The POCO M7 Pro was recently introduced as a successor to the popular M6 Pro, which had a lot of buyers in the mid-range segment. While this price range is packed with lot of options, the M7 Pro manages to carve out its space with a few standout features. This includes a vibrant OLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, a robust battery, and an eye-catching design.
However, here are the big questions — are these features good enough to warrant a purchase? Does it deliver competent real-world performance? Read our review of the Poco M7 Pro to find out as we take a closer look at how it stacks up against its competitors and whether it lives up to the hype.
Poco M7 Pro 5G review: Design and Display
The M7 Pro comes with a unique design that has a desert sand pattern on the back. We received the Lavender Frost colour edition, and it comes with a dual-tone finish and a huge camera bump. However, unlike some other phones in this price range, the camera module does not stick out like a sore thumb and provides the phone with an elegant look.
Despite its all-polycarbonate build, the Poco M7 Pro feels solid and sturdy in the hand. It is also less prone to smudges and offers a good grip even without a case. Talking about the case, the phone comes with a black polycarbonate cover that naturally covers every necessary port and adds little heft. The volume rockers and the power button are both located on the right side of the phone and are easily accessible. With its sleek and lightweight design, we also didn’t have any issues using it for long hours.
At the front, the Poco M7 Pro comes with a big 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED panel that delivers a lively and immersive viewing experience. With a peak 120Hz refresh rate, scrolling through social media, browsing, or multitasking felt smooth. Outdoor visibility is also commendable, thanks to a peak brightness of 2100 nits, which ensures the screen is visible under direct sunlight.
The screen’s support for 10-bit colour depth and HDR10+ further enhanced the visual experience. It also outputs punchy colours with adequate contrast while watching media consumption apps such as Netflix and YouTube. It also features PWM dimming and a 2160Hz touch sampling rate, which helps under low light. Overall, the POCO M7 Pro 5G’s display is a major win for users seeking a premium viewing experience in this budget.
Poco M7 Pro 5G review: Performance
Under the hood, the POCO M7 Pro 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra chipset, which is an Octa-core CPU built on a 6nm architecture. Further, the smartphone comes in two configurations: 6GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM with 256GB of storage. Both variants use UFS 2.2 technology, which enhances data transfer speeds for smoother performance.
During our testing, apps launched quickly and multitasking was smooth. However, we noticed minimal stutters when multiple apps were running in the background or during heavy gaming. In the software department, the M7 Pro comes with Xiaomi’s HyperOS, on top of Android 14. As you’d expect from any budget device launched in recent times, it comes with multiple third-party apps, with unwanted recommendations and notifications. Thankfully, you can uninstall most of it or turn off such notifications.
The device also has multiple customisation options like lock screen widgets, clock designs, and different Always-On Display (AOD) modes, which are noteworthy and add a personal touch to the user experience. However, the lack of advanced AI features, which are becoming standard in the last year, is a minor letdown. Overall, the Poco M7 Pro’s performance and software leave a lot to be desired.
Poco M7 Pro 5G review: Camera
The POCO M7 Pro 5G features a dual-camera setup on the rear, a 50MP primary sensor with an f/1.5 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS) and a 2MP macro lens. This primary sensor is Sony LYT-600, and it performs decently great in daylight conditions, capturing sharp and vibrant images with good details. Like most phones in its class, the native camera app uses software tricks to brighten the subjects particularly, human faces or subjects with lots of colours.
The dedicated portrait mode delivers good edge detection, albeit with occasional over-brightening. However, the low-light camera performance is average, with lot of noise and lack of details. The 20MP front camera is a pleasant surprise, delivering natural-looking selfies with accurate edge detection in portrait mode. It can shoot videos at up to 1080p resolution, just like the primary camera. However, as the light decreases, the images end up becoming a bit noisy with mismatched colours and odd lighting, particularly in the shadow area.
Poco M7 Pro 5G review: Battery
The Poco M7 Pro 5G is equipped with a big 5110mAh battery. With a normal day of usage, this phone can easily last a full day, which includes scrolling some apps, using social media, video streaming, gaming, and some photography. In our testing, the M7 Pro consistently made it to the evening with plenty of juice to spare.
If you're somebody who is not that much of a heavy user, M7 Pro will easily make it to second day of usage without needing to plug in the charger. Talking about its charging speed, the device gets 45W wired fast charging support and you do get adapter inside the box. It takes from 0 to 100% in about less than 70 minutes.
Poco M7 Pro 5G review: What we think
The Poco M7 Pro 5G makes a strong case for buyers looking to get a smartphone under Rs 15,000. The device excels with its display quality and battery life. Its 50 MP OIS camera also outshines most of its competitors, and the phone is also great for media consumption because of its loud dual speakers.
However, for those who prioritise performance and smooth operating system, they will be let down with this device. The cameras also is no great shakes, as the image quality seemed to vary widely depending on the lighting conditions, especially under low light. Thankfully, with its low starting price of Rs 13,999, these compromises may be overlooked by most average users. Having said that, if you’re looking for a stylish, durable phone with a solid display and battery life, the Poco M7 Pro is worth a look.
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