The Poco M7 5G keeps things affordable at under ₹10,000, but it doesn’t look or feel like a typical budget phone. With a smooth 120Hz display, a big battery, and a clean design, it’s got some solid selling points. Of course, there are a few trade-offs—let’s see where it shines and where it falls short.
Poco M7 5G Design
The Poco M7 features a mix of matte and glossy finishes, blending subtlety with style. The Ocean Blue variant reviewed here has a premium feel, resembling the more expensive Realme Narzo 70 Pro from 2024.The glossy section of the back panel attracts fingerprints easily, accumulating smudges over time.
A big shift from its predecessor is the circular camera module, replacing the older rectangular design. There are four cutouts, one for the LED flash. The sides have a matte-finish plastic frame, with the power button and volume buttons on the right. The SIM tray on the left supports dual SIMs and microSD expansion. Up top, there’s a headphone jack, while the bottom houses a loudspeaker, microphone, and USB-C port.
Up front, there’s a 6.88-inch display with noticeable bezels and a teardrop notch for the selfie camera. There’s no Gorilla Glass protection, and Poco hasn’t confirmed if there’s any alternative.
At 205g and 8.22mm thick, the Poco M7 is on the larger side but stays manageable for those with bigger hands. With a case, it might feel a bit chunkier. The build feels solid, with no flex or creaks, and there’s also an IP52 rating for basic dust and water resistance.
Poco M7 5G Display
The Poco M7 5G comes with a 6.88-inch LCD display with HD+ resolution, slightly bigger than before. The real win is the 120Hz refresh rate, making swiping and scrolling feel super smooth. Colours look well-balanced, and brightness holds up outdoors without any issues.
Audio is handled by a single mono speaker, which gets loud enough, even if it’s not the clearest. There’s also a 150% volume boost for extra punch. Another solid upgrade is the in-display fingerprint sensor, replacing the side-mounted one from the Poco M6, and it’s been working reliably in testing.
Poco M7 5G Performance & Software
The Poco M7 packs a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 under the hood, with 6GB or 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage (plus microSD expansion if you need extra space). We tested the 8GB/128GB variant.
For a budget phone, performance is actually decent but the display routinely dips to 60Hz in apps, making the phone feel laggier than it really is. When it sticks to 90Hz or 120Hz, it’s smooth, but that doesn’t happen as often as it should.
The low-power chip means the phone barely gets warm, even while gaming. The skin temperature stays cool, and while gaming performance isn’t its strong suit, it holds up well for everyday scrolling and streaming.
In terms of software, the Poco M7 runs Android 14-based HyperOS out of the box, bringing plenty of customization. The built-in theme store lets you switch up wallpapers, fonts, and themes to match your vibe.
There’s a fair bit of bloatware, which isn’t great, and you will have to spend some time uninstalling the apps you don't want. Poco’s offering 2 years of OS updates and 4 years of security patches, which is reasonable for the price.
Poco M7 5G Camera
The camera setup on the Poco M7 5G includes a 50MP Sony IMX852 main sensor paired with a 2MP depth unit and a 5MP selfie snapper. Daylight shots look acceptable despite a general lack of details and sharpness, whereas the colours look oversaturated. Indoors and low-light shots have considerable noise, which you can counter only to an extent with night mode at the expense of stability.
As for selfies, they also lack clarity and skin tones might not look accurate. Overall, the POCO M7 photography capabilities are decent, nothing extraordinary, as expected from an entry-level smartphone. The phone can shoot videos at 1080p 30fps, but there’s no stabilization, so handheld footage can get pretty shaky. Keeping the phone steady is a must for smoother shots
Poco M7 5G Battery & Charging
The Poco M7 comes packed with a 5160mAh battery, delivering solid all-day endurance, even with a mix of scrolling, streaming, gaming, and snapping photos. In testing, it easily lasted until the evening with battery left to spare.
Casual users can push it even further, stretching into a second day without scrambling for a charger. It supports 18W wired fast charging, and Poco includes the adapter in the box. A full charge takes about 90 minutes, which isn’t the fastest out there, but it’s enough to keep things going without much downtime.
Poco M7 5G Review: Verdict
The Poco M7 Pro 5G is a solid option for anyone looking for a budget-friendly smartphone under ₹10,000. It nails the basics with a good display and strong battery life, making it a reliable daily driver.
Performance and software smoothness leave something to be desired, so power users might not be too thrilled. The cameras are pretty average, with image quality that varies a lot depending on lighting—especially in low light.
But at a starting price of ₹9,999, these trade-offs won’t be deal-breakers for most. For those who want a stylish, durable phone with a solid screen and battery, the Poco M7 5G is worth considering.
