough about. The Poco F7 has a lot of competition, but it walks into a room and owns it in ways no other Poco phone has. Not even the Poco F1. That phone is a legend, and it will always stay that way. This one, with its exhaustive feature set and aggressive pricing (Rs 31,999 for 12GB/256GB and Rs 33,999 for 12GB/512GB), is a march into the future. That future is in good hands.Considering its powerhouse performance, stellar battery life, premium design, vibrant display, and strong software support, the Poco F7 is highly recommended for users who prioritise raw power and endurance at an unbeatable price. While the camera might not be its strongest suit, the sheer value offered in other key areas makes the Poco F7 a compelling and future-ready phone that demands your serious attention.- Ends