POCO’s New X7 Pro Brings Powerful Performance, Big Battery In A Mid-Range Phone

POCO introduced the POCO X7 Pro on Thursday, setting the stage for its rivals such as iQOO and Realme to up their ante in the mid-range segment. The new POCO X7 Pro brings a spruced-up MediaTek Dimensity chipset, the goodness of artificial intelligence, and a big battery for less than ₹27,000. It retains the design of its predecessor, but everything else in it has been upgraded, which the company said will give users a better smartphone experience at less than half the cost of a flagship device. And, those willing to spend a little less and have no problem letting go of a few features can go for the POCO X7.

POCO X7 Pro, POCO X7 price

The new POCO X7 Pro costs ₹26,999 for the variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Its higher variant with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage costs ₹28,999. On the other hand, the POCO X7 is priced at ₹21,999 for the 8GB/128GB variant and ₹23,999 for the model with 256GB of storage.

Customers with an ICICI Bank card, however, can slash the price of either variant by ₹2,000. Both smartphones will be available from Flipkart where the Pro model will go on sale on January 14, while the standard variant set to go on sale on January 17.

POCO X7 Pro: Looks Promising

POCO’s X-series has barely missed the mark with its specifications mix and the price. The new X7 Pro is no exception.

It has a top-tier MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra chipset, offering nearly the same experience as the more powerful Dimensity 9400. It offers up to 12GB of LPDDR5X of RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, meaning multitasking will be better and data transfers faster. Its display is also one of the best in the segment. Although it does not have curved edges like its trimmed-down version, the flat design may appeal to most customers. The POCO X7 Pro has a 6.73-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and a peak brightness of 3200 nits. It uses a Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for protection on top. For photography, the smartphone has a 50MP+8MP camera combination on the back and a 20MP shooter on the front. POCO X7 Pro’s 6550mAh battery knocks its rivals out of the park with the maximum battery life in this segment. It has support for 90W fast charging using the bundled charger.

For under ₹30,000, the POCO X7 Pro has a lot going, with its design being the first attraction. While its signature black-and-yellow striped design may find fewer takers than the other two variants, its ergonomics make it one of the best smartphones for customers willing to spend less than ₹30,000. The Obsidian Black colourway we reviewed looks premium and often complements the winter outfits. Although, it is a fingerprint magnet and often needs cleaning. Using a mobile case is recommended. The POCO X7 Pro is easy to handle and does not weigh hands down when gaming for long hours. POCO X7 Pro can be used under the shower or on a dusty day. Its display works even with wet or oily fingers, which is a nice addition to the smartphone experience.

Out and out, the POCO X7 Pro is a fast smartphone. In addition to smooth transitions — complemented by Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2, the smartphone handles multiple apps without a hiccup. Multitasking is a breeze on the phone, but POCO wants the users to do intensive gaming. We played Call of Duty Mobile and Genshin Impact, only to find that the X7 Pro performs well. While there were no visible lags or frame drops, the phone does become toasty after heavy usage for an hour or so. But that is not a concern considering the phone’s price. Other less resource-hungry games run just fine on the POCO X7 Pro. Moreover, the chipset has enough power for AI features, which come in handy frequently. Although, these features are not as accurate or good as their counterparts on Samsung or Google Pixel phones, they get the job done most times. The image editing tools help get rid of distractions, while the AI-powered Notes feature is decent. Users may, however, need a hang of these tools to be able to become used to them. We often forgot we had these AI tools native to the POCO X7 Pro and immediately opened more popular AI services.

POCO X7 Pro’s 50MP cameras click good daylight photos. They have ample details with a dynamic range mostly on point. Shots clicked in the night are usable but could have been slightly better. We will test the cameras in the coming days and come up with more clarity on how good (or bad) the shooters on the X7 Pro are. The POCO X7 Pro’s battery is one of its strongest suits. It goes on for about two days with typical usage, which customers who are mostly on the go will appreciate. And when it runs out, 90W helps get the juice back in under an hour. We will test the battery during our usage in the next few days and be back with our observations.

The POCO X7 Pro is one of the most appealing smartphones for customers not willing to spend more than ₹30,000. Its design is simple and makes the phone handy, while the performance is above par with what customers can get on the rival smartphones.