POCO, a sub-brand of Xiaomi, has announced its top-of-the-line POCO F7 series. We checked out two models, the " POCO F7 Ultra " with a high-performance and high-image quality camera and the " POCO F7 Pro " with high performance at a lower price, at the launch event held in Singapore on March 27, 2025 (Thursday). The two models are available in Japan at the same time. Both models are available in Japan at the same time.
Xiaomi's POCO F7 Ultra review!
The POCO F7 Ultra is a high-performance smartphone with a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a proprietary chip. The price in Japan is...
- 12GB + 256GB model: 99,800 yen
- 16GB + 512GB model: 109,800 yen
It can be said that the price is quite inexpensive for a product of this class of performance. Incidentally, Samsung's Galaxy S25+ (model not yet announced in Japan) was presented as a rival at the new product presentation.
The display is 6.67" with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels, allowing games to be displayed in higher definition. The refresh rate is up to 120 Hz, and the touch sampling rate is up to 2,560 Hz during game play. The maximum brightness is 3,200 nits and 1,800 nits even in normal operation. It is also equipped with a 32-megapixel front camera.
The main camera has a 50-megapixel wide-angle, a 50-megapixel 2.5x telephoto, and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle. The telephoto camera also has high image quality, so the camera will have a wide range of uses as a smartphone for everyday use.
The battery is 5,300 mAh and supports 120W fast charging. A dedicated fast charger is also included in the package. The time required for a full charge is 34 minutes.
Measuring 160.26 x 74.95 x 8.39 mm, it weighs 212g. The advanced cooling system "LiquidCool Technology 4.0" is built into this size. The cooling mechanism is divided between the camera and the chipset side, allowing for more effective cooling. It is effective in lowering the chipset temperature by 3 degrees Celsius.
The OS is HyperOS 2.0 based on Android 15, which also includes AI functions. The POCO series is developed as a gaming model, but it has more than enough performance for use as a general smartphone. It also has an excellent price/performance ratio, making it a good choice as a high-end smartphone for everyday use.
For gaming, the POCO series offers a comfortable gaming experience through various tuning and the use of a proprietary chip. The "VisionBoost D7" chip, the first in the POCO series, enhances graphics and saves power. It is a graphics chip that complements the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
When we played "KNIVES OUT" and "Genshin Impact," we found that we were able to play at high resolutions and high frame rates. The effect does not diminish even after about an hour of play.
The game is so comfortable that it makes me want to use an external gamepad to play it more seriously. POCO has not released any gaming accessories, but we hope they will introduce a gamepad.
In addition to the graphics chip, the game's movements are made possible by the software AI technology "WildBoost Optimization 4.0". WildBoost Optimization 4.0" uses AI to effectively control the efficiency of the CPU and GPU, ensuring smooth game play even in the most advanced games. The graphics are rendered smoothly with a frame rate complement of up to 120 FPS. The proprietary image algorithm enables 2K resolution rendering, which increases the original native resolution of the game for a clearer display.
During gameplay, swipe from the upper left corner of the screen toward the center to display the Game Turbo function in a pop-up window. This function prioritizes the allocation of CPU and GPU resources during game play and turns off notifications for smoother gameplay. It also enhances the response time of touch operation and tracking to favor action games.
Each of the settings that can be enhanced by Game Turbo can be customized. You can also choose the optimal parameters for each game. This allows you to take gaming smartphone usability to the extreme.
The high performance of the camera is also attractive. The main camera's 50-megapixel sensor uses Light Fusion 800. The telephoto camera, also 50 megapixels, is POCO's first high-telephoto lens, and its floating lens makes high-magnification photography a breeze. The floating lens allows for high-magnification photography without difficulty, and its performance is on par with flagship smartphones from other manufacturers.
The POCO F7 Ultra is available in two color variations, with the black model having a different color on the camera and back, accented with an orange line on the camera bump. The yellow model with its bold yellow color is clad in the image color of the POCO brand, while the black model is also cool with its cool image.
A notable feature of the camera is the telemacro function of the telephoto camera. The minimum shooting distance is 10 cm, which is suitable for photographing figures and small objects.
The photo booth at the presentation venue was a dark place, but the 50-megapixel camera was able to capture bright and clear images.
The POCO F7 Pro is also seamless.
Let me briefly introduce the POCO F7 Pro. The chipset is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, one generation earlier, with the same display performance. The front camera has 20 megapixels. Pricing...
- 12GB + 256GB model: 69,980 yen
- 12GB + 512GB model: 79,980 yen
... and is more affordable than the POCO F7 Ultra.
It also has a VisionBoost D7 chip and WildBoost Optimization 4.0 feature. The cameras are 50-megapixel wide-angle and 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle with no telephoto, but they are adequate for a gaming machine. There are no yellow colors, but black, blue, and silver. This model also has sufficient performance for a game machine.
▼ Photo & Written by Yasuhiro Yamane Blog: http://www.hkyamane.com/ X: https://x.com/hkyamane/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ hkyamane_mobile/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/yamaneyasuhiro/ Note: https://note.com/hkyamane/