I’ve always been a fan of the “flagship killer” category—smartphones that bring top-tier features to more accessible price points. They’ve carved a niche in the market, offering performance and design that rival high-end flagships, often at half the cost. In recent years, POCO has emerged as a dominant player in this segment with its F-series, and the new POCO F7 Pro continues this legacy. Despite a few expected compromises, it manages to impress across the board.
Design: 4/5
The POCO F7 Pro sits just below the more premium F7 Ultra in the lineup. While that might disappoint some, the differences are minimal—primarily the processor, the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens, and the absence of wireless charging.
Our review unit came in Black, one of three available colors, alongside Blue and Silver. The device boasts Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection on the front, with a matching glass back.
Up front, you’re greeted with a vibrant 6.67-inch AMOLED display, featuring a buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh rate and a crisp 2K resolution. With a peak brightness of 3,200nits, the screen is a stunner—perfect for binge-watching or gaming on the go.
The F7 Pro’s design is boxy, which isn’t my personal favorite, but its slim profile makes it comfortable to hold, even for users with smaller hands. The power and volume buttons are positioned on the right side, with the speaker, SIM tray, and USB-C port located on the bottom.
Hardware: 4/5
Under the hood, the F7 Pro is powered by last year’s flagship chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3—a solid choice that still delivers exceptional performance. This is the main difference between it and the F7 Ultra, which sports the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite Edition.
That said, the F7 Pro is no slouch. It crushed benchmark numbers:
- AnTuTu: 1,599,587
- Geekbench: 2,036 (single-core), 5,985 (multi-core)
- 3DMark Wild Life Extreme: 4,194
- 3DMark Steel Nomad: 1,401
These numbers confirm the F7 Pro’s flagship-level performance. Where it really shines is gaming—thanks to Xiaomi’s WildBoost Game Optimization, it handled Genshin Impact at over 40fps without breaking a sweat. Honor of Kings, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and Call of Duty: Mobile also ran smoothly, all while maintaining excellent thermal control.
The compromise comes in the camera department. The F7 Pro lacks the telephoto lens of its pricier sibling, but it retains the 50MP Light Fusion 800 main sensor. It takes solid photos for its price class. While it won’t dethrone flagship cameras, it’s a definite step up from previous POCO offerings.
Video recording goes up to 8K at 24fps and 4K at 60fps. Daylight footage looks great, but low-light conditions do affect quality. Electronic stabilization is on board and generally gets the job done.
User Experience: 4.5/5
One of the most impressive aspects of the POCO F7 Pro is its battery life. The massive 6,000mAh battery easily lasts a full day of heavy use—or even two with lighter workloads. Fast charging is equally impressive, topping up from 20% to full in just over 30 minutes using 90W HyperCharge.
The phone also benefits from POCO’s suite of AI features, including live transcription, AI image enhancement, AI Interpreter, and AI writing tools. Google’s Gemini is pre-installed, offering even more smart functionality.
Software support is promising. POCO commits to four major Android updates and six years of security patches, taking the phone’s lifecycle up to 2031—comparable to many true flagships.
One gripe: bloatware. The phone comes preloaded with several unnecessary apps. The good news? They’re easy to uninstall.
If I could wish for a few extras, it would be wireless charging and at least a basic telephoto lens. But even without them, the F7 Pro is an excellent all-rounder.
Value: 4.5/5
Throughout my testing, I kept trying to find fault—and came up short. In the “flagship killer” category, compromises are expected. But the POCO F7 Pro proves that not all corners have to be cut. Performance, display, battery, and even build quality all shine.
Priced at PHP27,999 for the 12GB + 256GB version and PHP29,999 for the 12GB + 512GB variant, it’s already a compelling deal. And during sales, prices dip even lower, making it an outright steal at around PHP24,000.
Bottomline:
The POCO F7 Pro redefines what a flagship killer can be. It offers flagship-grade performance, premium design, and a long-lasting battery—without the flagship price tag. While it skips a few luxury features, the trade-offs are barely noticeable in daily use.
What’s Hot:
- Stellar performance
- Excellent battery life
- Gorgeous AMOLED display
- Outstanding value
What’s Not:
- Pre-installed bloatware
Specifications:
- Display: 6.67-inch 2K AMOLED, 120Hz, up to 3,200 nits peak brightness
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB / 512GB UFS 4.1
- Connectivity: Dual SIM, 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
- OS: HyperOS 2 (on top of Android 15)
- Camera: 50MP main (Light Fusion 800), 8MP ultra-wide, 20MP front
- Battery: 6,000mAh with 90W fast charging
- Dimensions: 160.2 x 74.95 x 8.12mm
- Weight: 206g
Reviewed by Gabriel John Pe
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE Volume 25 No. 9 Issue.