Everything that made Poco the brand to watch in 2018 is back with a vengeance. When the original Poco F1 launched, it disrupted the market by offering flagship-tier performance at a price that seemed too good to be true. Over the years, Poco has had its ups and downs, but with the F7 Ultra, it feels like they’re gunning for that same disruptive energy.

This is the first time we’ve seen the ‘Ultra’ branding on a Poco phone, and that alone raises expectations. Is this the return to form that fans have been waiting for? Let’s dive in.

A True Flagship Experience, at Least on Paper

Right out of the gate, the POCO F7 Ultra boasts some serious specs. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor is a beast, the 6.67-inch AMOLED display pushes 3200 nits of peak brightness, and the battery is an absolute tank at 6000mAh.

Performance is as fast as expected. The VisionBoost D7 graphics chip is an interesting addition, giving the device a little extra muscle in handling high-refresh-rate gaming. It’s not the fastest Android phone out there, but it’s absolutely competitive. With either 12GB or 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage, there’s plenty of headroom for power users.

On the software side, it runs Android 15 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2. While the OS itself is stable and fluid, it’s still bogged down by bloatware and unnecessary services. That’s been a consistent issue with Xiaomi phones, and it hasn’t been fully addressed here either.

A Sturdy, but Chunky Design

With all this power and battery life, you can expect the F7 Ultra to be a bit hefty. At 212g, it’s on the heavier side, and its design language still leans towards the aggressive Poco styling. It’s not exactly subtle, but it does feel well-built and solid in hand. The IP68 rating is a welcome addition, offering peace of mind against dust and water damage.

It’s available in Black and the signature Poco Yellow, both of which give it a bold presence. If you prefer something sleeker, you might find the design a bit much, but Poco has always had a style of its own.

Cameras: Good, but Not Groundbreaking

Poco has never been a camera-first brand, and the F7 Ultra stays true to that identity. The triple-camera setup consists of a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP telephoto lens with 2.5x optical zoom, and a 32MP ultra-wide. On paper, that’s an impressive lineup, but in reality, the results are more in line with mid-range competitors than true flagships.

The main sensor does well in daylight, capturing detailed shots with decent dynamic range. The telephoto lens is a nice addition, offering more versatility than some competitors. However, low-light performance is just okay, and while 8K video recording is available, it’s not the smoothest implementation.

For selfies, the 32MP front camera does a solid job, producing sharp images with good color reproduction. Video recording maxes out at 1080p, which might disappoint vloggers looking for higher resolution.

Battery and Charging: A Powerhouse

Battery life is one of the F7 Ultra’s strongest points. The 6000mAh capacity means it can easily last over a day and a half of heavy use. And when it does need a recharge, the 90W wired charging gets it back to 100% in just 28 minutes. The 50W wireless charging is another standout feature, making this one of the few phones in its price range to support such speeds.

Final Thoughts: The Ultra Title is Earned

Like I said in my review of the POCO F7 Pro, Poco is doing its best to recapture the momentum it had back in 2018. When I first heard about the Poco F1, I felt like I was witnessing something special—an underdog punching way above its weight. The F7 Ultra brings back that same energy.

It’s not a perfect phone. The design is heavy, the cameras are good but not flagship-level, and HyperOS still needs work. But in terms of raw power, battery life, and charging speeds, it’s hard to ignore the value this device brings to the table. If Poco keeps this up, they just might reclaim their spot as the best bang-for-buck brand in the market.