Poco F7 Pro Review: Better Than Pixel 9a or OnePlus 13R?

The best way to describe the Poco F7 Pro is that it offers flagship-level capabilities without the pricing typically associated with them. It is an upper-midrange device that tries to be a flagship phone, which we can describe as a flagship killer. 

OnePlus used to have this identity but has since shifted to flagships that don’t compete with the heavy hitters (Samsung, iPhone, and Google Pixel), so this has become a sweet spot for Poco to occupy. The Poco F7 Pro boasts a spec sheet that feels like a dream: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a 6,000 mAh battery, and a 6.67-inch QHD+ OLED display that runs at 120Hz.

Design

Here, we don’t have a plastic build or even a glastic one (a plastic material that mimics glass in feel and appearance, although it isn’t as durable or transparent). Gorilla Glass 7i covers the front and back of the phone, complemented by an IP68 rating that protects against water splashes and dust storms.

It measures 160.26 × 74.95 × 8.39 mm and weighs 206 g. The design features two distinct tones: matte and glossy. The matte portion occupies the lower portion of the back, while the top part is glossy. The glossy part may hold fingerprint stains, but this can be easily avoided by using a case, which will also protect your phone in the event of a fall. 

The camera bump also features two main cameras, despite being designed to appear as if it has three. It comes in three colours—matte black, silvery grey, and blue. For connectivity, there’s an IR blaster for your TV, dual-SIM slots, and a USB-C port. According to Notebookcheck, the USB 2.0 present here only managed 20.2 MB/s during their copying test, which is slow even by USB 2.0 standards.

Display

If you stream Netflix or watch videos on YouTube during your downtime, the display panel here will delight you. The 6.67-inch panel isn’t LTPO enabled, so the refresh rate doesn’t change automatically for power saving. However, it also isn’t LTPS enabled, so the screen isn’t always on. It supports 12-bit colour and Dolby Vision. Contrast and colour accuracy are good here (we’re talking true blacks).

Lastly, the under-display fingerprint scanner is an optical variant, so it is slightly slower than phones equipped with ultrasonic fingerprint scanners.

Performance & Benchmarks

The Poco F7 Pro comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, paired with 12GB RAM with 256GB or 512GB of storage. The device is powered by an octa-core setup, comprising four cores running at over 3 GHz: one Cortex-X4 and three Cortex-A720 cores. According to PhoneArena, In Geekbench 6, it pulled 2,163 (single-core) and 6,216 (multi-core), doing better than many rivals in its price bracket.

Under the 3DMark test, it scored above 4,000, so games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile will run smoothly (although thermal throttling may occur if played for extended periods).

Operating System and Software Updates

The Poco F7 comes with Android 15 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2.0 skinned on top. As with most flagships, this device also incorporates AI features. These features range from AI gallery tricks (AI Editor) to smart device controls, including AI Interpreter, AI search, AI speech recognition, AI writing aids, and more. 

A slight concern is the presence of bloatware, but it can be easily removed. Update support is solid: four major Android OS upgrades and six years of security patches, which trails Google and Samsung’s seven years but still beats most competitors.

Camera

It features a 50 MP Light Fusion 800 main sensor (f/1.6, 1/1.55″) with optical image stabilisation (OIS). Daylight shots are crisp, capturing details and offering a good dynamic range with an equally good colour gradient. The Portrait mode here relies on 2× digital cropping, as there is no dedicated camera for zooms; therefore, this should be sufficient for social stories. 

On the other hand, the 8 MP ultrawide camera is somewhat underwhelming, lacking autofocus and a small sensor; the camera system is complemented by the 20 MP selfie cam, which tops out at 1080p60 video. Videos can be recorded in 4K at 60 frames per second (fps) and 8K at 24 frames per second (fps) using the primary camera. 

The general consensus is that the camera system of this phone is sound and consistently delivers. Still, if versatility and rest of mind (think hitting your camera shutter and having a surety that your video will always come out amazing) is important to you, then you need to lower your expectations, especially in low light or wide angle shots.

Battery Life & Charging

With its massive 6,000 mAh cell, the F7 Pro can go through a full day (and then some). Phone Arena clocked 17 h 39 m of web browsing, 12 h 54 m of video playback, and nearly 11 h of gaming. NotebookCheck’s Wi-Fi test corroborates almost 22 hours of continuous use—so yes, if you forget your charger, you’re probably safe. When you do need to charge, it supports 90 Watts of wired charging, which reaches 88% in 30 minutes and is fully charged in about 36 minutes.

Note: No charging brick is included in the box, and wireless charging is not supported.

According to Phone Arena, the Poco F7 Pro didn’t disappoint. The phone ranks #15 in their composite battery rating, a notable achievement given its powerful processor and bright screen.

Audio & Haptics

Audio is loud and clear through the stereo speakers, complemented by Dolby Audio tuning. Haptics are snappy and precise, providing enough feedback for gaming or keyboard clicks.

Price

At $679 for the 12/512 GB. Where to Buy: Shop Amazon.

The Poco F7 Pro outperforms many Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 rivals, although it sacrifices the ultrawide camera and lacks wireless charging. Competitors like the OnePlus 13R or the upcoming Pixel 9a might have better cameras or even a charging brick in their boxes, but they’ll cost you more.

When comparing price to performance, this phone delivers a compelling deal. Critics agree: NotebookCheck gives it an overall score of 84%.