Let’s get this out of the way. I can highly recommend the POCO F7 Ultra. In the past months, the term “flagship killer” has been loosely thrown around by marketing departments of handheld devices, to the point that the term itself has lost its luster. But once in a while, you have, in perfect timing, devices that really do push the industry forward. I remember the HONOR Magic6 Pro being such a device, which I reviewed last year. This year, the POCO F7 Ultra pushes the boundaries further as a performance phone in all aspects: GPU, camera, connectivity, battery life, stock AI features, at a price point that should be at least P10,000 more expensive. I repeat, if this phone was priced shy of P50,000, it would still be a great device, but with some hesitation to buy as there would be other options such as the OPPO Find X8 and the RedMagic 10 Pro. But at P39,999 this is a steal, marking a new benchmark comparing other Elite level chipsets.
@barpoinsettia @pocophilippines ♬ original sound – Jayvee
The most affordable Snapdragon 8 Elite device
At the heart of the POCO F7 Ultra is Qualcomm’s latest and greatest: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite Mobile Platform, built on a 3nm process. This isn’t just another iterative chip update. You’re looking at a 45% boost in CPU performance and a 52% reduction in power draw. The integrated Adreno GPU pushes visuals with a 44% performance increase, while a 105% jump in AI processing shows just how serious this chip is about generative workloads and intelligent software behavior.
@barpoinsettia the @poco_global_ #POCOF7series pricing is out. This is the first Snapdragon 8 Elite that costs below P40,000. The F7 Ultra starts at P34,999 and the F7 Pro starts at P24,099. #POCOF7Ultra #POCOF7Pro ♬ Mortals – Warriyo
As POCO’s first ‘Ultra’ series, we have to talk about the VisionBoost D7 Chip, which is their first ever dedicated GPU that achieves massive gains in performance. This secondary chip enables features like 2K Super Resolution, 120FPS Smart Frame Rate, and Game HDR. Whether you’re maxing out settings on Genshin Impact or bingeing Netflix in bed, the experience is noticeably crisp and fluid. Antutu scores the F7 Pro at around 2.8M and although we don’t consider these scores as an end-all, they are indicative of a huge performance boost – that devices under P40,000 can achieve close to 3M score performance. This ushers in a new era of exciting devices in the Elite category. The VisionBoost D7 chipset is also responsible for better upscaling and FPS performance for many games. As a GPU it also helps manage battery performance pushing the 5300mAh battery even further. 120W wired HyperCharge is also supported, alongside 50W wireless HyperCharge.
Beyond average in everything
The POCO F7 Ultra is a daily-driver with everything pumped up to “beyond average” in terms of performance. Powering all this is a 5300mAh battery, a size we’re starting to see more often in phones that take gaming and content creation seriously. Charging is equally impressive—120W HyperCharge gets you from zero to 100% in just 34 minutes, while the 50W wireless HyperCharge lets you top up with style.
We need to talk about the screen. The F7 Ultra showcases a 6.67-inch 2K Flow AMOLED display with 3200 nits peak brightness, DCI-P3 wide color gamut, and 12-bit color depth. Even under Manila’s harsh midday sun, the screen remains vibrant. For low-light conditions, it offers 3840Hz PWM dimming, making nighttime doom scrolling much easier on the eyes. Touch input has also been given the deluxe treatment with up to 2560Hz instant sampling rate, meaning your swipes, taps, and flicks feel effortlessly responsive.
And yes, POCO finally ditched the optical scanner for something more premium—an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor embedded in the display, offering faster and more accurate unlocking.
Even with all this juice flowing through it, the POCO F7 Ultra stays cool. LiquidCool Technology 4.0 features a massive 5400mm² heat pipe system that pulls heat away from critical components, keeping the phone comfortable during long sessions. Of note, the VisionBoost D7 chip does help with power management. Coupled with the physical heart pipe system, it does help the battery last a bit longer. We were able to get a full day in with content creation and basic browsing with 30% battery to spare while walking around Singapore during the launch event.
A useful and curated AI suite
It is by far the most affordable Snapdragon 8 Elite device at P39,999. It is one of the few flagship devices that comes with a more complete and useful AI suite. Apart from standards like the object eraser, it also comes with AI expand, skyline editor (you can change the sky and add some weather effects – tacky but fun) and the voice to text transcriber that is built into the Recorder app. As a journalist, this feature is a boon and is, to be honest, not well advertised. The Recorder app requires an Internet connection to activate speech to text transcription, even identifying individual speakers. If the Internet was not available during recording, the app can fill in the text with saved voice recordings.
From wide to full zoom:
The camera itself is a beast. The F7 Ultra is armed with a triple-lens rear setup: a 50MP main sensor (with Light Fusion 800, f/1.6 aperture, and OIS), a 50MP telephoto lens with 2.5x optical zoom (up to 20x digital), and a 32MP ultra-wide lens with a 120° field of view. That floating telephoto lens also doubles as a 10cm macro lens, which is neat for capturing the textures of everyday life—be it coffee foam or circuit board etching.
POCO is also introducing its new POCO AISP (AI Super Processing) platform to improve image capture and post-processing, paired with Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2, a polished, fluid skin with Google Gemini baked in. The OS brings meaningful features like Dynamic Shots, UltraSnap for fast bursts, and in-app AI tools for editing directly from the gallery.
The sample photos don’t lie: this is a great all around device for night, portrait, wide, and zoom. It comes with dozens of downloadable filters for creative expression. We can’t help but compare this to sister brand XIaomi’s Leica lens system and despite not having the branding, the AISP system is already its own winner. I can’t help but put on my tin foil hat and state that the POCO AISP system is a great in-house camera technology that can rival the Leica partnership one day.
Subjects in photo include Jamie from Unbox, Meryl from 8List, and Ram from Gadget Pilipinas.
Who is this for?
@barpoinsettia #POCOF7Ultra unboxing! Affordable na, flagship specs pa! #poco #pocof7series ♬ original sound – Jayvee
While the POCO fandom may consider the F7 Pro as it is quite good for its price point, the F7 Ultra marks a new checkpoint in POCO’s evolution as a phone brand. This is the first time they have introduced a device beyond the ‘Pro’ category with very attractive pricing at less than P40,000. It’s great for games, having scores easily in the top 5 for 2025, it’s a great daily driver with superb fast charging and battery life, and its camera has a wonderful toolkit for content creators and average users.
