2025’s first great Android gaming phone

It’d simply be the beginning of 2025, however it’s a giant month for Android {hardware}, with a number of manufacturers bringing new cell telephones to the market. Whereas the Samsung Galaxy S25 and OnePlus 13 could be hogging the limelight, Xiaomi’s Poco X7 Professional is worthy of its personal applause, offering an virtually flagship-level expertise for half the worth. It’s not excellent, however contemplating how less expensive it’s than a variety of the big-name Android telephones, it’s a really spectacular piece of equipment.

Earlier than we dig into the nitty gritty, it’s price mentioning that that is seemingly a cellphone that Poco is aiming towards cellular avid gamers, and that works for me, as I’d quite spend my time leaping between video games on my machine than use it for one thing as ridiculous as speaking (are you able to think about?). So, how does the Poco X7 Professional examine to the picks from our information to the most effective funds gaming telephones? Let’s get into it.

Worth and availability

The Poco X7 Professional is now out there by way of the official Xiaomi web site and Amazon within the UK or AliExpress within the US. The cellphone is available in three configurations: 8GB+256GB, 12GB+256GB, and 12GB+512GB, and we’ve listed the pricing particulars within the desk beneath. There are additionally three colours to select from, together with Yellow, Black, and Inexperienced, plus a particular version Iron Man model. Sadly, the 12GB+512GB possibility isn’t out there within the UK. For this evaluate, we obtained the 12GB+512GB model in Yellow.

Specs

Listed below are the Poco X7 Professional’s specs:

Options and software program

The Poco X7 Professional comes with the newest model of Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 Android 15 pores and skin proper out of the field. The person expertise is fairly seamless, and whereas it’s nonetheless not as clear and simple as you may discover on a Samsung or iPhone, it’s nonetheless one of many extra user-friendly Android skins I’ve utilized in my time reviewing telephones, and it doesn’t take lengthy to regulate to.

Sadly, as was the case with the final Poco cellphone I attempted out, there’s far an excessive amount of bloatware for my liking to greet you after booting up the machine for the primary time. Whereas there are already loads of apps on your property display, you then discover a complete system apps folder, one other folder filled with stuff like Fb and the dreaded Reserving.com, and a video games folder with six fundamental video games comparable to Tile Enjoyable and Block Blast. I don’t want any of this, and I’d quite spend the time putting in the few I would like quite than deleting all of this bloat little by little.

Like most of the current crop of Androids, the Poco X7 Professional comes with Google Gemini, the extremely highly effective AI assistant, able to the whole lot from dwell translation to producing photographs. Nevertheless, the X7 Professional additionally has its personal Xiaomi AI methods, together with the whole lot from proofreading and format recommendation within the Notes app to increasing photographs and eradicating undesirable photographs within the Gallery. It’s not fairly on the extent of the AI on provide from Samsung and Apple, however it’s straightforward to make use of, and a few of it may be fairly helpful.

My solely concern surrounding the X7 Professional’s software program is that it isn’t precisely clear what number of years of software program help you’re entitled to in the event you decide one up. Final 12 months’s X6 Professional got here with three OS updates, and I’m assuming the identical goes for this 12 months’s mannequin. If that’s the case, it’s greater than you’re getting with HMD, however lagging considerably behind the seven years you get with Samsung and Google Pixel’s newest mid-rangers.

Design

The Poco X7 Professional’s design isn’t precisely revolutionary, however it’s aesthetically pleasing. It has flat edges and rounded corners and suits within the hand comfortably. The digital camera island on the again doesn’t stick out an excessive amount of, and the one buttons it’s important to cope with are the amount rocker and energy button on the right-hand facet of the machine. I additionally love the texture of the faux-leather yellow materials on the again of the model I’ve bought, which provides a contact of sophistication to the in any other case comparatively bland design. It’s easy and gimmick-free, and I’d be completely happy sufficient to make use of it as my each day driver.

Transferring onto the construct itself, I’m glad to tell you that not solely is the X7 Professional good and light-weight, weighing in at round 195g, however it’s additionally IP68 rated. For individuals who don’t know, which means it’s very properly protected towards mud and water and is technically able to submerging as much as 1.5 meters for as much as half-hour. After all, we don’t advocate dunking the cellphone for that lengthy, however it’s good to know that it’d survive in the event you did.

Show

Put merely, the Poco X7 Professional’s show is incredible. For me, it’s higher than the iPhone 16, which is saying one thing provided that the Apple flagship is a lot dearer than this Android various. It’s a stunning 6.67-inch AMOLED display, with tremendous slim bezels and a 120Hz refresh fee, which is good for streaming video content material on Netflix or YouTube. For context, the iPhone 16 can solely handle 60Hz, which additionally means the Android provides a lot smoother visuals when taking part in video games like Genshin Affect or Honkai Star Rail.

When it comes to visibility, the X7 Professional has a peak brightness of three,200 nits, so you’ll be able to nonetheless use the cellphone with out squinting in direct daylight. You’ve additionally bought 1920Hz PWM dimming, matching final 12 months’s Xiaomi 14 Professional flagship, which I incessantly used throughout late-night gaming periods to efficiently alleviate any eye pressure. If I based mostly this evaluate on the show alone, it’d be exhausting to not give the X7 Professional an ideal rating.

Poco X7 Professional’s cameras

In my expertise with gaming-orientated telephones, the cameras typically aren’t that spectacular, however I’ve to say, I’m fairly proud of the capabilities of the X7 Professional. It boasts a Sony IMX882 50MP predominant digital camera with optical picture stabilization, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 20MP selfie digital camera on the entrance. Whereas all three of the cameras are competent, the 50MP main is the star of the present.

I’ve used my canine, Floyd, as a method of testing the primary lens, and you’ll see the end result within the picture above. The element surrounding his facial options within the image is incredible, capturing the whole lot from the depth of his darkish brown eyes to the overlapping gray and black hairs on his nostril. Nevertheless, I’ve to confess that the bokeh impact surrounding his fur and again legs isn’t purposeful and appears a little bit too blurry in some locations, which suggests to me that the picture processing software program could be going a contact too far. Nonetheless, for a cellphone below $400, I’m completely happy sufficient with the primary lens.

The selfie digital camera additionally provides lifelike pictures, and in contrast to a variety of options at this worth level, the outcomes aren’t grainy or missing in coloration. It’s not fairly as sizzling on the heels of the big-name flagships as among the different options and {hardware} the X7 Professional provides, however your selfies ought to nonetheless be prime quality sufficient to be worthy of importing to social media. Lastly, there’s the 8MP ultrawide, which is respectable however barely lacks the definition of the primary lens and struggles in less-than-ideal lighting.

As I discussed earlier, the X7 Professional comes with some AI options supposed to take the smartphone images expertise to the subsequent stage, however they’re a bit hit-and-miss in my expertise. The AI Broaden possibility is strong sufficient with landscapes, however the busier the picture, the extra it struggles, and most of the time, it’s fairly apparent the place the unique photographs begin and finish. Luckily, the AI Eraser instrument is way more refined, even in the event you’re attempting to take away pretty huge objects from a shot.

Efficiency

The Poco X7 Professional is among the first telephones to make the most of the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Extremely chipset, and, as I identified earlier, a lot of the advertising supplies make it clear that Poco is aiming the machine squarely at avid gamers. With that in thoughts, I’m completely happy to report that the efficiency is incredible, and that applies to the whole lot from day-to-day scrolling and app utilization to what you’re actually right here for: gaming.

I used Honkai Star Rail, a comparatively demanding cellular sport, to check how the X7 Professional handles gameplay, and I used to be very impressed. It runs at excessive settings, and I’ve skilled little or no lag or visible stuttering by just a few hours of gacha battling. On condition that I’ve tried out way more costly telephones within the final 12 months that may solely nearly deal with HSR at medium visible settings, I can’t underplay how huge a deal it’s {that a} comparatively funds machine just like the X7 Professional handles the calls for of gaming so properly, and this factor simply competes with the picks from our information to the most effective gaming telephones.

So far as warmth dissipation goes, the Poco X7 Professional does an awesome job of staying comparatively cool even throughout mammoth gaming periods due to its LiquidCool 4.0 tech. I performed Honkai Star Rail for a strong hour earlier than it began to get even barely heat, and even after taking part in for an additional hour, it by no means bought any hotter. It doesn’t warmth up whereas charging both, so that you could be assured that in the event you’re choosing up this cellphone for the only real objective of prolonged gaming periods, it’s by no means going to get too sizzling to deal with.

Battery

The battery lifetime of the most effective Xiaomi telephones has at all times impressed me, and the Poco X7 Professional isn’t any totally different. This factor packs a 6,000mAh battery, which is fairly beneficiant, and may simply final all day, supplied your day doesn’t include spending greater than eight hours glued to a sport with 4 hours of streaming Netflix on both facet. For those who’re utilizing the cellphone sporadically, it may energy by a few days earlier than you’ll want to attain for the charger.

When it comes to charging, the Poco X7 Professional is extremely quick, which is what I’ve come to anticipate from the model. I managed to get from 0-100% in simply 45 minutes utilizing the 90W charger within the field. That completely blows flagships just like the Samsung Galaxy S24 and iPhone 16 out of the water. Not solely that, however it means you’ll be able to decide up a 50% enhance in simply over 20 minutes, which ought to offer you greater than sufficient juice for the remainder of the day. Sadly, it’s not able to wi-fi charging, however you’ll be able to’t have the whole lot in a cellphone at this worth level.

Must you purchase the Poco X7 Professional?

All-in-all, the Poco X7 Professional is a really spectacular little bit of equipment, and there’s a case for it being the most effective funds gaming cellphone round on the time of writing. For below $500, you’re going to wrestle to search out one thing that gives this stage of efficiency, and it blows the likes of the Google Pixel 8a and the Samsung Galaxy A55 out of the water. Add to that the helpful AI methods, stellar show, and easy however efficient design, and I’m significantly contemplating utilizing the X7 Professional as my each day driver going ahead.

There aren’t many downsides to look out for with this cellphone, outdoors of the truth that it’s a contact egregious in relation to bloatware, and it doesn’t function wi-fi charging. Luckily, you’ll be able to delete bloatware, and the X7 Professional’s wired charging is so fast that it makes wi-fi compatibility really feel a little bit redundant in most eventualities. So, in the event you’re seeking to decide up a brand new Android this 12 months with out breaking the financial institution, I wholeheartedly advocate checking this one out.

Options

If we’ve not offered you on the Poco X7 Professional, take a look at a few of our recommendations for options beneath.

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G

For those who’re much less involved about gaming efficiency and wish one thing with a barely sleeker person expertise, the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is price . Samsung’s lower-mid-range machine additionally feels a little bit bit extra premium than the Poco, regardless that the latter technically has the next IP ranking. I’d personally go for the X7 Professional, as I’m a gamer, however on a regular basis customers could be extra snug with the Samsung.

iPhone SE (2022)

Whereas it’d now be three years outdated, the 2022 model of the iPhone SE nonetheless holds up fairly properly in 2025, and you’ll decide one up for round $300, or cheaper nonetheless in the event you’re completely happy to go for a refurbished mannequin. Admittedly, it’s not fairly as spectacular because the Poco X7 Professional in relation to efficiency, however whether or not you prefer it or not, Apple remains to be the undisputed person expertise king, and in the event you’re unsure about choosing up an Android, it’s essentially the most smart possibility that gained’t value you greater than $300