POCO F7 Ultra review: The best bargain of 2025

POCO managed to carve out a niche in the budget and mid-range categories by delivering value-focused phones, and devices like the X7 Pro exemplify this trait. If anything, POCO is doing a better job in this area than its Redmi sister brand, and this is clearly evident in the mid-range, where last year’s F6 Pro is still a fantastic choice.

The brand is doing things a little differently in 2025; while it’s still launching the F7 Pro, the focus this year is the F7 Ultra — its most powerful phone yet. The F7 Ultra is a definite statement from POCO that it can produce a phone that can hold its own against the best that OPPO, Vivo, Google, and Honor have to offer.

With the latest Qualcomm silicon, a QHD panel, 5300mAh silicon battery, and 120W charging, the F7 Ultra has a solid foundation, but its the cameras where the device truly stands out. POCO admitted in the past that cameras aren’t the biggest priority for the brand, and while its phones took decent photos, they didn’t measure up to their immediate rivals.

That’s changing with the F7 Ultra; the phone has a 50MP main camera with a Light Fusion 800 imaging module, and it’s joined by a 50MP telephoto with 2.5x optical zoom, and 32MP wide-angle lens. The best part is the price, with the phone debuting at $649, undercutting its rivals by a sizeable amount.

I used the F7 Ultra for just over two weeks, and here’s why I think it is the best value-focused flagship you can buy in 2025.

POCO F7 Ultra: Pricing and availability

POCO unveiled the F7 Pro and F7 Ultra on March 27, 2025, and both devices will go on sale in select regions in Southeast Asia, the U.K., and other global markets in the coming weeks. The F7 Ultra is sold in yellow and black color variants, and POCO is selling it in two models: the base edition has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it costs $649. There’s also a 16GB/512GB model that costs $699.

To incentivize the launch, POCO is selling the 12GB/256GB F7 Ultra at $599, and the 16GB/512GB edition at $649. Considering there’s just a $50 difference between the two, I’d suggest getting the 512GB model — that’s the one I’m using.

The F7 Pro has the same design, same panel, same 50MP main camera, and a bigger 6000mAh battery. It misses out on the auxiliary cameras and isn’t quite as fast, but otherwise, there isn’t much in the way of difference between the two devices. The F7 Pro is debuting in black, silver, and blue, and the blue variant is the one to get.

It’s available with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, retailing for $499. The 12GB/512GB edition costs $549, and just like the F7 Ultra, POCO is discounting either model of the F7 Pro by $50 during the launch window.

POCO F7 Ultra: Design

While Xiaomi’s phones now have a semblance of design consistency between generations, that hasn’t trickled down to POCO’s devices. 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 using the same design on the F7 Pro as well, so at least both models have similarities — which wasn’t the case last year on the standard POCO F6.

The F7 Ultra has flat sides, but the beveled edges make it comfortable to hold and use the device, and the back curves slightly where it meets the mid-frame. There’s a new design for the camera housing at the back, and it doesn’t quite stand out as much; it’s just a circular design that houses the three imaging modules, with the flash sitting on the right.

There is a steel ring encircling the camera island, and a yellow accent around the housing that gives it a little flair, but overall, it doesn’t have the same bold characteristics that defined POCO’s previous phones in this series. Talking about bold, the yellow color definitely stands out, and the matte texture at the back has a great in-hand feel, and doesn’t pick up any smudges.

I like the yellow color scheme in general — it makes the device that much more distinctive — and while the back looks great, the sides are rather plain, and I think POCO should have color-matched the sides to deliver a more cohesive design. POCO did that with the F7 Pro, which has a silver back and sides, so I’m not really sure why it didn’t on the Ultra variant.

That said, POCO did the right thing by using matte sides, and it makes holding the phone a little easier. The mid-frame is aluminum, and coming in at 212g, the phone has a nice heft to it. There’s good weight distribution as well, and it never once felt unwieldy. The rest of the features are standard; you get a dual-SIM tray, power and volume buttons on the right, and stereo sound.

Interestingly, POCO is using an ultrasonic module on the F7 Ultra, and it is located at just the right position. The module is fast and doesn’t have any issues, and it holds up just as well with wet or oily fingers. Rounding out the design, the F7 Ultra gets IP68 dust and water resistance, and it can be easily submerged in up to 2.5 meters of water — higher than the 1.5-meter restriction that’s on most phones.

The F7 Ultra isn’t quite as flamboyant as a few POCO phones I used in the past, but it has a good in-hand feel, and it’s clearly built to last, and that’s what ultimately matters.

POCO F7 Ultra: Display

POCO has used 6.67-inch displays for a while now, and that isn’t changing with the F7 Ultra; the phone has the same size and 3200 x 1440 resolution. There’s Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and the panel is noticeably brighter this time — I didn’t see any issues using it outdoors.

Colors are vibrant out of the box, and POCO knows how to calibrate these panels at the factory. That has always been a plus point on the brand’s devices, and that hasn’t changed. You get good customizability with the colors as well; the Original colour Pro is set out of the box, and the device has Vivid and Saturated modes alongside color-accurate P3 and Adobe sRGB. Of course, you can also adjust the color balance according to your tastes.

The phone is set to FHD+ and auto refresh out of the box, so you will need to dive into the settings to change these two to QHD+ and 120Hz to make the most out of the device. A new feature that’s debuting this time is circular polarization technology, which delivers a more natural light. It is similar to what Honor did on the Magic 7 Pro, and it is noticeable when using the device next to the F6 Pro.

The F7 Ultra also gets 3840Hz PWM dimming, and this is a welcome move. Xiaomi and other Chinese brands are doing all the right things when it comes to eye care on their devices, and it’s good to see the F7 Ultra get the full suite of features. Xiaomi’s always-on styles aren’t quite as extensive as what you get with ColorOS or Funtouch OS, but you get a decent selection, and you can choose to have the mode enabled throughout the day or set up a custom schedule.

Interestingly, the F7 Ultra gets a dedicated VisionBoost D7 chip that optimizes video playback and delivers smoother visuals while gaming, with POCO positioning 120fps gaming as a clear differentiator. On that subject, gaming is a delight on the device, with the phone able to handle demanding titles without any hassle whatsoever.