Poco X7 (Global) review

Design, build quality, handling

The Poco X7 returns to the series' roots with a signature design and colors. The phone has a modern curved design, a first for Poco, with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 screen protection and a vegan leather back. The thin frame is made of plastic.

The X7 is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance, which is a welcome upgrade over the basic splash protection on previous Poco phones.

The Poco X7 also features a "cushioning" internal structure for shock absorption, which will increase the drop resistance of the whole device.

The Poco X7 has a two-tone vegan leather back, with the signature model being the one using black and yellow hues plus a mirror-like giant Poco logo.

There are also models with gray and green plastic back panels, where the color stays the same (gray or green), but the finish changes from polished to matte to create a two-tone look and feel.

The camera housing has been redesigned again, now centered with rounded corners and somewhat reminiscent of recent Huawei cameras.

The front is a home to the 6.67-inch AMOLED screen of 1,220p resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and Dolby Vision support. It is the same panel we've seen on the Poco X6, with the same small perforation for the selfie camera, but now protected with a curved glass.

This year, the Poco X7 comes with a 20MP front camera, up from 16MP on the X6. It is still a Quad-Bayer imager, though.

What's invisible to the naked eye is the under-display fingerprint scanner, an optical one, and working very well.

The Poco X7 has stereo speakers - one is at the bottom of the phone next to the USB port, and the other one is top side, near the IR blaster and the two additional mics.

As usual, the top speaker also has a front-facing outlet for earpiece purposes.

The Poco X7 comes with a virtual proximity sensor and while it works as intended most of the time, it is not the most perfect technology yet.

The back has a symmetrical camera housing, jutting out of the back, with four separate rings for the three cameras and the LED flash. It is huge, but since it is centered, the phone does not wobble on your desk.

We found the Poco X7 to have a solid yet lightweight build quality and excellent grip thanks to the eco-leather back. We also appreciate the high water resistance, and we have nothing but positive impressions from its build and handling experience.