How much performance can you pack into a flagship smartphone in 2025 – and what sacrifices are necessary? Xiaomi and Poco have just figured it out and created the insane Poco F7 Ultra, which costs 700 euros at launch. Here’s our review.
Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra – Release Date and Price
Poco offers the F7 Ultra in a total of four variants. You can buy a smartphone with 256 or 512 GB of memory, as well as 12 or 16 GB of RAM. You can also choose between yellow and black colors. The model has not yet been confirmed for launch in Brazil, but it’s worth noting right away
The 256 GB version of the Poco F7 Ultra costs 749.90 euros (R$ 4,650 in direct conversion), while the 512 GB version costs 799.90 euros (R$ 4,950).
Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra Design and Screen
| Design and Screen | |
|---|---|
| Bodies | 6,66.67-inch, AMOLED 3200 x 1440 pixels 1800 nits (HBM), 3200 nits (peak) 120Hz refresh rate |
| Dimensions and weight | 75,0 × 160,3 × 8,1 mm, 206 g |
| Material | Aluminum frame Poco Shield glass |
| Resistance | IP68 |
The F7 Ultra comes with Poco’s typical eye-catching look. The large, circular, black camera island dominates the top left of the back. On our yellow test device, this provides a strong contrast to the bright yellow back with its sophisticated surface.
The super-smooth glass back consists of individual surfaces that appear glossy or matt depending on the incidence of light. However, they do so from different angles, creating a more or less visible “engraving” depending on the viewing angle. Clearly, the F7 Ultra is not a smartphone for the more discreet.
The frame around the smartphone is made of aluminum and feels excellent. The entire smartphone feels very solid, which is also emphasized by the IP68 certification. Unfortunately, there is no Gorilla Glass of any kind established to protect the panel, but “only” Poco Shield Glass – and a very scratch-prone screen protector applied at the factory. It is best to order a screen protector at the same time. However: Poco also includes a simple silicone case in dark gray in the box.
The display is 6.67 inches with super-sharp 3,200 x 1,440 pixels, and the OLED screen is simply fantastic. With up to 1,800 nits (HBM) and 3,200 nits (peak), the display is extremely bright – surprisingly brighter on paper, for example, than that of the S25 Ultra (see test). Indeed: the difference is clearly visible under the “scorching” March sun in Berlin. Thanks to a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, the display is wonderfully smooth, although it can only be reduced to 60 Hz.
Software: What can HyperOS 2.0 do?
The Poco F7 Ultra runs HyperOS 2.0 based on Android 15 – and thus the same operating system as all current Xiaomi smartphones. The user interface is comparatively colorful and somewhat playful. Compared to previous Xiaomi smartphones, however, the interface has become much more mature.
| software | |
|---|---|
| Update policy | 4 years of Android updates 6 years of security updates |
| Special Features | – |
What remains, however, is the relatively large bloatware package. Six third-party apps are pre-installed on our test device. While that’s not an insane amount, it’s still unattractive for a smartphone in this price range.
Xiaomi has clearly caught up in terms of update promises in recent years. The Poco F7 Ultra is now set to receive Android updates for four years – so the F7 Ultra should receive Android 19 in 2029. The manufacturer guarantees security patches for six years. That’s not quite on par with Samsung, Google, or Honor, who guarantee some devices for seven to seven years, but it’s still a solid statement. After all, the hardware has to hold out until then.
Even if the manufacturer doesn’t advertise it: Of course, the Poco F7 Ultra also comes with all sorts of AI gadgets. Gemini is on board as the standard assistant and can be called up directly with a long press of the power button. And yes, the Gemini also has access to apps on the Poco, and can, for example, write appointments in your calendar or search for restaurants on Google Maps.
There are also several image editing features. You can erase objects and people that take up half of the frame of photos without leaving a trace, use AI to expand photos that were taken too close together or replace the sky in photos.
This is the Power of the Poco F7 Ultra
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Memory | 12GB or 16GB |
| Storage Variants | 256GB or 512GB |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi 7, 5G, dual SIM (sem eSIM) |
The Poco F7 Ultra is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite – currently, it is not possible to buy a more powerful processor in an Android smartphone. Unsurprisingly, the smartphone achieves the same level of performance as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, for example. In synthetic benchmarks, the Poco smartphone even performs slightly better and achieves higher scores in continuous load benchmarks. However, the F7 Ultra is more prone to overheating than the Samsung smartphone.
In everyday use, away from benchmarks, this seems much more harmless. In Genshin Impact, for example, the smartphone never heats up as much as in the benchmarks – but of course, this can change during longer gaming sessions during the summer.
Speaking of performance: the Poco F7 Ultra also offers several options for optimizing games. In the Game Turbo Suite, there is a graphics upscaling for games called “2K Super Resolution”, and with “Wild Boost”, the graphics performance can be increased even further. The upscaler acts as a sharpness enhancer, increasing the microcontrasts in the game and thus ensuring a sharper image effect. “Game Audio” is designed to provide a more immersive sound experience in games when used with headphones.
In addition, the Poco F7 Ultra also offers Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi 7, 5G, and dual SIM, but no: no eSIM and no microSD slot. The lack of eSIM is a shame, but I wonder about the memory card expansion: will you still need it in 2025, at least in this price range?
Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra – Camera
The camera is usually the number one victim in the price-performance balance in Poco smartphones from the F line. That doesn’t necessarily apply here: we already know the main camera of the F7 Ultra from the F6 Pro and, unsurprisingly, the image quality of the current model is also excellent during the day and still very good in low light. As is typical for Poco, the colors are quite bright – but that’s definitely quite “Instagrammable”.
| Camera | |
|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.6, OIS |
| Ultra wide angle camera | 32 MP, f/2.2 |
| Telephoto camera | 50 MP, f/2.0, OIS |
| Selfies | 32 MP, f/2.0 |
| Maximum video resolution | 8K a 24 fps4K a 60 fps Full HD a 960 fps |
The sensors of the telephoto and ultra-wide-angle cameras are significantly smaller than those of the main camera, and as a result, the image quality drops noticeably – at least if you zoom in or out on the images. However, for most everyday portraits and for sharing images on social media, the quality is generally perfectly adequate, at least if the subject is not moving.
The much bigger disadvantage of the mini sensors is the relatively slow shutter speed in mixed lighting conditions and thus a higher risk of camera shake, especially with the zoom lens, than with the huge telephoto zoom sensor of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, for example. But of course, the 15 Ultra is simply in a different price class and does not have to worry about saving on components.
A maximum of 8K at 24 fps is possible in video mode. However, only the main camera can achieve this resolution – the other camera modules stop at 4K with 60 fps. But to be honest, this should be more than enough for everyday use. By the way: There is an ultra-slow-motion mode that continuously records 240 fps in Full HD resolution. And even 960 fps is possible for about a second.
Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra – Battery and Charging
Battery | |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 5.300 mAh |
| Charging power (wired) | 120 W |
| Charging power (wireless) | 50 W |
With 5,300 mAh, the Poco F7 Ultra, unfortunately, has 10% less battery capacity than the F7 Pro, although, in theory, the more modern processor should compensate for this. Unfortunately, our typical PCMark Work 3.0 battery benchmark failed several times, but half of the test indicates a result of around 12 to 14 hours, which would put the phone well below the Xiaomi 15, but still completely solid in the mid-range. We will follow the test and update the test report here with the final result.
A note at this point: Since the smartphone has such a solid four-star score according to our test protocol and this result can no longer be changed by the pure battery benchmark result, we are also publishing the test report without the final battery benchmark result.
The Chinese are traditionally strong when it comes to charging, and the Poco F7 Ultra is even more “Ultra” than the large Xiaomi 15 Ultra recently tested. A maximum charging speed of 120 W is possible, which means that a fully discharged F7 Ultra will be more than 50 percent charged again after less than 15 minutes; a full battery charge takes between 30 and 35 minutes, depending on the day and the ambient temperature.
Incidentally, wireless charging also works – another rarity in the Poco series – with up to 50 W. If you want to fully utilize this speed, you will need a dedicated Xiaomi wireless charger. The same applies to 120 W wired charging: This also only works with a Hypercharge charger, which is included in the global version, but not in all regions, so keep an eye on it when importing it.
What is the Price of Poco F7 in India?
The starting price of the Poco F7 Ultra is $649 (approximately ₹55,680) for 12GB/256GB, and $699 (approximately ₹59,970) for 16GB/512GB. This Poco is available in yellow and black color. The Poco F7 Pro starts at $499 (approximately ₹42,811) for the 12GB/256GB variant, and the 12GB/512GB variant is priced at $549 (approximately ₹47,101).
Poco F7 Ultra launch date in India
Poco has launched its latest flagship F7 Ultra in the global market with a top-line processor, IP68 rating, and 50MP primary sensor. Although the phone has been launched for the global market, it is expected to launch in India in April.
Final Verdict
The processor of the F7 Ultra is the absolute highlight. For just under 750 euros at the regular price, you won’t find more performance anywhere else at the moment. The display is also very eye-catching and impressively bright. Of course, Xiaomi has to cut corners somewhere, which means the camera is better on a Pixel smartphone in this price range, and Samsung and Google offer longer software support on their mid-range phones.
However, these tradeoffs in favor of maximum performance are less sacrificed in the Poco F7 Ultra than in previous models. And so, the first Poco Ultra brings features like wireless charging and a telephoto camera, which were not the case in most of its predecessors. If the design appeals to you and you want a true gaming champion: buy it without hesitation.
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