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So, let’s talk about the POCO X7 Pro today! Unlike Redmi phones, I believe its little brother POCO is on the right track. They have priced it very well and now POCO phones create the same type of hype which we used to see with Redmi phones before!

So, yeah, POCO = Redmi from 5 years ago! And after using the POCO X7 Pro alongside my current best midrange phone, the OnePlus Nord 4, there are a lot of areas where POCO just kills the Nord 4. But there are still a few things, where buying the Nord 4 makes sense for some people. Let me make it all clear in this article – it gets quite interesting!

POCO X7 Pro 5G Specifications

• Display: 6.67-inch OLED, 1.5K (2712 x 1220 pixels), 120Hz refresh rate, 3200 nits brightness, 1920Hz PWM dimming, 12-bit colors, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 8400-Ultra
• RAM: 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5x
• Storage: 256GB UFS 4.0
• Battery: 6,550mAh with 90W fast charging
• Rear Camera: 50MP (Sony LYT-600, OIS) + 8MP ultrawide
• Front Camera: 20MP
• Software: Android 15 with HyperOS 2
• Security: In-display fingerprint sensor
• Audio: Dual speakers
• Build: Plastic middle frame, 160.95 x 75.24 x 8.06mm, 203.5 grams, IP69 rating
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, IR blaster

POCO X7 Pro Review

Performance

• MediaTek Dimensity 8400-Ultra

Ok first, let me start with the performance and here the POCO X7 Pro is just so much ahead. The Dimensity 8400 Ultra chipset is an excellent update over the Dimensity 8300 Ultra from last year, CPU-wise, GPU-wise, everything.

The Snapdragon 7+Gen 3 that we get on the OnePlus Nord 4 is also a very good chipset, but no matter which benchmark I ran, the Dimensity 8400 gives you much better results. Even my real-life test tells the same story. I was able to get a stable 60 fps in Genshin Impact in high settings and 60 fps mode whereas the OnePlus Nord 4 gave me less fps, less 5% lows and less overall smoothness.

Even playing something less demanding like PUBG for instance, the POCO X7 Pro manages an average of 118 fps with 100% smoothness. The OnePlus Nord 4 on the other hand, only manages to provide 89 average fps with less smoothness. POCO was slightly hotter by 3 to 4 degrees, but it is also pushing drastically better and stable fps, and the heating isn’t unbearable either, so it’s understandable I guess.

I also went to the extreme to see how much the POCO X7 Pro would heat and ran Antutu 5 consecutive times, shot a 4k 60 fps video in the sun for 30 minutes and the max temperature I recorded was 45 degrees. So, if you are someone who prioritizes gaming and sustained performance over everything else, the POCO X7 Pro just blows away the OnePlus Nord 4 by a lot. And keeping the gaming audience in mind, I like how POCO has also provided a flat, comfortable design, which isn’t heavy and bulky even though it has a big 6550 mAh battery.

Battery

• 6,550mAh with 90W fast charging

It’s a Silicone Carbon battery, so it occupies less space and has great endurance at the same time. It easily lasted me more than a day on normal everyday usage, like technically, it would give me around 8 hours of screen on time on heavy usage – which is fantastic. On the other hand, the OnePlus Nord 4 also sports a flat design, but because of its metal design, it’s a bit heavier, which means I found it not to be the most comfortable for longer gaming sessions.

And because of its smaller 5500mAh battery, I am getting slightly less 7 hours of backup on the Nord 4 Vs the 8 hours I got with the POCO X7 Pro! But when it comes to charging, OnePlus with its 100-watt support + smaller battery charges faster (35 minutes) while the POCO X7 Pro takes around 30 minutes (1 hour 5 minutes) more for a complete refill with its included 90-watt charger.

Design

That said, the one thing that bugs me a little about the POCO X7 Pro is the looks! No hate, but I feel like POCO is taking the “beauty lies on the inside” phrase quite seriously and with every generation of their smartphones, their design choices are getting worse.

With the X7 Pro, you either get this leather-back finish or a plastic back if you go with the green or black color variant. This leather-back finish has a nice feel to it, but looking at how dirty my X6 Pro has gotten over time (which also is impossible to clean by the way), it’s better you go with the plastic version.

But when it comes to durability, the POCO X7 Pro is a clear winner. First off, it has Gorilla Glass 7i protection on the screen vs some unbranded tempered glass protection we get with the Nord 4. Plus, this is the first POCO phone to have proper IP69 dust and water resistance, whereas the Nord 4 only has IP65.

Besides that, both phones feature fast optical in-display fingerprint sensors, and both have IR blasters too which can come in really handy, but for some reason, they do not come with headphone jacks. I guess it’s understandable on Nord 4 because it’s not really a gaming-centric phone, but POCO should have included it, that would have made the gamer community so-so happy!

Display

• 6.67-inch OLED, 12-bit colors, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• 1.5K (2712 x 1220 pixels)
• 120Hz refresh rate, 3200 nits brightness

Anyway, what POCO has nailed is the display side of things. You can visibly see how the X7 Pro’s display is brighter than the Nord 4 and its colours look slightly better too – thanks to it being a 12-bit display vs 10 bit on the Nord 4. Even when playing HDR videos, you can see how POCO’s display looks brighter and better. Overall, for general tasks, both screens are fantastic, but spec-wise, POCO definitely has a little edge here, POCO also does not have that Green Line issue (funny way ma), so you get the point!

Haptics and Audio

Next, I want to talk about the haptics and speakers, both of which are slightly better on the Nord 4. OnePlus has borrowed OPPO’s O-Haptics technology here and hence, the feedback on it is tight and crisp. Now, don’t get me wrong, POCO also has an X-Axis vibration motor and feels good, but OnePlus’s feedback is just more impactful.

Same with the speakers, both phones are very comparable, but the Nord 4 just has a tiny bit better loudness and fullness to its audio. So, you could say that the “experience side of things” is something the OnePlus Nord definitely does a better job at.

UI and Software

• Android 15 with HyperOS 2

And that also relates highly to the software experience. Honestly, I have never been a big fan of MiUI or HyperOS.  Although Hyper OS 2.0 is somewhat more refined than before, I still so much prefer the cleaner and lightweight experience of Oxygen OS.

The Nord 4 also received the Android 15 update last month and thankfully the X7 Pro boots on Android 15 as well.  They both will receive updates till Android 18, but OnePlus also offers 2 extra years of security updates than POCO, you will also get slightly faster updates in the future, and it comes with a whole lot less bloatware apps, so yeah, software-wise, OnePlus just feels more polished and intuitive to use.

Cameras

• 50MP (Sony LYT-600, OIS) + 8MP ultrawide
• 20MP (front camera)

Ok… best for the last – The cameras. And honestly, I didn’t have much expectations from POCO, since it’s not necessarily a camera-centric device and I really thought that the OnePlus Nord would crush POCO in this aspect, but I will admit, I was WRONG!

As expected POCO has sort of a punchy color reproduction, but they actually look better than the pale photos from the OnePlus Nord 4. POCO seems to have worked on the green tint issue that was there on the POCO X6 Pro. Sometimes dynamic range could be a hit or miss, but most times, the output from the POCO X6 Pro is decent, not bad!

In fact, the POCO X7 Pro does an impressive job during nighttime. The punchy color reproduction works in its favor and I have gotten some detailed images with good exposure management from this phone.

I don’t have the same praise for its ultra-wide photos though. For some reason, the ultra-wide photos have a yellow tint that just looks bad. And since it’s an 8MP sensor, the details are nothing to write home about either.

The POCO X7 Pro clicks decent portraits and selfies though. Not the kind you would want to post on social media, but not that bad either. The portraits could pass for just a story or so on Instagram and such, but nothing more.

This year, POCO has improved the videography side as well. I clearly did felt the jerkiness and wobble while walking, but, for still footage, the videos are actually good and sharp. I found both the Nord 4 and X7 Pro doing a pretty similar job here.

With the 4k 30 fps videos, the stabilization on both phones improves slightly, so I would recommend you guys to shoot in 4k 30 fps instead. From the front camera, both phones only shoot 1080p videos at 30 fps, and here POCO’s output is slightly steadier, but again the quality is just average at best on both devices.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Better overall performance
• Superior display quality
• Longer battery life
• More durable build
• Strong main camera
• Better value for money

Cons:

• Slower charging
• Lacks premium design
• Software has bloatware
• Weak ultrawide camera
• Average haptics & audio

POCO X7 Pro Review: Conclusion

Alright, so you can see that the POCO X7 Pro just kills the Nord 4 in a lot of areas. It has better performance – its gaming results are basically unmatched in its price range. Plus, it has a better display, better build quality, a surprisingly better main camera and slightly better battery life.

This year, you can actually say that the POCO X7 Pro is an all-around device, except for the design, I think POCO still needs to work on that!

So, if you are someone who uses a case and is okay with the HyperOS experience, the POCO X7 Pro is definitely a much better value this year.

But I can understand people still going for the OnePlus Nord 4 because of the cleaner UI experience. But if you are planning to get the Nord 4 right now, Just make sure you wait for some discounts and offers.