Launched in India last month, the Poco M7 5G is the latest entry-level smartphone from Xiaomi’s performance-focused subsidiary. The phone is priced under Rs. 10,000 mark, it comes with an octa-core Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC, 128GB inbuilt storage, 50-megapixel rear camera, and runs Android 14. It will compete with similarly priced smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy F06 5G, Xiaomi’s Redmi A4 and Redmi 14C 5G, Infinix Hot 50 5G, Tecno Spark 30C and Lava Blaze 3 5G.
The base model of Poco M7 5G is priced at Rs. 9,999 while the 8GB variant is priced at Rs 9,999. 10,999. Poco sells the smartphone in three colours. But is this the best budget smartphone you can buy today? Read our Poco M7 5G review to find out.
Poco M7 5G design: It’s hard to spot the difference
- Dimensions – 171.9×77.8×8.2 mm
- Weight – 205.4g
- Colors – Mint Green, Ocean Blue (selected for this review), Satin Black
The Poco M7 5G has a 6.88-inch display and is quite a big phone. The lower half of the phone’s back panel has a matte finish, while the upper half (which also houses the 50-megapixel rear camera) has a glossy finish. The back panel and raised camera island are made of plastic, the latter of which gleams when held at different angles.
Poco M7 5G back semi-matte semi-glossy design
If you’ve seen last year’s Redmi A4 or Redmi 14C 5G, the new Poco M7 5G should feel very familiar. All three phones have the same display size and dimensions, while both the Poco M7 5G and Redmi 14C 5G weigh 204.5 grams. At first glance, the only way to identify the Poco phone among the three models is to look for the semi-matte, semi-glossy design on the back panel.
On the front, the Poco M7 5G sports an LCD screen with thicker bezels on the top, left and right edges, and a thicker chin. The waterdrop notch at the top houses the selfie camera and the front of the smartphone is identical to the aforementioned Redmi phone.
The edges of the Poco phone are made of plastic, with a volume rocker and power button on the right side, a USB Type-C port on the bottom, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the top edge. The review unit we received did not include a screen protector or cover. You get a 33W power adapter, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, and a SIM card ejection tool.
Poco M7 5G software: Older Android version, pre-installed apps
- Software-HyperOS
- Version – Android 14
- Latest security patch – January 1, 2025
Poco M7 5G runs Android 14 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS skin. It’s a bit disappointing that Google released Android 15 six months after this release. The company says the Poco M7 5G will receive two Android OS updates (which means its last major update will be Android 16) and four years of security updates.
Poco M7 5G comes with some pre-installed apps (click to expand)
The HyperOS skin seems to be optimized for running on the Poco M7 5G, and switching to previous apps and back feels smooth. The device we received had 6GB of RAM, with memory expansion turned off by default.
Like other smartphones in its price range, the Poco M7 5G comes with some pre-installed apps and games. These include Spotify, Snapchat, LinkedIn, WPS Office, Facebook, Word Scenery: Crossword, Jewels Blast, Tile Fun and some bubble shooter games.
They are located in folders called More Apps and Games, which also prompt you to install apps like Junglee Rummy, Ludo Supreme, MPL, and Dream11. These applications can be uninstalled and disappear after the folder contents are emptied. You’ll also need to disable ads on various system apps to prevent full-screen ads from being displayed when opening these apps.
Poco M7 5G performance: Value for money
- Processor – Snapdragon 4 Gen 2
- Memory – up to 8GB LPDDR4x
- Storage – 128GB UFS 2.2
Inside the Poco M7 5G there is a 4nm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip – the same processor found in the Redmi 14C, which houses two Cortex-A78 cores (2.2GHz) and six Cortex-A55 cores (1.95GHz), along with an Adreno 613 GPU. The chipset is slightly more powerful than the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 SoC on the Redmi A4 and can handle popular apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).
Poco M7 5G’s performance is on par with similarly priced smartphones (Click to expand)
Games like Temple Run 2 and Asphalt Legends Unite run without any issues on default settings. I also ran Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and it ran fine on Smooth settings and the Ultra High Framerate option. The phone doesn’t have a gyroscope, so you’ll need to adjust it when moving your character in the game.
We also ran benchmark tests to see how the Poco M7 5G performed against rivals like the Redmi A4 5G, Moto G35, and the more expensive HMD Fusion (also powered by the same chipset).
| Benchmark | Poco M7 5G | Motorola G35 | Head-mounted display fusion | Redmi A4 5G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench standalone | 923 | 1,012 people | Chapter 937 | Chapter 839 |
| Geekbench more | 2,195 | 2,403 | 2,245 people | 1919 |
| PCMark Works 3.0 | 8,030 | 13,920 | 8,503 | 8,782 |
| AnTuTu v10 | 4,33,660 | 4,94,364 | 4,48,378 | 3,87,157 |
| GFXB Tyrannosaurus rex | 57 | 70 | 70 | 55 |
| GFXB Manhattan 3.1 | 36 | 33 | 37 | 28 |
| GFXB racing chase | 16 | 18 | No. 17 | 15 |
| 3DM Slingshot ExtremeOpenGL | Run failed | 2,590 people | 1,775 | 1,560 people |
| 3DM slingshot | Run failed | 3,379 | 2,712 | 2,409 |
| 3DM Wildlife | Chapter 668 | Not supported | Chapter 673 | Chapter 647 |
| 3DM Wild Animals Unlimited | Chapter 666 | Not supported | Chapter 669 | Run failed |
The 6.88-inch HD+ (720×1640 pixels) IPS LCD screen on the Poco M7 5G has a 120Hz refresh rate. While there’s an automatic mode that switches between 60Hz and 120Hz, you can also manually select one of the two modes. I enabled the standard color scheme in the display settings, which improved color accuracy.
The display on the Poco M7 5G is bright enough for most outdoor scenarios
Poco says the phone’s display has a peak brightness of 450 nits (600 nits in high-brightness mode). When you’re outdoors during the day, the screen gets bright enough, unless you’re using the phone when it’s sunny outside.
Poco M7 5G camera: good daytime photos
- Main camera – 50 megapixel (f/1.8), PDAF, up to 1080p/30fps video
- Selfie camera – 8 megapixels
The 50-megapixel main camera on the Poco M7 5G has phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and f/1.8 aperture. The camera takes bright and sharp photos in daylight with accurate color reproduction. Even when zoomed in, the images captured by the rear camera have a lot of detail.
From top to bottom: Example of main rear camera, 2x zoom, portrait (click to expand)
The main camera has a 2x in-sensor crop option, allowing you to zoom in on distant subjects. When there is sufficient natural light, this mode can capture subjects that are slightly further away, resulting in decent photos.
While capturing images with the Poco M7 5G, I noticed that the camera app captured images quickly in its default mode. Unlike some other budget phones that take some time to capture each photo, the Poco M7 5G saved each image as soon as I pressed the shutter button.
If you’re shooting images in a low-light scene, I recommend using the default photo mode (when possible) unless your subject is completely still or the surroundings are very dark. Images of animals and other moving subjects captured using the default mode have more detail (and more noise), but it’s better softened than images captured with Night Mode enabled.
Low light samples (click to expand)
The default camera app has two other modes – 50MP and Portrait. The former captures very detailed images and takes a while to save them before the camera is ready to take another photo. However, if you want to capture images with a lot of detail and don’t mind the extra storage required for those photos, I recommend the 50-megapixel mode.
Without support for image stabilization, Poco M7 5G can experience jittery videos captured during the day and night when using the rear or front camera. If you have a handheld gimbal, you may be able to mitigate this. You can record videos up to 1080p at 30 fps using the rear camera and selfie shooter.
Poco M7 5G battery: lasts a day and a half on a single charge
- Battery capacity – 5,160mAh
- Wired charging – 18W (USB Type-C)
The combination of the 5,160mAh battery and the efficient Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC on the Poco M7 5G is enough to deliver over a day and a half of battery life. This includes calling and texting (with WhatsApp in companion device mode), some light gaming, browsing Instagram and X, and streaming videos on YouTube.
Poco M7 5G does not come with a protective case in the box
In our HD video battery cycle test, the Poco M7 5G lasted 23 hours and 10 minutes. Keep in mind that this is a synthetic test, so real-world usage will vary based on actual usage. The phone comes with a 33W charger, but the phone can only charge at 18W. A full charge takes approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Poco M7 5G: Final thoughts
At Rs. Priced at 9,999, the Poco M7 5G is one of the best value for money products in India right now. It supports 5G connectivity, has a familiar design, and offers decent camera performance during the day. Battery life and charging speed are also on par with other similarly priced smartphones.
Disappointingly, the Poco M7 5G launched with Android 14, while Android 15 has been out for a few months, while its biggest rival, the Samsung Galaxy F06 5G, ships with the latest version and is expected to get four Android OS version upgrades. Other alternatives to the Poco M7 5G include the Redmi A4 (review), Redmi 14C 5G, and Moto G35 (review).
