Xiaomi POCO X7 Pro 5G

The Budget Gaming Champion Returns

Here's a number that should make flagship brands nervous: 1,827,426. That's the AnTuTu score of a phone that costs ₹21,999. The POCO X7 Pro doesn't just compete with phones in its price range — it obliterates them.

When POCO launched in India on January 9, 2025, they made a promise: "the most powerful smartphone under ₹30,000." After weeks of testing, here's the reality check — they weren't lying. But there's a catch, and it involves your selfies.

Quick Take Box

What it is: India's first Dimensity 8400 Ultra phone — a performance monster at mid-range pricing.

Who it's for: Mobile gamers who want Genshin at 60fps, power users who juggle 20 apps, and anyone tired of "budget compromises."

Reality check: The cameras are aggressively mediocre. If Instagram is your life, look elsewhere.

Design & Build — Finally, POCO Gets IP Rating Right

The X7 Pro marks a first for POCO: proper water resistance. IP68 for dust and water, plus IP69 for high-pressure jets. In a country where monsoons can strike mid-commute, this matters more than most spec sheets suggest.

Build quality is solid but not premium. The Gorilla Glass 7i front survives drops better than competitors, but that plastic back — even in the nice vegan leather Yellow variant — doesn't scream "₹25,000 phone." It screams "practical."

Dimensions (160.8 x 75.2 x 8.3mm) feel comfortable for extended gaming sessions. At 195g (198g for leather), it's neither a brick nor a wafer. The camera bump is significantly smaller than the X6 Pro, which means less wobble on flat surfaces.

Design verdict: Function over fashion, and I'm not complaining.

Display — The Reason You'll Forgive Everything Else

This is where POCO stopped playing fair. A 6.67-inch 1.5K AMOLED with 3200 nits peak brightness? That's OnePlus 13 territory. That's iPhone 16 Pro territory. And it's on a phone that costs less than a nice dinner for two in Bangalore.

The numbers:

1. Resolution: 2712 x 1220 (1.5K)
2. Refresh rate: 120Hz adaptive (down to 30Hz for battery)
3. Touch sampling: 480Hz (2560Hz instant)
4. Color depth: 12-bit with 68 billion colors
5. HDR10+ and Dolby Vision certified

Real-world translation? Netflix looks stunning. YouTube HDR content pops like it should. And gaming — we'll get there — is buttery smooth with no visible ghosting.

The 1920Hz PWM dimming deserves a mention. During late-night gaming sessions, eye strain was noticeably less compared to my daily driver. That's not marketing speak; that's measurable comfort.

Display verdict: Best in class under ₹50,000. Not a typo. Moving on.

Performance — Where Things Get Interesting

The MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra is doing something unusual: making budget phones embarrassingly fast. This is the world's first phone with this chip, and POCO chose wisely.

Benchmark Numbers:

1. AnTuTu v10: 1,827,426 (some tests hit 1.9M)
2. Geekbench 6 Single: 1,602
3. Geekbench 6 Multi: 6,345
4. 3DMark Wild Life Extreme: 3,994

For context, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — last year's flagship chip — scores around 1.8M on AnTuTu. You're getting flagship performance at mid-range prices. That's not marketing; that's math.

All-Big-Core Architecture: The 8400 Ultra ditches efficiency cores entirely. It's running 8x Cortex-A725 cores (1x 3.25GHz, 3x 3.0GHz, 4x 2.1GHz). This design prioritizes performance, and it shows.

But here's the catch...

Thermal Management — The Honest Truth:

POCO's 5000mm² vapor chamber cooling works. Kind of. In my Genshin Impact tests at highest settings:

1. 0-15 minutes: Stable 60fps, phone at 38°C
2. 15-20 minutes: Still 60fps, creeping to 42°C
3. 20+ minutes: Thermal throttle kicks in, drops to 45fps at 44-45°C

Is 45fps bad? No. Is it the promised 60fps? Also no. For 20-minute gaming sessions, you're golden. Marathon three-hour sessions will see throttling.

Real-World Gaming Performance:

1. Genshin Impact (High/60fps): Excellent for first 20 minutes, stable 45fps after throttle
2. PUBG Mobile: 60fps HDR stable (120fps not optimized for MediaTek yet)
3. BGMI: Same as PUBG — 60fps ceiling for now
4. Mobile Legends: 120fps butter smooth
5. COD Mobile: Max settings, zero issues

The 120fps Problem: Here's what POCO doesn't advertise — games like PUBG and Fortnite aren't optimized for 120fps on MediaTek chips yet. You'll hit 60fps ceiling regardless of hardware capability. This isn't POCO's fault; it's game developers prioritizing Snapdragon.

Performance verdict: Fastest phone under ₹30,000. Period. Just don't expect hour-long gaming sessions at peak performance.

Camera System — The Compromise You'll Feel

Let's be blunt: the POCO X7 Pro camera is the weakest link. Not broken, not bad — just aggressively average for a phone this otherwise impressive.

Main Camera (50MP Sony LYT-600/IMX882, f/1.5, OIS):

Daylight photos are genuinely good. Wide dynamic range, accurate colors, solid detail. The OIS works well for handheld shots and video. 2x in-sensor zoom produces usable results — better than the X6 Pro.

Night mode? Here's where honesty hurts. Shots are soft, noise is visible, and the processing tries to compensate with over-sharpening. You can tell it's a ₹25,000 phone camera. Against the Realme 14 Pro+ (which has that periscope telephoto), you'll feel the gap.

Ultrawide (8MP SmartSens SC820, f/2.2, fixed focus):

Fixed focus on an ultrawide is a strange choice in 2025. Results are acceptable in good lighting, muddy in anything less. It's there for the spec sheet more than real utility.

Selfie Camera (20MP OmniVision OV20B, f/2.2):

Disappointing. Video calls are fine, but detailed selfies — especially in low light — show why POCO cut corners here. If you're choosing between this and the OnePlus Nord CE 5 purely for selfies, the OnePlus wins.

Video:

1. 4K@60fps with OIS+EIS — stable, detailed, impressive
2. 1080p@60fps for all cameras
3. Dual video mode for vloggers

Camera verdict: Daylight shooter only. Good enough for Instagram stories, not good enough for serious photography.

Battery & Charging — India Gets the Upgrade

Global X7 Pro: 6000mAh. India X7 Pro: 6550mAh.

Thank the silicon-carbon tech for cramming an extra 550mAh without adding bulk. In real-world use:

1. Screen-on time: 9-11 hours (mixed use)
2. Gaming drain: ~10% per 20 minutes (Genshin, high settings)
3. Standby: Excellent, thanks to aggressive background app management

GSMArena's endurance testing showed 12h 43m active use on the 6000mAh global variant. The India model should push that to 14+ hours.

90W HyperCharge:

1. 0-50%: ~17 minutes
2. 0-100%: ~47 minutes (POCO claims 45)
3. 1600 charge cycles with 80% capacity retention

The charger is included in India. EU buyers aren't so lucky.

Battery verdict: Two-day phone for moderate users. Heavy gamers will hit one full day comfortably.

Software & Updates — HyperOS 2 Has Grown Up

Based on Android 15, HyperOS 2 feels significantly more polished than MIUI 14. Animations are smoother, the control center is less cluttered, and AI features actually work.

What's Good:

1. WildBoost 3.0 gaming optimization
2. AI Interpreter for live call translation
3. AI Notes and Recorder
4. 1.5K AI Super Resolution for Genshin Impact
5. Clean notification management

What's Not:

1. Bloatware still ships pre-installed (GetApps, Mi Browser, Games)
2. Ads in system apps (disable in settings, but annoying)
3. No eSIM support

Update Commitment: 3 years Android updates + 4 years security patches. Given the January 2025 launch, expect Android 18 support by 2028.

Marketing Claims vs Reality

Claim: "Flagship-grade performance at mid-range price" Reality: AnTuTu 1.8M+ matches Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Claim valid. Verdict: ✅ True

Claim: "Runs Genshin Impact at 60fps" Reality: Yes, for 15-20 minutes. Then thermal throttling drops it to 45fps. Verdict: ⚠️ Partial

Claim: "India's largest mid-range battery" Reality: 6550mAh is indeed the biggest in the sub-₹30K segment. Verdict: ✅ True

Claim: "IP68 + IP69 water resistance" Reality: Tested in rain, survived splashes. Don't swim with it. Verdict: ✅ True

Claim: "50MP OIS camera for professional-grade photos" Reality: Daylight is good. Night mode is average. "Professional-grade" is a stretch. Verdict: ⚠️ Partial

The Competition — What Else Should You Consider?

OnePlus Nord CE 5 (₹24,499):

1. Dimensity 8350 Apex — slightly weaker than 8400 Ultra
2. Better selfie camera and OxygenOS experience
3. Smaller battery (5500mAh)
4. Choose if: You prioritize software polish over raw power

Realme 14 Pro+ (₹29,999):

1. Snapdragon 7S Gen 3 — significantly weaker performance
2. Superior camera with periscope telephoto (3x optical zoom)
3. Colour-changing back panel (gimmick but cool)
4. Choose if: Photography matters more than gaming

iQOO Neo 10 (₹36,999):

1. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 — genuinely faster
2. 144Hz display, 120W charging
3. ₹15,000 more expensive
4. Choose if: Budget stretches and you want no compromises

The Verdict: Under ₹25,000, nothing beats the X7 Pro for gaming. The Realme 14 Pro+ is the camera alternative. Everything else is a compromise.

Common Questions About POCO X7 Pro

Q: Is POCO X7 Pro worth ₹21,999 in 2026? A: Absolutely. You're getting 2024 flagship-tier performance at a price that was mid-range in 2023. Unless cameras are your priority, this is the best value phone in India.

Q: Can POCO X7 Pro run Genshin Impact at 60fps without heating? A: For 15-20 minute sessions, yes. Extended gaming triggers thermal throttling that drops performance to 45fps — still playable, but not the advertised 60fps.

Q: POCO X7 Pro vs OnePlus Nord CE 5 — which is better for gaming? A: POCO X7 Pro. The Dimensity 8400 Ultra significantly outperforms the Nord CE 5's Dimensity 8350 Apex in both benchmarks and real-world gaming tests.

Q: Does POCO X7 Pro have heating issues? A: During intensive gaming, temperatures reach 42-45°C. Not dangerous, but noticeable. The phone throttles performance to prevent damage — this is normal thermal management, not a defect.

Q: How long will POCO X7 Pro receive updates? A: 3 years of Android OS updates (up to Android 18) and 4 years of security patches, ending in 2029.

Final Thoughts — The Twist You Didn't See Coming

Here's the controversial take: the POCO X7 Pro might be too good for its price.

Think about it. At ₹21,999, this phone runs Genshin Impact better than an iPhone 15. It has a better display than phones at ₹40,000. It has longer battery life than almost anything under ₹50,000.

The camera is the only real compromise. And honestly? For a gaming phone that costs less than a PlayStation 5, average cameras feel like an acceptable trade-off.

Who should buy:

1. Mobile gamers who want flagship performance without flagship prices
2. Power users who need all-day battery and fast charging
3. Anyone upgrading from a 2-3 year old mid-ranger

Who should skip:

1. Photography enthusiasts (get Realme 14 Pro+ instead)
2. People who hate bloatware and won't spend 10 minutes disabling it
3. Users who need 120fps in PUBG (wait for Snapdragon optimization)

At ₹21,999, the POCO X7 Pro isn't just a good phone. It's proof that you don't need to spend ₹60,000 to get a flagship experience. The "flagship killer" is back, and it's brought receipts.