Poco X7 Pro Review: Great Performance(*)

It is never easy to outshine the legacy of a legend for a smartphone brand, especially when your logo carries the word ‘Poco’. Conceived as a performance brand of Xiaomi in 2018, Poco has done its best given the limitations implied by its parent company. While most of the world loathes Poco for simply rebranding Redmi phones, I laud Poco for spicing up otherwise boring phones. Their phones may lack the tasteful approach of iQOO or Asus but given the budget restraints, I have huge respect for them. 

Hence, when the Poco X7 Pro made its way to our mailbox, I was elated to see Poco still giving it all. Based on the Redmi 4 Turbo, the X7 Pro is aimed at mobile gaming enthusiasts seeking great performance at a reasonably low price. It’s got a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra chipset, a large capacity battery and a durable body – a combination that seems killer for a phone starting at a price of INR 27,999.

However, reviewing a gaming phone isn’t as easy as it used to be a few years ago. Ever since Apple made the move to 3nm chips for its iPhones, the world knows that it is possible to play console-quality video games on a mobile phone. Nothing of that sort has happened to Android and hence, mobile gamers on Android have to make do with older generation titles, ones that are developed for mobile. Despite the presence of 3nm chip-based phones, not many modern console games are present on Android.

All of this shouldn’t be a bother for a prospective Poco X7 Pro buyer though. You pay a lot less and for that, you have to be content with older-generation tech underneath. Hence, the games you can play on this phone will also be…umm…older gen. 😐

ALSO READ: The Legend Of The POCO F1: Why Nothing Can Ever Beat Its Value

Poco X7 Pro review: An in-depth analysis

Design

Appeal matters a lot for a gaming phone and the Poco X7 Pro checks that box. With a boxy shape that reminds us of the iPhone 12, the Poco X7 Pro exudes presence. The flat sides add to the appeal while the vegan leather surface (on the Poco Yellow colourway only) makes it easier to grip the phone. The narrow bezels around the display make for an immersive experience and make the phone feel more premium than it actually is.

Not everyone is going to approve of the questionable colour palette though. 😐

I, however, have certain concerns with the phone’s build. Being a gaming phone, the Poco X7 Pro needed to have a dedicated key for gaming purposes – something we have seen previously on the older Poco F3 GT. With the iPhone making dedicated buttons cool again, an Android-based gaming phone should have had a dedicated key (or a pair of shoulder triggers) to make life a tad easier on the move. While Poco’s product managers may point out the factor of water and dust resistance for keeping physical keys to a bare minimum, a capacitive version seems like an easier alternative. 

Since we touched upon water and dust resistance, here’s another doubt. Poco, just like Xiaomi, claims support for IP69 certification (with a small asterisk) alongside support for IP68 and IP66 certifications. We struggled to get the logic behind multiple certifications and when a question was raised on the validity of the IP69 certification, Poco gave us unconvincing answers. The packaging box sticks to just the IP68 certification, thus raising more doubts about this questionable IP69 rating and its accompanying asterisk mark! 🤔

Since the Xiaomi group loves asterisks, it is only fair for this review to use asterisks for notifying crucial information. Do you now understand why the headline accompanies an asterisk(*)? Refer to the asterisk guide below everytime you see coloured asterisks and hashes.

Flagging it aside as misleading marketing, the key takeaway is that the Poco X7 Pro is rugged enough to withstand moisture, sweat and dust that Indian conditions throw at it**. 

Another sweet addition to the proposition is the presence of a 90W wired charging adapter and a protective case inside the box. Kudos to Xiaomi and Poco for making it happen in an era where most manufacturers choose to skip such essentials in the box. 👌

Display

In an age where a professional grade calibration is valued over one that simply makes your average Instagram sessions look popping and vibrant, the Poco X7 Pro settles for a decent middle-ground experience. Its 6.67-inch pOLED panel offers a good viewing experience, whether you stick to the Pro-grade colour tuning or the Vivid mode.

With a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 240Hz touch sampling rate, the panel is responsive to touches and allows for smoother-looking animations as well as scrolling. The 2,560Hz touch sampling rate in the Game Turbo mode enables quicker response, thus giving players an edge in the competitive scenario. 😈

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Performance

Poco phones are all about performance and the X7 Pro is presently the most capable one in the brand’s portfolio. Featuring the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra chip, this phone offers almost the same kind of performance as a Samsung Galaxy S23!***

Paired with a combination of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, the Poco X7 Pro is capable of handling most modern video game titles on Android with ease. I spent countless hours in the realms of Call of Duty: Mobile wreaking havoc on my opponents, driving through satisfyingly detailed crash wrecks on the tracks of Wreckfest and pulling off some cool moves in Rocket League: Sideswipe. In all those hours, the Poco X7 Pro didn’t take away from the experience. It got warm to touch but the frame rates never dropped to unacceptable levels. The gameplay experience was always smooth! ☺️

However, upon putting it through the stress tests of AnTuTu, the Poco X7 Pro showcased strong thermal throttling. In fact, our test results showed an average AnTuTu score of 1.5 million, which is slightly lower than the claimed figures. Don’t let these stress test figures put you into stress! The real-world experience fares better. 😉

What could be of concern though is the software. A year ago, Xiaomi made a bold announcement of moving over to HyperOS, promising a superior user experience. While the world excused the half-hearted changes as a quick first attempt, Poco brings along the newer HyperOS 2 with generational AI features and, as usual, more bloatware****.

While there’s not much you can do about the bloatware scene (you can delete some of the pre-loaded apps, avoid opening GetApps app store and stay away from the shady ‘Game Center’ game store and the theme store), the gen AI features are fun and could help creative users on a daily basis. Tools, like the AI erase tool and sky replacement, allow for fun and useful experiences but if you are subscribed to Google One subscriptions and enjoy Google Photos' AI editing tools, these will hardly be worth giving a second look. Gemini comes pre-loaded as the replacement for the humble Google Assistant and offers a helpful hand for menial tasks. 

The rest of HyperOS 2 feels familiar to Xiaomi’s old MIUI interface and, while it runs fast, Xiaomi/Poco missed the opportunity to come up with a better (read upmarket) user interface. Look at what Motorola and Nothing have done with their interfaces for their affordable phones – they are clean and fuss-free. Poco’s take on HyperOS feels ungainly and there’s a need for the designers to re-approach the drawing board. 😖

For those who love customisation though, MIUI…oops…HyperOS 2 still provides the same old perks of granular UI tweaks and cool automation settings that a vanilla Android interface doesn’t provide.

A point worth noting here is the presence of Android 15 right out of the box, something which the standard Poco X7 lacks! *****

The Poco X7 Pro makes up for it with a decent audio performance via its stereo speakers and great network coverage performance. 

Cameras

Poco phones aren’t exactly known for their prowess in photography and videography. The Poco X7 Pro isn’t going to change that notion either. 😐

The on-paper specifications of the Poco X7 Pro’s camera do raise eyebrows – a 50-megapixel primary camera featuring the Sony LYT600 image sensor and an accompanying 8-megapixel ultrawide camera. A 20-megapixel front camera takes care of selfies and video calls. 

In most situations when the ambient illumination is ample, the Poco X7 Pro’s camera does a decent job of being a mobile phone camera system. As in typical Redmi/Poco fashion, the camera algorithms tend to amplify the colour saturation and contrast while dialling up the exposure. Simultaneously, the phone tends to soften human skin regardless of gender and beautify subjects unnaturally. In low to no light conditions, the artificial aspect is magnified, especially on the texture of subjects and background. There’s strong suppression of noise but the end result is far from pleasing. The ultrawide camera fares worse in comparison with poor lighting and exposure management. Compared to something like a Google Pixel 8a or the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, both of which have incredible cameras and cost almost the same, the Poco’s camera performance is sub-par at best. The same goes for the selfie camera’s performance credentials. 

Here's a short montage of some photo samples from the Poco X7 Pro's camera system.

There are occasions when the camera algorithms get everything right – colour accuracy, contrast management, exposure control and detailing. However, such occasions happened rarely. Poco’s software team needs to weave its magic in the background to ensure such performance more consistently from the camera system.******

However, if colour science precision and accuracy aren’t top preferences, most of you are likely to have a fun time with the Poco X7 Pro’s camera. The main camera’s sensor captures ample details even in videos and as long as you can digest the artificial-looking processing, the footage seems healthy for most casual use cases. It is worth noting that the Poco X7 Pro can record 4K videos in both 60 fps and 30 fps – a rarity of midrange phones. 😮

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Battery

The silicon-carbode battery technology has been a star feature for Chinese phones lately and the Poco X7 Pro utilises it to offer a 6,550 mAh capacity cell. That’s a huge battery by all means and it translates to great battery life for a gaming phone. 

In our usage patterns, the Poco X7 Pro managed to last an entire day after being subjected to a healthy amount of gaming (3 hours of intense battle royale), social media browsing, calls, texting and occasional YouTube sessions. The phone left approximately 40 per cent juice for the next day, thus needing a full recharge by the end of the first half. High-density batteries are the way to go for resource-intensive 5G smartphones that specialise in gaming and photography.##

When the need to refill arises, the 90W wired charging adapter does its best to top up the battery from as low as 5 per cent to 100 per cent in approximately 40 minutes. Note that you need to enable the boost charging option from within the settings menu to let the device charge at 90W.  

Verdict on the Poco X7 Pro

For a phone that’s dedicated to gaming, there are bound to be compromises in some key aspects that matter to most consumers. Poco’s X series tries to minimise the compromises and just like the legendary Poco F1, it falls short in some areas.

For those seeking a gaming phone that costs in the ballpark of INR 30,000, the Poco X7 Pro is a solid deal. The MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra is capable of handling most modern video games you can find on Android, although be wary of performance throttling after extended sessions. Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 is responsive to intense workloads and the Game Boost mode enhances the overall experience with regards to touchscreen response. The stereo speakers sound decent and there’s nothing to complain about the phone’s network connectivity performance. The healthy battery life and the fast charging only add to the Poco X7 Pro’s overall appeal. No asterisks here! 😉😉

That said, there are some fundamental flaws that significantly affect an all-out recommendation, especially for those who seek an all-rounder phone. The cameras perform decently in well-lit conditions but leave a lot to be desired, especially in comparison to the similarly priced alternatives like the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 interface glorifies a messy user interface and the outdated idea of a custom skin that’s riddled with bloatware, which is far from being pleasant. The design too might not be to everyone’s taste other than youngsters. 😐

Not to forget, Poco’s reluctance to clarify the status of the IP69 certification for the X7 Pro tends to paint them as shady, just like Xiaomi. Consider the IP68 certification, which is printed on the box, as the only dust and water resistance rating until the entire Xiaomi group clarifies its stand on the legendary asterisk. 😤

Hence, the Poco X7 Pro is best recommended for a niche segment that prioritises mobile gaming over everything else. 

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Pros ✅

• Good for gaming
• Great battery life
• Fast charging

Cons 👎

• HyperOS 2 feels dated
• Average cameras
• Not-so-good display

(*) For Hardcore Gamers

**Just don’t throw it in the sea yet! The rating is for water resistance, not waterproofing.

*** At least on paper.

**** Includes onboard apps like GetApps, Game Center, Music and more.

***** Just three Android OS upgrades and four years of security patches! 

****** Something that can be fixed with a software update.

## Note that battery stamina is subject to software patch stability and battery cell health.