Poco has unveiled its latest entry-level 5G smartphone in India – the POCO M7 5G. A successor to last year’s POCO M6, the POCO M7 5G competes with the likes of the Samsung F06/ M06 5G, Redmi 14C, and Moto G35. On paper, the phone seems very promising with a 120Hz display, the powerful Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, a 50MP Sony IMX852 primary camera, and a hefty 5,160 mAh battery with 18W fast charging support.
Poco M7 5G
Rs 9,999
What Is Good?
- Battery life
- Snappy performance
- 120Hz display
What Is Bad?
- Bloatware, only 2 OS updates
- Large and bulky
Is the POCO M7 5G a great budget-friendly 5G smartphone? Does it deserve your hard-earned money? Let’s find out in our review:
Pricing and Availability
The POCO M7 5G will go on sale via Flipkart from March 7th in two storage and RAM options, which are listed below:
| Variant | Price |
| 6GB RAM + 128GB Storage | Rs 9,999 |
| 8GB RAM + 128GB Storage | Rs 10,999 |
The handset is available in three colours – Satin Black, Mint Green, and Ocean Blue. It must be noted that the Rs 9,999 starting price is a special price for the first day of the sale.
Design and Display
The POCO M7 looks very similar to its sister smartphone, the Redmi 14C. There is a massive circular camera module at the back with a glossy, satin-like finish. The upper half of the backplate also has a glossy mirror finish, which attracts a lot of fingerprints. Thankfully, the rest of the backplate and the side panels have a matte finish.
All in all, the phone feels quite premium, especially considering its price. That said, with a 6.88-inch display and fairly large bezels, the phone is very large and cumbersome. It is quite heavy, too, and one-handed use is next to impossible.
Other features of note include an IP52 dust and water resistance rating, which should protect the phone from minor water splashes; a 3.5mm audio jack, which is becoming a rarity in smartphones these days; and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which is fast and quite reliable.
A dedicated microSD card slot instead of the usual hybrid SIM/SD combo is appreciated. The single-firing speaker is loud and clear but lacks bass and depth.
| Design | Specifications |
| Weight | 205 grams |
| Thickness | 8.22mm |
| Colours | Satin Black, Mint Green, and Ocean Blue |
| IP Rating | IP52 |
| Port and Button Placements | Bottom: Primary microphone, USB-C port, Speaker grille
Top: 3.5mm audio jack Right Side: Power and volume buttons Left Side: SIM tray |
POCO claims the 6.88-inch HD+ display is the largest in the sub Rs 10,000 segment, and its size makes it ideal for media consumption on the go. Despite being an LCD panel, the colours are punchy, and the 120Hz refresh rate makes reading books, scrolling through webpages, and viewing videos a pleasant experience. You can manually set the refresh rate to 120Hz or choose the ‘Default’ option, which adjusts the refresh rate dynamically based on usage.
With a peak brightness of 600 Nits, the POCO M7 is perfectly usable indoors, but outdoor legibility, especially in bright sunlight, is a bit of concern.
| Display | Specifications |
| Size | 6.88-inch |
| Type | LCD |
| Resolution | HD+ |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Peak Brightness | Claimed: 600 nits |
Performance and software
With the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, 6/ 8GB of RAM, and UFS 2.2 internal storage, the POCO M7 5G is pretty impressively specced for the price. Thanks to the two Cortex A78 cores, the POCO M7 posts above-average benchmark scores.
Day-to-day use, such as web browsing, scrolling social media applications, and consuming media, is pleasant. The overall performance is smooth and snappy, with the UFS storage helping accelerate load times. Gaming is also satisfactory, with casual titles like Subway Surfers and Asphalt running without hiccups. Even slightly advanced titles like Call of Duty are more than playable.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC |
| RAM | Up to 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Software Version | HyperOS based on Android 14 |
| Connectivity Details | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 |
On the software front, the POCO M7 comes with Xiaomi’s Hyper OS out of the box, which is based on Android 14. POCO promises 2 OS updates, which should take the phone to Android 16, and 4 years of security patches. While 4 years of security patches is commendable at this price point, the phone should have ideally shipped with Android 15.
The software is loaded with useful features like ‘Dual Apps’, which allows you to run two instances of the same app with different accounts, an ‘App Lock’, and ‘Game Turbo’, which claims to optimise performance, block notifications, and allocate more bandwidth to games running in the foreground. There is also a ‘Security’ app that allows you to clear cached data, scan for viruses, and ‘boost speed’ by clearing the memory.
The biggest letdowns are the amount of bloatware on board, the spammy notifications and ads. A ton of games are pre-installed and the phone tries to trick you into installing more when you first open the ‘GetApps’ app store. There are also ads littered throughout the UI, such as in the app drawer search bar and app recommendations in the system apps updater. Inbuilt apps like ‘Themes’ also spam you with notifications. Most of these recommendations can be turned off, but the process is not straightforward.
Cameras
The 50MP Sony IMX852 primary camera is a mixed bag. As long as the light is adequate, shots have decent detail and natural colours. However, as soon as the lighting becomes dim or inconsistent, the camera struggles, with shots appearing grainy and fuzzy. That said, night mode does help pull in more light.
It is more or less the same story with the 8MP selfie camera. It captures above-average detail in daylight but struggles in the dark. Video recording maxes out at 1080p 30fps.
| Camera | Specifications |
| Primary Camera | 50-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture |
| Secondary Camera | Auxiliary lens |
| Selfie Camera | 8-megapixel |
| Video Recording Capabilities | 1080p at 30fps |
Battery and charging
The POCO M7 5G comes with a 5,160mAh battery that supports 18W wired fast charging. We were impressed with the smartphone’s battery life. Thanks to the hefty battery and the efficient 4nm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, the phone easily lasted the whole day with moderate to heavy use.
| Battery | Specifications |
| Battery | 5,160mAh |
| Charging Adapter | 18W fast charging, 33W charger in the box |
| Charging Time (20 to 80%) | 1 hour |
| PCMark Battery Test | 20 hours and 25 minutes |
The standby time in our PC Mark Battery test was also above average, with the POCO M7 5G staying alive for 20 hours and 25 minutes. The phone took about an hour to charge from 20 percent to 80 percent with a standard USB power delivery charger.
Verdict
With a starting price of Rs 9,999, the POCO M7 5G is a good option for those looking for a 5G smartphone on a budget. Thanks to the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, the smartphone is fast and fluid and handles daily tasks with aplomb. The battery life is also more than adequate, and the 120Hz refresh rate is a notable addition.
On the flipside, the cameras are average at best, and the software is riddled with bloatware and spammy notifications. While the large 6.88-inch display is great for media consumption, it makes the phone bulky and cumbersome. The phone also ships with Android 14 and offers only two OS updates. Samsung offers 4 OS updates with the M06 5G and F06 5G in the same price range.
