POCO F7 Ultra overview: The greatest discount of 2025

POCO managed to carve out a distinct segment within the price range and mid-range classes by delivering value-focused telephones, and gadgets just like the X7 Pro exemplify this trait. If something, POCO is doing a greater job on this space than its Redmi sister model, and that is clearly evident within the mid-range, the place final 12 months’s F6 Pro remains to be a incredible selection.

The model is doing issues slightly in another way in 2025; whereas it is nonetheless launching the F7 Pro, the main target this 12 months is the F7 Ultra — its strongest telephone but. The F7 Ultra is a particular assertion from POCO that it may possibly produce a telephone that may maintain its personal in opposition to the perfect that OPPO, Vivo, Google, and Honor have to supply.

With the newest Qualcomm silicon, a QHD panel, 5300mAh silicon battery, and 120W charging, the F7 Ultra has a strong basis, however its the cameras the place the machine actually stands out. POCO admitted prior to now that cameras aren’t the most important precedence for the model, and whereas its telephones took respectable images, they did not measure as much as their speedy rivals.

That’s altering with the F7 Ultra; the telephone has a 50MP primary digital camera with a Light Fusion 800 imaging module, and it is joined by a 50MP telephoto with 2.5x optical zoom, and 32MP wide-angle lens. The better part is the value, with the telephone debuting at $649, undercutting its rivals by a sizeable quantity.

I used the F7 Ultra for simply over two weeks, and this is why I believe it’s the greatest value-focused flagship you should purchase in 2025.

POCO F7 Ultra: Pricing and availability

POCO unveiled the F7 Pro and F7 Ultra on March 27, 2025, and each gadgets will go on sale in choose areas in Southeast Asia, the U.Ok., and different world markets within the coming weeks. The F7 Ultra is bought in yellow and black coloration variants, and POCO is promoting it in two fashions: the bottom version has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it prices $649. There’s additionally a 16GB/512GB mannequin that prices $699.

To incentivize the launch, POCO is promoting the 12GB/256GB F7 Ultra at $599, and the 16GB/512GB version at $649. Considering there’s only a $50 distinction between the 2, I’d counsel getting the 512GB mannequin — that is the one I’m utilizing.

The F7 Pro has the identical design, similar panel, similar 50MP primary digital camera, and an even bigger 6000mAh battery. It misses out on the auxiliary cameras and is not fairly as quick, however in any other case, there is not a lot in the best way of distinction between the 2 gadgets. The F7 Pro is debuting in black, silver, and blue, and the blue variant is the one to get.

It’s accessible with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, retailing for $499. The 12GB/512GB version prices $549, and identical to the F7 Ultra, POCO is discounting both mannequin of the F7 Pro by $50 through the launch window.

POCO F7 Ultra: Design

While Xiaomi’s telephones now have a semblance of design consistency between generations, that hasn’t trickled right down to POCO’s gadgets. As such, the F7 Ultra has a brand-new design aesthetic that has no resemblance to the POCO F6 or F6 Pro. Thankfully, POCO is utilizing the identical design on the F7 Pro as nicely, so not less than each fashions have similarities — which wasn’t the case final 12 months on the usual POCO F6.

The F7 Ultra has flat sides, however the beveled edges make it snug to carry and use the machine, and the again curves barely the place it meets the mid-frame. There’s a brand new design for the digital camera housing on the again, and it would not fairly stand out as a lot; it is only a round design that homes the three imaging modules, with the flash sitting on the appropriate.

There is a metal ring encircling the digital camera island, and a yellow accent across the housing that provides it slightly aptitude, however total, it would not have the identical daring traits that outlined POCO’s earlier telephones on this collection. Talking about daring, the yellow coloration undoubtedly stands out, and the matte texture on the again has an amazing in-hand really feel, and would not decide up any smudges.

I just like the yellow coloration scheme on the whole — it makes the machine that rather more distinctive — and whereas the again seems nice, the edges are quite plain, and I believe POCO ought to have color-matched the edges to ship a extra cohesive design. POCO did that with the F7 Pro, which has a silver again and sides, so I’m not likely positive why it did not on the Ultra variant.

That stated, POCO did the appropriate factor by utilizing matte sides, and it makes holding the telephone slightly simpler. The mid-frame is aluminum, and coming in at 212g, the telephone has a pleasant heft to it. There’s good weight distribution as nicely, and it by no means as soon as felt unwieldy. The remainder of the options are commonplace; you get a dual-SIM tray, energy and quantity buttons on the appropriate, and stereo sound.

Interestingly, POCO is utilizing an ultrasonic module on the F7 Ultra, and it’s positioned at simply the appropriate place. The module is quick and would not have any points, and it holds up simply as nicely with moist or oily fingers. Rounding out the design, the F7 Ultra will get IP68 mud and water resistance, and it may be simply submerged in as much as 2.5 meters of water — larger than the 1.5-meter restriction that is on most telephones.

The F7 Ultra is not fairly as flamboyant as a number of POCO telephones I used prior to now, however it has a very good in-hand really feel, and it is clearly constructed to final, and that is what finally issues.

POCO F7 Ultra: Display

POCO has used 6.67-inch shows for some time now, and that is not altering with the F7 Ultra; the telephone has the identical measurement and 3200 x 1440 decision. There’s Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and the panel is noticeably brighter this time — I did not see any points utilizing it outdoor.

Colors are vibrant out of the field, and POCO is aware of tips on how to calibrate these panels on the manufacturing unit. That has all the time been a plus level on the model’s gadgets, and that hasn’t modified. You get good customizability with the colours as nicely; the Original color Pro is ready out of the field, and the machine has Vivid and Saturated modes alongside color-accurate P3 and Adobe sRGB. Of course, you can even alter the colour stability in accordance with your tastes.

The telephone is ready to FHD+ and auto refresh out of the field, so you will have to dive into the settings to vary these two to QHD+ and 120Hz to take advantage of out of the machine. A brand new characteristic that is debuting this time is round polarization expertise, which delivers a extra pure gentle. It is much like what Honor did on the Magic 7 Pro, and it’s noticeable when utilizing the machine subsequent to the F6 Pro.

The F7 Ultra additionally will get 3840Hz PWM dimming, and this can be a welcome transfer. Xiaomi and different Chinese manufacturers are doing all the appropriate issues in the case of eye care on their gadgets, and it is good to see the F7 Ultra get the total suite of options. Xiaomi’s always-on kinds aren’t fairly as intensive as what you get with ColorOS or Funtouch OS, however you get a good choice, and you’ll select to have the mode enabled all through the day or arrange a customized schedule.

Interestingly, the F7 Ultra will get a devoted VisionBoost D7 chip that optimizes video playback and delivers smoother visuals whereas gaming, with POCO positioning 120fps gaming as a transparent differentiator. On that topic, gaming is a delight on the machine, with the telephone capable of deal with demanding titles with none trouble in any way.

It holds up simply as nicely with multimedia content material; HDR rendering is dealt with nicely, and there is a noticeable distinction to final 12 months in the case of brightness ranges and coloration constancy. POCO is utilizing a customized Shield Glass resolution — much like what Xiaomi does by itself gadgets — and in my use, the telephone did not have any points even after a number of tumbles.

POCO F7 Ultra: Hardware and battery

I’ve all the time loved utilizing POCO’s gadgets due to the highly effective {hardware}, and the F7 Ultra is in a league of its personal. Thanks to the newest Qualcomm silicon, the telephone holds its personal in opposition to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Honor Magic 7 Pro, Zenfone 12 Ultra, and OnePlus 13. Similar to these gadgets, I did not see any points with the F7 Ultra in common use; the telephone dealt with mundane duties with out breaking a sweat, and even visually-intensive titles did not tax the {hardware} to any noticeable diploma.

The {hardware} tends to run hotter — that is the case with all Qualcomm-powered telephones this 12 months — and there may be overheating throughout prolonged gaming classes. That stated, it would not get so sizzling as to develop into uncomfortable to carry. It’s clear that Qualcomm elevated energy limits this 12 months, and that’s evident when utilizing the telephone subsequent to earlier iterations. The plus facet is that you just get higher gaming efficiency, with rock-solid framerates.

POCO is utilizing the Surge T1S chip to ship higher connectivity, and though I did not see any distinction when utilizing the F7 Ultra on my house community, it had a stronger sign over mobile information. The telephone has Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 — identical to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra — NFC, AptX Adaptive, AptX Lossless, and LHDC codecs. In quick, you do not miss out on something on the connectivity facet of issues.

The vibration motor is kind of good too, and whereas it is not as detailed because the one on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, it has good suggestions when utilizing the keyboard — definitely a lot better than earlier POCO telephones.

There is quite a bit to love with the battery as nicely. The 5300mAh battery simply manages to final a day with relative ease, and even with heavy use, I did not have to fret about battery working out earlier than the tip of the day. POCO can be utilizing silicon battery tech this time, and it permits the model to ship an even bigger battery in a smaller measurement — all the time a very good factor.

The telephone will get 120W charging, and it takes 38 minutes to cost the battery. You’ll have to allow the Boost charging mode to unlock 120W charging, with the telephone utilizing 90W in common use. Overall, that is the perfect {hardware} package deal within the sub-$800 class, and like earlier years, POCO completely dominates the worth.

POCO F7 Ultra: Cameras

POCO was all the time upfront in regards to the cameras on its telephones; whereas its gadgets did a good sufficient job, imaging simply wasn’t a precedence for the model. That’s fortunately altering with the F7 Ultra; the telephone has the identical 50MP Light Fusion digital camera as final 12 months, and it is utilizing the identical OmniVision OVX8000 module with OIS. What’s totally different is the auxiliary lenses; there’s now a 50MP Samsung JN5 tele lens with 2.5x optical zoom and OIS, and a 32MP wide-angle lens.

Just with the addition of the auxiliary lenses, the F7 Ultra has the perfect digital camera package deal of any POCO machine by a substantial margin. Video taking pictures is a lot better too; you get 8K24 along with 4K60, and video high quality is leagues higher than earlier POCO telephones. The digital camera interface hasn’t modified a lot, so for those who’ve used a Xiaomi or POCO telephone prior to now, you may know your method across the viewfinder.

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Daylight images taken with the F7 Ultra have good element and coloration rendition, and there are completely no points on this regard. While it’s utilizing the identical module as final 12 months, modifications to the tuning imply you get a lot better pictures, and that is evident in low-light and difficult eventualities. In quick, the telephone would not have any shortcomings in the case of the primary digital camera, and it does an excellent job on this regard.

While the auxiliary lenses aren’t nearly as good, they are much higher than every other POCO telephone I used till now. The telephone delivers clear images at 2.5x and usable pictures as much as 5x, and wide-angle pictures have good colours. The wide-angle lens has its drawbacks in low-light conditions, however on the entire, this can be a vastly higher exhibiting than earlier years.

Ultimately, the F7 Ultra would not fairly measure as much as the OnePlus 13, Find X8, Vivo X200, and Xiaomi 15, however the cameras do not feel like a limitation any longer — that in itself is a big deal.

POCO F7 Ultra: Software

There is not a lot to speak about on the software program entrance; the machine options HyperOS 2.0.4.0 out of the field, and it makes use of Android 15 as the muse. As I used the Xiaomi 15 Ultra earlier than switching over, the software program is just about an identical; POCO does a number of issues in another way in the case of icons, however apart from that, it’s the similar software program as each different Xiaomi telephone.

Although the interface itself hasn’t modified an excessive amount of during the last two years, it has higher fluidity, and that’s instantly noticeable when utilizing the F7 Ultra in opposition to older POCO telephones. I nonetheless do not just like the cut up notification pane, however I’m used to it by now, and it’s simply customizable. The software program itself has loads of customizability on the whole, and that is fortunately one thing that hasn’t modified on POCO’s telephones.

There remains to be some bloatware, however nowhere as a lot as years previous, and it may be simply uninstalled. POCO says it should ship 4 Android OS updates alongside six years of safety updates to the F7 Ultra and F7 Pro, and that’s good to see. While it is not fairly as a lot as what Google, Samsung, and Honor ship, it’s nonetheless a good transfer. That stated, the machine is not prone to get Android 16 nicely after its launch; POCO takes its time to roll out software program updates, and it wants to vary that.

POCO F7 Ultra: The alternate options

The greatest various to the F7 Ultra is the F7 Pro; the telephone has the identical design, similar panel, similar primary digital camera on the again, and similar software program. The auxiliary cameras aren’t wherever nearly as good, and whereas it is not fairly as quick, you do not discover any distinction even whereas gaming. As a bonus, the F7 Pro has an even bigger 6000mAh battery, and though it will get 90W charging as a substitute of 120W, you are not really lacking out a lot. All issues thought of, the F7 Pro is a superb worth at $499.

I just like the OnePlus 13 quite a bit; it has probably the greatest digital camera packages on this class, and the design is gorgeous. Coming in at $899, it’s $250 costlier than the F7 Ultra, and I’d counsel getting it for those who want higher cameras; in any other case, the F7 Ultra is a more sensible choice in most areas.

POCO F7 Ultra: Should you purchase it?

You should purchase this if:

• You want a telephone with the newest {hardware}
• You need respectable cameras on the again
• You want a high-end telephone with the perfect worth
• You want dependable battery life

You should not purchase this if:

• You want well timed software program updates
• You need the perfect cameras

POCO did it as soon as once more — the F7 Ultra is proof that you just need not shell out a ridiculous sum of money to get an amazing telephone. The telephone loses among the flamboyance that characterised POCO gadgets prior to now, however that is finally a very good factor; it seems rather more like a mainstream telephone now.

The {hardware} is a transparent differentiator; that is essentially the most inexpensive approach to get your fingers on the newest Qualcomm silicon, and that in itself is extremely alluring. Combine that with a high-quality OLED panel and all-day battery life with 120W charging, and the F7 Ultra nails the fundamentals.

It additionally has the perfect cameras of any POCO telephone but. I do know that does not imply a lot because the model did not prioritize imaging prior to now, however it undoubtedly makes a distinction, and it provides the F7 Ultra a sizeable lead over its predecessors. POCO nonetheless has a approach to go earlier than it may possibly measure as much as OPPO, Vivo, Honor, and OnePlus, however this can be a huge step in the appropriate route.

Ultimately, there is not a lot to criticize with the machine. POCO did all the appropriate issues with the {hardware} and cameras, and whereas the software program is not fairly nearly as good, there is no denying that the F7 Ultra is a particular discount. If you want the perfect worth whereas nonetheless getting flagship internals, the F7 Ultra is the telephone to purchase in 2025.