Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro

At Rs. 139,999, the Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro is strong value for buyers who care most about performance and the screen. GSMArena calls it "an excellent bang for the buck offer" and the most powerful phone around its price.

• Strengths: the fast Dimensity 8400 Ultra with stable sustained performance, a bright 1.5K 120Hz AMOLED screen, 90W charging, IP68 dust and water resistance, Gorilla Glass 7i, fast UFS 4.0 storage, stereo speakers and an IR blaster.
• Weaknesses: a weak ultrawide and selfie camera, no headphone jack, no microSD slot, more bloatware than clean Android skins, and a back finish that stains easily.

The Oppo Reno 16F (Rs. 139,495) is the better choice for photography, with a 3.5x telephoto and a much better selfie camera, but it is far slower for gaming. Verdict: if gaming, speed and display matter more than cameras, the Poco X7 Pro is one of the best buys at this price.

The Poco X7 Pro has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen at 1220 x 2712 pixels with a 120Hz refresh rate, 68 billion colours (12-bit), Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, up to 1400 nits in high brightness mode and 3200 nits peak. Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protects it.

In daily use it is visibly brighter than many rivals, colours look rich, and HDR videos stand out. Text is sharp thanks to the 1.5K resolution, and the 120Hz rate makes scrolling and games feel fluid. 1920Hz PWM dimming helps users who are sensitive to flicker at low brightness. There is no real weakness here for the price.

The Dimensity 8400 Ultra (4nm) with the Mali-G720 MC7 GPU and UFS 4.0 storage makes the Poco X7 Pro the fastest phone in its class. GSMArena lists flagship-level performance, including sustained performance, among its pros.

• Gaming: Genshin Impact runs at a stable 60fps on high settings, and PUBG averages about 118fps with fully smooth frame pacing.
• Heat: it runs 3–4°C warmer than some rivals under gaming load, but stays comfortable. Even after five benchmark runs and 30 minutes of 4K 60fps recording in the sun, it peaked at about 45°C.
• Everyday use: apps open quickly and HyperOS 2 feels smooth with heavy multitasking.

For gamers, this is the main reason to buy it.

The main camera is a 50 MP f/1.5 sensor with OIS, paired with an 8 MP ultrawide and a 20 MP selfie camera.

• Daylight: punchy, pleasing colours, and the green tint of the older X6 Pro is fixed. Dynamic range can be hit or miss.
• Night: an impressive performer, with detailed shots and good exposure control.
• Ultrawide: a yellowish tint and limited detail; GSMArena also calls it so-so.
• Portraits and selfies: passable for social media stories but no better. GSMArena calls the selfie camera one of the worst it has tested recently.
• Video: the rear camera records up to 4K at 60fps. Clips look sharp when still but wobble while walking; 4K at 30fps gives steadier results. GSMArena rated the video stabilisation excellent, so opinions differ. The front camera is limited to 1080p at 30fps.

The global Poco X7 Pro has a 6000 mAh silicon-carbon battery, while the India-only model has 6550 mAh. The silicon-carbon cell keeps the phone flat and comfortable despite the capacity.

Real-world endurance is good: more than a day of normal use, and around 8 hours of screen time with heavy use. GSMArena found battery life okay but lower than the capacity suggests, so opinions differ.

It supports 90W wired charging and reverse wired charging. The official figure is 100% in 42 minutes, though in practice a full refill takes longer than on some faster-charging rivals. The 90W charger comes in the box in many markets, but not in the EU. There is no wireless charging.

The phone runs HyperOS 2 on Android 15. It is more refined than older Xiaomi software, and GSMArena praised its smoothness and AI options.

• Bloatware: there are more preinstalled apps than on cleaner Android skins, so expect some clean-up after setup.
• Updates: the Poco X7 Pro is promised three major Android upgrades (up to Android 18) and four years of security patches. Some rivals offer longer security support.
• Extras: an IR blaster, an optical in-display fingerprint reader and an X-axis vibration motor. GSMArena notes there is no eSIM support.

Buyers who dislike Xiaomi's software style should try it in a shop before buying.