 "POCO X7 Pro review: Not perfect, yet makes a good performance-focused phone")
The POCO X7 Pro is a maxed-out midrange smartphone, based on on-paper specifications. It has a large display of high refresh rate, a powerful MediaTek processor, a big capacity battery with support for fast charging, and a dual-camera system aided by artificial intelligence. POCO is recognised for its performance-focused smartphone line-up, and the X7 Pro is not different. However, there is more to like about the smartphone.
Design
The POCO X7 Pro has a distinct but polarising design. It features a dual-texture vegan leather back panel. The yellow and black colour combination (as seen on the review unit) stands out as unique but might not appeal to those who prefer a more understated look. The back panel fits right within the flat-style frame with rounded corners, enhancing the smartphone's grip without feeling too intrusive in the hand.
Moreover, the device rests almost flat on surfaces with minimal wobble, ensuring better usability when placed on a table top. The textured back and matte-style frame effectively conceal fingerprints but tend to accumulate dirt over time, which can be challenging to clean.
Display and Audio
The POCO X7 Pro features a fully flat 6.67-inch display that fits seamlessly within the frame. It boasts sleek, uniform bezels on three sides, with a slightly thicker chin at the bottom that is hardly noticeable. The display offers 1.5K resolution, delivering sharp and detailed visuals. Colours are slightly warm by default, but Xiaomi provides extensive settings to adjust them to your preference. The screen is also impressively bright, making it well-suited for outdoor use, while the 120Hz refresh rate ensures a smooth scrolling experience.
For content consumption, the smartphone supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR, both of which are compatible with streaming platforms like Netflix. Additionally, the POCO X7 Pro integrates Xiaomi’s AI Image Engine, which includes several AI-powered features to enhance video quality. These include Super Resolution for upscaling lower-resolution videos, AI HDR Enhancement to add vibrancy to non-HDR videos, and MEMC to add extra frames for smoother playback. While all these features work on platforms like YouTube, only the upscaling feature offers a noticeably visible improvement.
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Complementing the display is a stereo speaker system that delivers loud and clear audio for movies and videos. While it retains good volume for music playback, it loses some clarity at peak volume levels. To enhance the content-watching experience further, the device includes audio features like Dolby Atmos surround sound and head tracking for videos when used with compatible Bluetooth headphones.
Camera
The POCO X7 Pro features a 50MP primary camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), paired with an 8MP ultra-wide sensor. Photos captured with the main camera are clear and bright but can lack vibrancy and flair, sometimes resulting in dull-looking images, particularly under artificial lighting. The ultra-wide sensor exhibits similar limitations, with images often appearing desaturated and losing significant detail in darker areas.
The 20MP front-facing camera is a pleasant surprise, capturing selfies with good detail and natural colours in daylight. However, in low-light conditions, some of these strengths diminish as the smartphone softens details during processing to compensate for the sensor's limitations.
For video recording, the primary camera supports resolutions up to 4K at 60 frames per second (FPS). The ultra-wide and front-facing cameras, however, are limited to 1080p at 30FPS. There is also a Director mode, which allows more minute adjustments to white balance, ISO and aperture for video recording.
Performance and software
Performance is the standout perk of the POCO X7 Pro. Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 chip, typically found in more premium smartphones, the device handles everyday tasks effortlessly and makes multitasking seamless. Even with demanding tasks like graphic-intensive gaming, it delivers impressive performance. During intensive use, the phone showed no signs of stuttering and remained cool, with no overheating issues.
On the software front, the POCO X7 Pro runs Android 15-based Xiaomi HyperOS 2 out of the box. The updated software introduces several changes, including new wallpaper options, refreshed UI elements like app icons, and an overall more user-friendly interface. Improvements such as a streamlined settings menu and a redesigned home screen widget drawer make navigation significantly more intuitive compared to the previous generation.
As with many mid-range smartphones running custom Android skins, the POCO X7 Pro comes preloaded with a noticeable number of third-party apps and games, though all of them can be uninstalled. On the bright side, notifications from native apps are far less intrusive than before.
Xiaomi HyperOS 2 also introduces several AI-powered features, such as built-in tools in the Notes app for text summarization, proofreading, and more. The standout feature is the AI subtitle tool, which provides subtitles for any audio output from the smartphone's speaker. While the feature generally works well, it may experience slight delays with music tracks.
Battery
The POCO X7 Pro is equipped with a massive 6550mAh battery, one of the largest capacities seen on a smartphone. In everyday use, the device easily lasts for two full days and can even lunge a few hours of the third day on mixed usage. Adding to its appeal, POCO includes a 90W charging adapter in the box, capable of fully recharging the battery in approximately 40 minutes.
Verdict
The POCO X7 Pro stands out as an excellent choice for performance enthusiasts seeking a flagship-like experience without the high price tag. The smartphone effortlessly handles a wide range of tasks and boasts exceptional battery life. It also offers a high-quality display with impressive features for content consumption. However, its camera performance falls short compared to its other strengths.
Priced starting at Rs 26,999, the POCO X7 Pro is a solid option in the midrange segment for users prioritising performance and long-lasting battery life. For those who prioritise camera capabilities, there are other alternatives available at a similar price point.