POCO X7 Pro review: Redefining budget phones all over again

POCO is making a habit of churning out class-leading budget phones on a yearly basis. Last year's X6 Pro combined great hardware with an unbeatable value, and POCO is doing the same with the X7 Pro. The phone has a brighter AMOLED panel, better camera at the back, and a massive battery — the Indian model has a 6500mAh unit.

Interestingly, POCO partnered with Marvel to launch the Iron Man edition of the X7 Pro, and it looks incredible. It's exciting to see budget phones get limited-edition variants, and it adds a level of exclusivity to the X7 Pro that you don't usually see in this category.

POCO is doing all the right things with ingress protection, and the X7 Pro gets IP68 as standard. Like previous years, value is a big differentiator, and the X7 Pro manages to undercut its rivals once again. I used the device for just over two weeks, and I'm convinced this is one of the best budget phones around.

POCO X7 Pro: Pricing and availability

Xiaomi unveiled the POCO X7 and X7 Pro on January 9, and both phones are now available in select global regions. The standard X7 has a dual-curved design and is powered by the Dimensity 7300, but it has the same cameras as the X7 Pro. The main difference is a smaller 5110mAh battery (5500mAh in India), and it costs ₹21,999 ($253) for the 8GB/128GB variant. There's also an 8GB/256GB model that costs ₹23,999 ($276) in India and £199 ($247) in the U.K. Xiaomi is selling a 12GB/512GB edition of the POCO X7 in the U.K., and it is going for £249 ($310) as of writing.

The POCO X7 Pro, meanwhile, is powered by the Dimensity 8400 platform, and it has a 6000mAh battery. POCO has a dedicated variant in India with a massive 6550mAh battery, and the device starts at ₹27,999 ($322) for the 8GB/256GB variant in the country and £269 ($335) in the U.K. There's also a 12GB/256GB model that costs ₹29,999 ($346) in India, and the U.K. gets a 12GB/512GB model that's selling at £309 ($384).

I'm using the Iron Man edition of the X7 Pro, and it comes in a single 12GB/512GB configuration. This model is limited to select Southeast Asian countries, where it costs the equivalent of $399.

POCO X7 Pro: Design

POCO overhauled the design of the X series this year, and the X7 and X7 Pro look quite different to their predecessors. Interestingly, the standard X7 retains the dual-curved design and ends up looking like the costlier option, with the X7 Pro switching to a boxy profile with flat sides.

That said, the X7 Pro has beveled sides, so it isn't uncomfortable to hold the device. And even though it has a sizeable 6000mAh battery, it comes in at an easily manageable 195g. That's because it features a polycarbonate mid-frame as well as a plastic back, but you don't quite get the feeling that you're using a budget phone — POCO did a good job with the basics.

On that note, the sides have a matte texture, and the coating extends to the back as well. The Iron Man edition has a custom etched design at the back that highlights Iron Man's helmet, and it is pretty distinctive. The regular variants just get a matte texture at the back, and POCO has a yellow model with a leather back this time.

The camera island looks cleaner this year as POCO is using just two cameras at the back, and it doesn't dominate attention at the back. It doesn't jut out considerably from the body, and while there is a little wobble when using the phone, a case mitigates the issue.

You get red accents around the camera lenses at the back and the power button, and it gives the design a little added flair. Other niceties include an IR blaster, and IP68 ingress protection. It's great to see POCO delivering the same standard of dust and water resistance as the Xiaomi 14T and 14 Ultra on budget phones, and the Indian model even gets IP69 — just like the Find X8 Pro and Vivo X200 Pro.

There are no problems with usability on the X7 Pro. Xiaomi did a great job with the design of the phone, and the matte texture combined with a relatively light chassis makes holding and using the phone that much more comfortable.

POCO X7 Pro: Display

POCO is using the same 6.67-inch AMOLED panel as last year, but it has better brightness — it now goes up to 1400 nits in HBM mode and 3200 nits when viewing HDR content. There is a noticeable difference when viewing the panel next to the X6 Pro, and it gets brighter in outdoor use. The panel is covered by Gorilla Glass 7i, and like all POCO phones, you get a screen protection installed out of the box.

It isn't the brightest screen around — the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ gets brighter — but I didn't see any issues using the device outdoors, and it has good color rendition and contrast levels. You get 120Hz refresh, but you'll have to go into the settings to enable the mode, and there's Dolby Vision integration. You get a decent amount of customizability when it comes to adjusting the color balance, and a good selection of always-on styles.

The X7 Pro does a great job with HDR content in the likes of Netflix and YouTube, and it holds up well during gaming. I would have liked increased brightness in regular use, but as it stands, this is still one of the best AMOLED panels around in the budget category. You even get 1920Hz PWM dimming,

POCO X7 Pro: Hardware and battery

POCO knows how to deliver great hardware on a budget, and the X7 Pro continues that trend. The device is powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 8400 Ultra, and just like the Dimensity 9400, it only has big cores — you get a Cortex A725 running at 3.25GHz, three Cortex A725 cores at 3.0GHz, and four A725 cores going up to 2.1GHz. Also included is a Mali-G720 GPU with seven cores, and it manages to do a terrific job.

Basically, the X7 Pro is the best budget phone around in this regard, and if you need a gaming-focused device that doesn't cost a lot of cash, this is the one to get. The phone blazes through mundane tasks, and it manages to hold its own in demanding titles as well; while you don't quite get the same stable framerates as high-end devices, it does a better job than most other budget phones available today.

I didn't notice any lag or stutter either, and the device has been a delight to use. There are no issues with connectivity either, and while the vibration motor doesn't have granular feedback, it is decent enough. You get AptX HD codecs and NFC as well, and that is a nice bonus.

Coming to the battery side of things, I got well over a day's worth of use with the X7 Pro. I'm using the model with the 6000mAh battery, and users in India should get even better battery life thanks to the oversized 6500mAh unit in the region. The battery doesn't last as long as other phones with 6000mAh cells like the X200 Pro, but I still got a day's worth of use consistently, and there was never any battery anxiety.

Charging the battery takes 46 minutes using the bundled 90W charger, and annoyingly, POCO doesn't include the charger in all countries. My device came with the charger included in the package, but that isn't the case in the U.K. and other western markets.

POCO X7 Pro: Cameras

POCO's phones don't have the best cameras, and the X7 Pro is aiming to do better on that front. The device gets a 50MP main camera with Sony's IMX882 imaging module, and it's joined by an 8MP wide-angle lens. There's no 2MP lens at the back, and that's a good thing — it was one of the most pointless sensors ever fitted to a phone.

The camera interface is identical to last year, so you get the same shooting modes, same effects and filters, and the same toggles around the viewfinder. You finally get the ability to shoot 4K60 video via the rear camera, and it's a much-needed inclusion. It is limited to the main lens — the wide-angle only goes up to 1080p — but it's a good addition nonetheless.

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The phone takes decent shots in daylight conditions, producing photos with good dynamic range and colors. It does a good job in low-light scenarios as well, and while you don't get quite as much detail, there isn't much in the way of noise. The wide-angle lens is average, and while it takes passable photos in good lighting situations, it doesn't manage to deliver the same caliber of shots at night.

The camera is better than previous years, but it still isn't the best in this category. The Nord 4 takes better photos in just about any situation, so if you need a good set of cameras at the back, you should pick up that device instead. If you're okay with average cameras and need a phone with powerful hardware, the X7 Pro gets my recommendation.

POCO X7 Pro: Software

Software continues to be an area where POCO's devices have a definite edge over their Redmi siblings; the X7 Pro runs Android 15 out of the box, and it comes with the usual slate of AI-assisted features. The software interface will be familiar if you've used a Xiaomi or POCO phone in recent years, and while there aren't any visual changes, you get better fluidity.

I still believe that Xiaomi is in need of a visual overhaul, and it needs to do something about the bloatware on its devices. Other than that, I don't have any negatives on the software front; the Iron Man edition has a few custom extras — including icons and backgrounds — but it has the same feature-set as the standard X7 Pro.

Xiaomi tends to be overly aggressive with memory management, and there were instances where I had issues receiving push notifications. This is an issue on most Xiaomi phones I use, and I get around it by disabling any battery-related tweaks.

The X7 Pro will get three guaranteed Android updates alongside four years of security updates, and that is decent enough in this category. That said, Xiaomi doesn't do a good job delivering updates on time, so when updates will actually make their way to the device is an unknown — Android 16 is unlikely to be rolled out anytime before the end of the year.

POCO X7 Pro: The competition

I really like the OnePlus Nord 4, and the device continues to be a good choice in 2025. It has similar caliber of hardware, and holds up incredibly well during gaming. The design is cleaner, but you get a smaller 5500mAh battery. Coming in at ₹28,999 ($335), it is costlier than the X7 Pro, but it is a solid alternative.

POCO's F6 is also a good recommendation if you need a gaming-focused device. It outmatches the X7 Pro in this regard, and as it has been around for the better part of a year, it's down to just ₹26,999 ($312), making it a terrific bargain. It has better cameras than the X7 Pro as well, but it has a relatively smaller 5000mAh battery.

POCO X7 Pro: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if:

• You need a budget phone that feels great to hold and use
• You want a battery that easily lasts a day
• You need good performance
• You want reliable ingress protection

You shouldn't buy this if:

• You need a budget phone with great cameras

POCO didn't change the fundamentals too much with the X7 Pro, and that's a good thing. The phone continues to be one of the fastest in the budget category, and you get a vibrant AMOLED panel, standout battery life, and fast charging. The cameras aren't the best around, but the main camera does a decent job in its own right.

There's a lot to like with the software, and the fact that you get Android 15 out of the box gives the X7 Pro a distinct advantage over the Redmi Note 14 Pro+. The only negative is that the model sold in the U.K. and other western markets isn't as good as the Indian variant, but outside of that, the X7 Pro is a terrific budget phone. As an overall package, there are few devices that manage to come close.