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POCO F7 Ultra smartphone review: unexpectedly expensive, expectedly powerful

Published by Pavlo Chuikin

Less than a month ago, POCO’s new smartphones F7 Pro and F7 Ultra were launched in Ukraine. The latter, the older version, has already been reviewed by us and we are ready to share our impressions. Of course, there will be some pleasant moments, especially for fans of the brand, but there will also be unexpectedly negative aspects. As always, you can find out everything in the article below.

Technical specifications of POCO F7 Ultra

Screen AMOLED, 6.67 inches, 1440×3200 pixels, 120 Hz refresh rate, 1800 nits standard brightness, 3200 nits peak brightness, 526 ppi pixel density, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support
Case materials Glass back cover and aluminum edges
Colors Black, Yellow
Moisture protection IP68 (immersion to a depth of 2.5 m for 30 minutes)
Processor 3-nanometer Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, 2 Oryon V2 Phoenix cores with a clock speed of 4.32 GHz + 6 Oryon V2 Phoenix M cores with a clock speed of 3.53 GHz
Graphics chip Adreno 830
Android 15 operating system, proprietary firmware HyperOS 2
Memory 12/256, 16/512 GB LPDDR5X and UFS 4.1 respectively
Main camera Resolution: 50 megapixels, f/1.6 aperture, 24 mm sensor, 1/1.55» sensor size, 1.0µm pixel size, PDAF, OIS; telephoto: 50 megapixels, f/2.0 aperture, 60 mm sensor, ½.76», sensor size 0.64µm, PDAF, OIS, 2.5x optical zoom; ultra-wide-angle module: 32 megapixel resolution, f/2.2 aperture, 15 mm pixel size, 120˚ viewing angle, 1/3.42» sensor size, 0.64µm pixel size
Record video Up to 8K@24fps
Front camera 32 megapixel resolution, f/2.0 aperture, 24 mm sensor, 1/3.42» matrix size, 0.64µm pixel size
Record video 1080p@60fps
Technologies and interfaces Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi 7, navigation services GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC, NFC, IR port
Battery 5300 mAh, 120 W fast charge (up to 100% in 34 minutes), 50 W wireless
Dimensions 160.3 × 75 × 8.4 mm
Weight 212 grams

Packaging and equipment

POCO F7 Ultra is sold in a black box with yellow inscriptions — these are the brand colors.

Inside we see the phone itself with a film on it, a USB-A to USB-C cable, documentation, and a graphite-colored TPU case. There’s no power supply in our version, although I’ve seen that in some other markets the smartphone is sold with a 120W power supply.

Design and ergonomics

POCO F7 Ultra has an ascetic design that doesn’t look like a flagship, although its materials are solid. It has a matte black metal frame and a glass back panel. The top third of it is glossy, and the rest of it has a matte finish. We can also see a separate elongated flash, a round, protruding camera module and the POCO inscription. The back panel of the smartphone is slightly protruding and has rounded edges.

On the front panel, the bezels are thin and the same on all sides. The screen itself is flat and does not protrude from the body at all.

On the right side of POCO F7 Ultra, everything is standard — the screen lock button and volume keys. The right side is empty, as is the top end. But on the bottom we see a slot for two SIM cards, a USB-C port, a microphone, and a speaker.

We got a yellow version of the smartphone for review. But it also has a black version.

POCO F7 Ultra has dimensions of 160.3×75×8.4 mm and weighs 212 grams. The device is relatively small and should fit well in the palm of your hand, but its body and rounded corners and glass back make the smartphone very slippery in the hands. Therefore, I advise you to either hold it very tightly or put it in the supplied case.

By the way, I liked the case, it’s cool that it’s not a transparent version that will turn yellow over time. On the contrary, the smartphone looks great in the included case, and it has a great grip and fits like a glove.

POCO F7 Ultra display

POCO F7 Ultra has a really great screen and this parameter is one of the main advantages of the smartphone. It has a 6.67-inch AMOLED matrix with a resolution of 3200×1440 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. The pixel density is 526 ppi, and there is support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

The screen refresh rate is up to 120 Hz, but there is no LTPO technology to adaptively change this indicator from 1 to 120 Hz. There was no middle option of 90 Hz either – depending on the type of content, the available frequency can be only 60 Hz or 120 Hz.

But the declared maximum brightness in auto mode is pleasing and amounts to 1500 nits. The peak of 3200 nits is also impressive. The manufacturer also claims that the display completely covers the DCI-P3 space. They didn’t forget about the Always-On Display function, but this is no surprise nowadays.

Also, the screen has an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is usually found in flagship models. This is the fastest sensor type, which also responds to wet or damp fingers without any problems. This is the top.

The smartphone has a separate VisionBoost D7 graphics chip. It is needed to improve image clarity when watching videos on YouTube and other applications. It also helps to increase the frame rate in games and improve visual effects. The corresponding changes can be found in the screen settings. It is called «Dual-core graphics». There, as always, you can change the color temperature (I recommend the «Standard Pro» mode), increase or decrease the screen resolution (FHD+ or WQHD+).

I don’t recommend setting the last item to a higher value because on such a diagonal you are unlikely to notice the difference (I didn’t), but it will significantly increase power consumption. But I definitely recommend activating this dual-core graphics and the «Enhanced Textures» slider. Because you can see it right away, at least in YouTube videos.

Sound and vibration response

POCO F7 Ultra has stereo sound, and it is realized here through one full-fledged speaker plus an earpiece speaker. However, this does not prevent the smartphone from producing loud and even quite voluminous, and most importantly, high-quality sound. Yes, there are almost no low frequencies, but this is a phone. Therefore, the sound of the model is really close to the flagship.

The user can switch between Dolby Atmos or Xiaomi Sound. The difference between the two is small, but I’ve always liked the former better. There is a graphic equalizer, immersive sound, and sound presets. The latter even really change something in the sound, which, of course, is more noticeable in headphones. I liked the options «Rock», «Jazz», and «Classical». But this is probably a matter of taste and genre preferences.

Positive things can also be said about the vibration response, but that’s about it. The vibration motor in the model is excellent and definitely not the simplest. The vibration is rich, powerful, and pleasant. But you can’t choose its level and pattern, only the slider for the level of tactile feedback. However, the same is true of real Xiaomi flagships, so POCO F7 Ultra has the same.

POCO F7 Ultra cameras

POCO F7 Ultra has three main cameras, and the feature of the novelty is a full telephoto lens. But looking ahead, this is the best thing about the smartphone because its photo and video capabilities remain at a mediocre level. Therefore, in this regard, the new product cannot compete with flagships in the same price category.

Smartphones from this brand have always been known for their performance, and their cameras have always been the weakest. Almost nothing has changed here, but thanks for the TV module.

The main module is 50 megapixels with an aperture of f/1.6 and a sensor with a focal length of 24 mm. It has realistic colors, a wide dynamic range, but not enough detail. The colors seem to be okay, but sometimes the smartphone’s algorithms make them too bright and acidic, and sometimes they are excellent and realistic.

The telephoto module here has a resolution of 50 megapixels, f/2.0 aperture, and a 60-megapixel sensor. It takes good portraits and more, and is also quite detailed with 2.5x optical zoom, which is most important.

The worst, but still more or less adequate, is the 32-megapixel ultra-wide. It has an aperture of f/2.2, a pixel size of 15 mm, and a viewing angle of 120 degrees.

POCO F7 Ultra can record video in 8K at 24 frames per second. But it’s only available for six minutes, and it looks like pure marketing here because with cameras like this, it doesn’t change anything at all. The main and telephoto modules can also shoot video in 4K/60 fps, and only 1080p/60 fps is available for the ultra-wide.

The same applies to the front module. It has an aperture of f/2.0 and a focal length of 24 mm. The front-facing camera takes good detailed selfies and has an adequate portrait mode. It even adequately blurs the background with a lot of details on it.

Productivity, software, and games

POCO F7 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. It is made using 3nm technology and has two Oryon V2 Phoenix cores clocked at 4.32 GHz and six Oryon V2 Phoenix M cores clocked at 3.53 GHz. Memory options are 12/256, 16/512 GB with LPDDR5X and UFS 4.1 formats, respectively. That is, the memory is modern and fast.

Other interfaces and modules include Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi 7, GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC, NFC and an IR port. But there is no eSIM.

The smartphone works quickly and without complaints. It’s not surprising with such hardware. The device instantly opens any program and performs all tasks with lightning speed, as well as pulls the most demanding games at maximum graphics settings. It can handle Genshin Impact or COD Warzone with a nice fps of 60+ or even 100+.

Moreover, there are additional features to improve the gameplay that actually increase frame generation. These things are called Super Resolution and Smart Frame Rate. I guess it’s roughly comparable to DLSS in PC games.

But you should also be aware that the processor gets very hot and throttles, as shown by various tests and benchmarks. Its performance is excellent, but it also has drawbacks. Moreover, it is «hot» Snapdragon. In this case, the Chinese simply could not optimize it adequately because we have already seen a better state of affairs in the same Oneplus 13 with the same chip.

POCO F7 Ultra has Android 15 and the proprietary HyperOS 2. It is familiar to users of all Xiaomi smartphones in general and their sub-brands as in this case. Four years of OS updates and six years of security updates are promised.

I have repeatedly said how I feel about this shell: it is convenient, stylish, comfortable, and with the ability to maximize customization. But at the same time, we have a ton of proprietary applications and ads, which, of course, can be turned off, but you still need to bother with it.

The pre-flagship also has Google Gemini support and understands and communicates in Ukrainian. Let’s not forget about various AI features in notes, photo editing, etc. But now, in my opinion, it’s just banal marketing without any real application in life. Well, except that it is convenient to remove objects from a photo, but it does not always work correctly.

Autonomy of POCO F7 Ultra

POCO F7 Ultra is equipped with a 5300 mAh battery. Nowadays, this is not much, but just the norm, but even so, the device shows good results. In standard use, without AOD mode, the smartphone will easily last a day and a half. And if you want to, you can squeeze out two.

Of course, with games and watching YouTube, it’s easy to get through a day or even half a day, but other smartphones will run out sooner.

The good, even excellent, battery life is also confirmed by a test of the smartphone in the PC Mark app. It showed 20 hours and 2 minutes. One of the best results in my memory.

The POCO F7 Ultra battery charges from 0 to 100 percent in 35 minutes. Of course, this is if you have a proprietary or other 120W power supply. The smartphone also supports fast 50W wireless charging.

User experience

Overall, POCO F7 Ultra creates a pleasant experience. Someone will like its style and design, and someone will not. This is normal. As for me, this is a classic smartphone from a brand that is not promoted in the budget category.

But the price tag upset me. If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time with a POCO smartphone that its price is very much out of line with reality. Moreover, the overpriced price tag at the start of sales plays a bad joke with the smartphone, because although it has some elements of flagships, it still cannot compete with them, but it has to because it costs like them.

If you wait for the discount, and it will definitely be there, because no one will buy POCO F7 Ultra for this money, and there is no need to do so, then for 25-27 thousand hryvnias it will already be a cool option for those who want the most versatile smartphone. It will also suit mobile gamers who don’t like gaming design and just want a phone with a modern look and feel, and nothing more.

POCO F7 Ultra is good for the screen and battery, and of course, the top-end chip, which they couldn’t really optimize because it gets so hot during stress tests that it’s hard to hold. But in games, it’s just hot, and it doesn’t affect comfort and experience. There’s also a nice bundled case that makes the smartphone look good. But the power supply for our market is not in the box, and for some people this will definitely be a fair disadvantage.

Prices and competitors

POCO F7 Ultra is sold at a price of UAH 29,988 for the 12/256 GB version. But in large networks such as «Allo», where this smartphone is sold officially, the price tag starts at UAH 33,999. This is a rare case when I say that a smartphone costs more than it should, and significantly so. First of all, with a similar price tag, it falls into the category of full-fledged flagships, but in fact it is not, although it is still very close. Therefore, we will compare it with them because the price category is the same. However, this smartphone is as close as possible to Xiaomi 14T Pro. So you need to wait until its price tag drops to 25-27,000 hryvnias and then buy it.

 

As for the current price category, in which POCO F7 Ultra is now located, there is a much cooler camera and even more affordable Oneplus 13 (our review here), which is sold at a price of 26,990 for the 12/256 GB version. However, it should be noted here that this smartphone is sold only «gray», so the price tag is lower than it should be. Of course, there is last year’s Samsung Galaxy S24 (price from UAH 22,900) and a brand new Samsung Galaxy S25 with a price starting from UAH 32,685. Do not forget about Apple iPhone 16 with a price tag of UAH 31,200, as well as Google Pixel 9 (price from UAH 23,850). And where can we go without a competitor from the main brand, for example, there is also a fresh Xiaomi 15 (price from UAH 34,700).