If you’ve ever shopped for a phone under $300, you know the trade-offs come fast and often. But the POCO M7 Pro 5G bucks that trend in a few key areas. It’s not perfect, but it’s one of the better examples of how far budget Android phones have come. With standout battery life, a vibrant AMOLED display, and a commitment to long-term software support, this device punches above its weigh. Yet, somehow it manages to remind me a bit of Android’s messier roots.
I’ve been using the M7 Pro 5G as my secondary phone for the past few weeks, and while it won’t replace a flagship for power users, it offers real value for casual everyday use. Here’s how it held up in daily life.
Design: Light in the Hand, Easy on the Eyes
The POCO M7 Pro 5G makes a strong first impression, especially if you’re used to budget phones feeling like an afterthought. If you’ve been in the game since the early days of Android, you might recall some of the LG or ZTE phones that helped the platform gobble up market share. Those phones, while incredibly affordable, were cheaply made, kind of ugly, and felt half-baked.
With a bright 120Hz AMOLED screen, two-day battery life, and years of promised updates, the POCO M7 Pro 5G delivers an experience that feels far beyond its $250 price tag.
At just under eight millimeters thick and tipping the scale at 190 grams, the M7 Pro 5G is light without being flimsy. I’ve used heavier phones that cost more and felt worse in the hand.
The dual-tone rear finish adds just enough visual interest without veering into flashy or gimmicky. I tested the green model, which has a subtle shimmer and a matte texture that helps hide fingerprints. The back curves just enough to fit comfortably in the hand, and while the build is plastic, it doesn’t necessarily feel cheap.
Up front, you get Gorilla Glass 5 for added durability, which is fairly rare at this price. There’s also an official IP64 rating for dust and splash resistance which is another unexpected win for the ~$250 category.
Display: A High-End Experience at a Low-End Price
If you only care about one thing in a phone, you obviously make it the screen, because that’s what you look at and touch every day. The M7 Pro’s 6.67-inch AMOLED display is easily its best feature. It’s bright, colorful, and smooth, with a 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution that rivals phones twice the price.
The screen’s peak brightness hits 2,100 nits which means it’s still perfectly viewable under direct sunlight. Whether I was scrolling Twitter (X), watching Netflix, or playing a few rounds of Phase 10, PUBG Mobile, and other games, the display held up with vibrant colors and crisp detail.
You also get some nice-to-haves: HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and TÜV Rheinland certifications for low blue light and flicker reduction. PWM dimming is present but high-frequency, so I didn’t notice any eye strain even during longer sessions.
There’s no always-on display, which feels like a small miss considering the OLED tech, but that’s a minor nitpick.
Performance: Mostly Smooth, Sometimes Sluggish
Under the hood, the M7 Pro runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra. Don’t let the “Ultra” fool you as it’s capable but not remarkable… or something designed with gaming at the forefront. Paired with 6GB or 12GB of RAM depending on the model (I had the 12GB version), it handled daily tasks well: messaging, light gaming, YouTube, Google Maps, and web browsing all ran without major hiccups.
That said, performance is not flawless. I encountered the occasional app crash and UI stutter, especially when switching quickly between multiple apps. It’s not unusable by any stretch, but power users will feel the limitations. There’s also a surprising amount of thermal stability for an entry-level chip. I noticed no overheating, and the phone stayed cool even during extended use. With that said, I’ve been using this more as an all-in-one device with little focus on gaming.
In benchmarks, Geekbench 6 scores look to hover around 945 (single-core) and 2,283 (multi-core), which puts it squarely in line with other budget phones. If you’re big on specs and benchmarks, you’ve probably already made up your mind about the phone. But for those who don’t care much, the rest of the review should help you out.
Gaming? It’ll run games like PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact, but you’ll want to stick to low graphics settings. Anything more, and you’re going to see dropped frames and longer load times. That’s fine by me as I would rather stick to a console for anything beyond casual time wasting stuff.
Software: Great Support, Frustrating Experience
This is a complicated one. On paper, the POCO M7 Pro shines here: it ships with Android 14, layered with Xiaomi’s HyperOS, and promises six years of security updates and four major Android upgrades. That kind of long-term support on a budget phone is almost unheard of. Kudos to Xiaomi for stepping up here, especially with new EU regulations demanding longer device lifespans.
But then you use it, or dig deep into things, and the cracks start to show.
HyperOS is functional, but it’s a heavy skin. There’s duplication everywhere: Xiaomi’s calendar, Google’s calendar, Xiaomi’s app store, Google Play. On top of that, there’s an almost annoying amount of pre-installed bloatware with everything from unnecessary games to theme shops. Most of it can be uninstalled, but the initial out-of-box experience feels cluttered.
Perhaps most frustrating to some, I’ve learned that it seems to actively fight attempts to use third-party launchers. While this isn’t something I care much about, a more savvy or experienced user might have come up with some preferences over the years, and that can center around the launcher.
Underneath all the fluff and seemingly endless theming is a phone with good bones and long-term potential. Get past the first few days of familiarization and tweaking and you’ll probably find a software experience that can stay out of your way.
Cameras: Surprisingly Capable in Good Light
Camera setups on budget phones are rarely exciting, and the M7 Pro doesn’t break that mold. But it does perform above average where it counts. The main 50MP Sony sensor with f/1.5 aperture and OIS is the star here, and it delivers solid results in daylight. Shots had good color balance, decent sharpness, and dynamic range that exceeded my expectations.
Portrait mode works surprisingly well for simple subjects, thanks to the 2MP depth sensor. Edge detection wasn’t perfect with hair or complex shapes, but I’ve seen worse on more expensive phones. You can also adjust the blur after the shot, which is a nice touch.
Low-light performance is mixed. The wide aperture helps, and Night mode does lift shadows and reduce noise, but results can still be soft or grainy. It’s fine for casual shots, but don’t expect miracles.
The 20MP front camera gets the job done for selfies and video calls. Skin tones look natural in daylight, though the sensor struggles a bit in poor lighting.
Video is limited to 1080p at 30fps across both front and rear cameras. It’s stable thanks to OIS, but if you’re hoping to shoot 4K content, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
When reviewing phones I have to remind myself that I don’t have to be quite as critical as I tend to be. I think about the average phone users in my life and how they use their devices. To that end, it seems people are content with average shots or at least getting something that can be filtered and edited a bit for social media. And along those lines, just about everything I snapped with this phone provides a decent starting point.
Battery: The True MVP
Battery life on the M7 Pro is where this phone truly flexes. With a 5,110mAh cell, I was easily getting a day and a half of use, and sometimes two days with lighter tasks. That’s with 120Hz enabled, frequent Bluetooth streaming, and camera use. That’s great, and it should only prove to be that good as one settles in with the phone and spends less time customizing and familiarizing themselves with it.
Charging is fast too, thanks to the 45W charger that’s included with the phone. I clocked a full charge in just over an hour, with 50 percent reached in about 30 minutes. There’s no wireless charging here, but honestly, at this price, I didn’t expect it.
Features & Connectivity: Mostly Practical, Occasionally Dated
The M7 Pro keeps things grounded with a few thoughtful extras:
- IP64 splash and dust resistance
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- IR blaster (yep, it can double as a remote)
- Dual SIM support
- microSD expansion up to 2TB
- Stereo speakers (not bad for the price)
On the downside, it only supports Wi-Fi 5 (no Wi-Fi 6 or 6E), and the USB-C port is USB 2.0 so forget about ultra-fast data transfer or video out. Also, no eSIM support here, which could be a deal-breaker for some international users. If you just read those sentences and wondered exactly what that stuff meant, you’ll likely be blissfully ignorant of what’s not on tap.
All things considered on the specs front, POCO packed in more convenience than I expected at this price.
Final Verdict: More Than the Sum of Its Parts
The POCO M7 Pro 5G is not a perfect phone but it’s a shockingly good one for the price. Truth be told, I don’t know that it earns any sort of “Pro” component in the moniker, but that’s maybe beside the point.
If you’ve only got $250 to spend, this is one of the easiest phones to recommend. You’re getting a flagship-grade display, stellar battery life, a decent main camera, and enough performance for daily life. And the long-term software support makes it an even smarter pick.
Awarded to products with an average rating of 3.75 stars or higher, the AndroidGuys Smart Pick recognizes a balance of quality, performance, and value.
Products with this distinction deserve to be on your short list of purchase candidates.
On the other hand, power users should probably look elsewhere, and I suspect they bowed out ten minutes ago. The MediaTek chip has its limits, HyperOS needs polish, and video recording capabilities are bare-bones. If we’re being honest, a heavier user has their eyes on something entirely different.
For students, first-time smartphone buyers, or anyone upgrading from a four- or five-year-old phone, this is a very easy phone to live with. And thanks to its global band network support, it’s compatible with a whole array of popular carriers, including T-Mobile, Metro, Mint Mobile, and Tello.
