2025’s first great Android gaming phone

It might just be the start of 2025, but it’s a big month for Android hardware, with multiple brands bringing new cell phones to the market. While the Samsung Galaxy S25 and OnePlus 13 might be hogging the limelight, Xiaomi’s Poco X7 Pro is worthy of its own applause, providing an almost flagship-level experience for half the price. It’s not perfect, but considering how much cheaper it is than a lot of the big-name Android phones, it’s a very impressive piece of kit.

Before we dig into the nitty gritty, it’s worth mentioning that this is seemingly a phone that Poco is aiming toward mobile gamers, and that works for me, as I’d rather spend my time jumping between games on my device than use it for something as ridiculous as communicating (can you imagine?). So, how does the Poco X7 Pro compare to the picks from our guide to the best budget gaming phones? Let’s get into it.

Price and availability

The Poco X7 Pro is now available via the official Xiaomi website and Amazon in the UK or AliExpress in the US. The phone comes in three configurations: 8GB+256GB, 12GB+256GB, and 12GB+512GB, and we’ve listed the pricing details in the table below. There are also three colors to choose from, including Yellow, Black, and Green, plus a special edition Iron Man version. Unfortunately, the 12GB+512GB option isn’t available in the UK. For this review, we received the 12GB+512GB version in Yellow.

Specs

Here are the Poco X7 Pro’s specs:

Features and software

The Poco X7 Pro comes with the latest version of Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 Android 15 skin right out of the box. The user experience is pretty seamless, and while it’s still not as clean and easy as you might find on a Samsung or iPhone, it’s still one of the more user-friendly Android skins I’ve used in my time reviewing phones, and it doesn’t take long to adjust to.

Sadly, as was the case with the last Poco phone I tried out, there’s far too much bloatware for my liking to greet you after booting up the device for the first time. While there are already plenty of apps on your home screen, you then find a whole system apps folder, another folder full of stuff like Facebook and the dreaded Booking.com, and a games folder with six basic games such as Tile Fun and Block Blast. I don’t need any of this, and I’d rather spend the time installing the few I need rather than deleting all of this bloat bit by bit.

Like many of the recent crop of Androids, the Poco X7 Pro comes with Google Gemini, the incredibly powerful AI assistant, capable of everything from live translation to generating images. However, the X7 Pro also has its own Xiaomi AI tricks, including everything from proofreading and layout advice in the Notes app to expanding images and removing unwanted images in the Gallery. It’s not quite on the level of the AI on offer from Samsung and Apple, but it’s easy to use, and some of it can be quite useful.

My only concern surrounding the X7 Pro’s software is that it isn’t exactly clear how many years of software support you’re entitled to if you pick one up. Last year’s X6 Pro came with three OS updates, and I’m assuming the same goes for this year’s model. If that’s the case, it’s more than you’re getting with HMD, but lagging significantly behind the seven years you get with Samsung and Google Pixel’s latest mid-rangers.

Design

The Poco X7 Pro’s design isn’t exactly revolutionary, but it is aesthetically pleasing. It has flat edges and rounded corners and fits in the hand comfortably. The camera island on the back doesn’t stick out too much, and the only buttons you have to deal with are the volume rocker and power button on the right-hand side of the device. I also love the feel of the faux-leather yellow material on the back of the version I’ve got, which adds a touch of class to the otherwise relatively bland design. It’s simple and gimmick-free, and I’d be happy enough to use it as my daily driver.

Moving onto the build itself, I’m glad to inform you that not only is the X7 Pro nice and lightweight, weighing in at around 195g, but it’s also IP68 rated. For those who don’t know, that means it’s very well protected against dust and water and is technically capable of submerging up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. Of course, we don’t recommend dunking the phone for that long, but it’s good to know that it’d survive if you did.

Display

Put simply, the Poco X7 Pro’s display is fantastic. For me, it’s better than the iPhone 16, which is saying something given that the Apple flagship is so much more expensive than this Android alternative. It’s a gorgeous 6.67-inch AMOLED screen, with super slim bezels and a 120Hz refresh rate, which is ideal for streaming video content on Netflix or YouTube. For context, the iPhone 16 can only manage 60Hz, which also means the Android offers much smoother visuals when playing games like Genshin Impact or Honkai Star Rail.

In terms of visibility, the X7 Pro has a peak brightness of 3,200 nits, so you can still use the phone without squinting in direct sunlight. You’ve also got 1920Hz PWM dimming, matching last year’s Xiaomi 14 Pro flagship, which I frequently used during late-night gaming sessions to successfully alleviate any eye strain. If I based this review on the display alone, it’d be hard not to give the X7 Pro a perfect score.

Poco X7 Pro’s cameras

In my experience with gaming-orientated phones, the cameras often aren’t that impressive, but I have to say, I’m pretty happy with the capabilities of the X7 Pro. It boasts a Sony IMX882 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 20MP selfie camera on the front. While all three of the cameras are competent, the 50MP primary is the star of the show.

I’ve used my dog, Floyd, as a way of testing the main lens, and you can see the result in the image above. The detail surrounding his facial features in the picture is fantastic, capturing everything from the depth of his dark brown eyes to the overlapping grey and black hairs on his nose. However, I have to admit that the bokeh effect surrounding his fur and back legs isn’t purposeful and looks a little too blurry in some places, which suggests to me that the image processing software might be going a touch too far. Still, for a phone under $400, I’m happy enough with the main lens.

The selfie camera also offers lifelike shots, and unlike a lot of alternatives at this price point, the results aren’t grainy or lacking in color. It’s not quite as hot on the heels of the big-name flagships as some of the other features and hardware the X7 Pro offers, but your selfies should still be high quality enough to be worthy of uploading to social media. Finally, there’s the 8MP ultrawide, which is decent but slightly lacks the definition of the main lens and struggles in less-than-ideal lighting.

As I mentioned earlier, the X7 Pro comes with some AI features intended to take the smartphone photography experience to the next level, but they’re a bit hit-and-miss in my experience. The AI Expand option is solid enough with landscapes, but the busier the image, the more it struggles, and more often than not, it’s quite obvious where the original images start and end. Fortunately, the AI Eraser tool is much more subtle, even if you’re trying to remove fairly big objects from a shot.

Performance

The Poco X7 Pro is one of the first phones to utilize the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra chipset, and, as I pointed out earlier, much of the marketing materials make it clear that Poco is aiming the device squarely at gamers. With that in mind, I’m happy to report that the performance is fantastic, and that applies to everything from day-to-day scrolling and app usage to what you’re really here for: gaming.

I used Honkai Star Rail, a relatively demanding mobile game, to test how the X7 Pro handles gameplay, and I was very impressed. It runs at high settings, and I’ve experienced very little lag or visual stuttering through a few hours of gacha battling. Given that I’ve tried out much more expensive phones in the last year that can only just about handle HSR at medium visual settings, I can’t underplay how big a deal it is that a relatively budget device like the X7 Pro handles the demands of gaming so well, and this thing easily competes with the picks from our guide to the best gaming phones.

As far as heat dissipation goes, the Poco X7 Pro does a great job of staying relatively cool even during mammoth gaming sessions thanks to its LiquidCool 4.0 tech. I played Honkai Star Rail for a solid hour before it started to get even slightly warm, and even after playing for another hour, it never got any hotter. It doesn’t heat up while charging either, so you can be confident that if you’re picking up this phone for the sole purpose of extended gaming sessions, it’s never going to get too hot to handle.

Battery

The battery life of the best Xiaomi phones has always impressed me, and the Poco X7 Pro is no different. This thing packs a 6,000mAh battery, which is pretty generous, and can easily last all day, provided your day doesn’t consist of spending more than eight hours glued to a game with four hours of streaming Netflix on either side. If you’re using the phone sporadically, it can power through a couple of days before you need to reach for the charger.

In terms of charging, the Poco X7 Pro is incredibly fast, which is what I’ve come to expect from the brand. I managed to get from 0-100% in just 45 minutes using the 90W charger in the box. That absolutely blows flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S24 and iPhone 16 out of the water. Not only that, but it means you can pick up a 50% boost in just over 20 minutes, which should provide you with more than enough juice for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, it’s not capable of wireless charging, but you can’t have everything in a phone at this price point.

Should you buy the Poco X7 Pro?

All-in-all, the Poco X7 Pro is a very impressive bit of kit, and there’s a case for it being the best budget gaming phone around at the time of writing. For under $500, you’re going to struggle to find something that offers this level of performance, and it blows the likes of the Google Pixel 8a and the Samsung Galaxy A55 out of the water. Add to that the useful AI tricks, stellar display, and simple but effective design, and I’m seriously considering using the X7 Pro as my daily driver going forward.

There aren’t many downsides to look out for with this phone, outside of the fact that it’s a touch egregious when it comes to bloatware, and it doesn’t feature wireless charging. Fortunately, you can delete bloatware, and the X7 Pro’s wired charging is so rapid that it makes wireless compatibility feel a little redundant in most scenarios. So, if you’re looking to pick up a new Android this year without breaking the bank, I wholeheartedly recommend checking this one out.

Alternatives

If we’ve not sold you on the Poco X7 Pro, check out some of our suggestions for alternatives below.

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G

If you’re less concerned about gaming performance and want something with a slightly sleeker user experience, the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G is worth looking at. Samsung’s lower-mid-range device also feels a little bit more premium than the Poco, even though the latter technically has a higher IP rating. I’d personally opt for the X7 Pro, as I’m a gamer, but everyday users might be more comfortable with the Samsung.

iPhone SE (2022)

While it might now be three years old, the 2022 version of the iPhone SE still holds up pretty well in 2025, and you can pick one up for around $300, or cheaper still if you’re happy to go for a refurbished model. Admittedly, it’s not quite as impressive as the Poco X7 Pro when it comes to performance, but whether you like it or not, Apple is still the undisputed user experience king, and if you’re not sure about picking up an Android, it’s the most sensible option that won’t cost you more than $300