Poco F7 Ultra review

Design, build quality, handling

The F7 Ultra we got for review comes in the brand's characteristic yellow livery, its glass back split into two sections - the top one third is glossy, the rest is frosted and non-reflective. This two-tone finish tries to make the handset unique to look at, while also comfortable to handle and averse to fingerprints, and we'd say it gets the job done.

The alternative colorway is black and that one replaces the matte effect on the lower portion of the back with a shimmery finish. Both variants have contrasting rings around the camera assembly - golden on the yellow one, and more of a copper color on the black variant.

The front of the phone is protected by Poco Shield Glass - an in-house branding for a type of glass that's probably plenty good enough without the extra royalties that go with the Corning solutions.

The F7 Ultra uses an ultrasonic fingerprint reader - another upmarket choice in the list of things that make it Ultra. We had a trouble-free experience with the fingerprint recognition and we appreciate the move away from optical sensors, though users of glass screen protectors may not be so excited.

Black or yellow, the phone gets a graphite-colored aluminum frame that's nicely flat - it allows for a secure grip of the handset and it looks posh at the same time. The bottom holds the SIM slot and the tray will take up to 2 physical nano SIMs. Our review unit does not support eSIM which is unfortunate for frequent travelers.

The F7 Ultra is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance but Poco's gone beyond the standard's 1.5m depth requirement and says the handset should be good down to as deep as 2.5m (for as long as 30 minutes, as usual). There's no IP69 rating, though - some models this year have also been tested to withstand high-temperature water jets, but not the F7 Ultra.