Poco F7 Pro review

Design, build quality, handling

The F7 Pro doesn't get the option for a yellow colorway that Pocos are known for - you know, like the one that we have on the F7 Ultra here.

Poco F7 Pro (left) next to Poco F7 Ultra

Instead, the F7 Pro can be had in black (like our review unit), silver, or blue (which we'd have probably picked to have as a review unit instead).

All versions have glass backs (of unspecified make and model) and a dual-tone rear design - the upper third is mostly glossy, while the rest is frosted to avoid fingerprints (but is also quite slippery as a result).

Regardless of colorway, the F7 Pro is IP68-rated - Poco doesn't claim the 2.5m depth that the F7 Ultra should be able to withstand, but the standard's required 1.5m should be plenty to assure the Pro's survival in the event of an accidental dip, for up to 30 minutes.

It's a welcome improvement over the 'splash-proof' Poco F6 Pro and its IP54-grade seals. Or maybe you're after the 'dust-tight' vs. 'dust-protected' improvement indicated by the first digits - either way, the new model is better protected.

Dust-tight dual nano SIM tray (no eSIM option, though)

The aluminum frame is all flat, making the phone easy to grip. Its satin finish, meanwhile, means no fingerprints on it either.

Speaking of fingerprints, the F7 Pro will be recognizing yours through an underdisplay sensor of the ultrasonic variety. We like its position and we had no issues with speed or reliability. The usual caveat applies that you may run into trouble if trying to use a glass screen protector - optical ones fare better at that.

The phone does come with a factory-applied plastic sheet on top of its display, offering some extra protection in addition to the Gorilla Glass 7i that's already covering the OLED panel. No sifting through Corning documentation can tell us how good 7i is in practice, but it's probably plenty good enough.