As previously reported, Xiaomi Japan launched the " POCO F7 " gaming smartphone equipped with a high-performance chipset on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, and we have experienced its high cost performance by checking out the actual device.
"POCO F7" with Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is now available! Birth of a cosmetic smartphone with high-end performance!
The "POCO F7" is the last of the three basic models in the series, with the "POCO F7 Ultra" and "POCO F7 Pro" already on sale as higher-end models. However, just because it does not carry the Ultra or Pro names does not mean that its performance is inferior. It uses the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset and is sold at an unbeatable price in the 50,000 yen range. Moreover, the design of the device has been carefully considered.
Three colors are available: white, black, and Cyber Silver Edition. White and black are basic colors, while the Cyber Silver Edition features a cool design typical of gaming models. Instead of using a single color for the entire back, a translucent material is combined with a diagonal cut near the camera, through which you can almost see the inside of the device. The Snpadragon logo, the "50MP OIS" camera performance, and the indicator-like dots below it all add up to a futuristic design. In fact, the silver color is said to be the most popular of the three colors.
Since the POCO series is a gaming-ready model, it is equipped with a 6,000 mm2 3D dual-channel IceLoop system inside the main unit, which increases thermal conductivity by more than 20% and quickly dissipates the heat generated by the chipset. The 6.83-inch 2,772 x 1,280 pixel display has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which is a bit disappointing but adequate considering the price/performance ratio. The touch sampling rate is up to 480 Hz, and in game turbo mode, it can support an instantaneous 2,560 Hz.
Some past models in the POCO series had a touchpad on the side of the unit for gaming, but due to cost considerations, it is not currently installed on the unit. It may be a good idea to purchase a third-party gamepad to assist in this area. The main unit measures approximately 163.1 x 77.9 x 8.2 mm and weighs approximately 215.7 g. The sides of the body have a square cross-sectional shape with angled edges, and it is IP68 waterproof and dustproof.
The rear camera has two main cameras: a wide-angle one with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 sensor, plus an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle one. Although the camera performance has been reduced to the bare minimum, these two cameras will not be a problem in everyday shooting situations. The front camera built into the top of the display has a slightly higher image quality of 20 megapixels and can satisfactorily take selfies.
The battery is 6,500mAh, the largest in POCO's history, and can be used for 20 hours of continuous video playback. The battery supports 90W fast charging and can be charged to 80% in 30 minutes. It also supports reverse charging, which can charge other smartphones, with a high output of 22.5W. We actually tried charging other smartphones, and it did indeed charge them faster than slower chargers. This feature is useful enough for people who have multiple smartphones or when a friend's smartphone battery runs out. The ability to use a standard USB Type-C cable is also convenient.
Supports 12GB of memory and 256GB or 512GB of storage. The OS is the Xiaomi-developed HyperOS 2.0 based on Android 15. It also features seamless integration with smartphones and tablets running the same HyperOS.
AI functions are available for Google's Gemini, as well as for photo editing. The POCO series also includes "WildBoost Optimization 4.0," which uses AI to automatically control the CPU and GPU during gaming to optimize performance and battery consumption. It also enables higher resolution game screens for more beautiful graphics.
This is the camera UI. It is the same as on other Xiaomi smartphones, with a simple three-step magnification switch as standard, partly due to the lack of a telephoto camera.
With the introduction of this new model, the "POCO F7" series now consists of three models, and with the addition of the " POCO X7 Pro " and " POCO M7 5G " now on sale, the smartphone lineup now consists of five models, making it a major force among Xiaomi's models available in Japan. The "POCO X7 Pro" and "POCO M7 5G" are among the five smartphones in the lineup. In addition, the " POCO Pad " tablet is also available, making the POCO lineup alone a fun one to choose from. We look forward to the future development of the POCO series, which is widely recommended not only for gaming use but also for those who are looking for a product with excellent cost performance.
