Eyeing up a new smartphone? That £1000 price that the latest handsets typically come with is probably off-putting. Cheaper mid-range or budget handsets plug the gap, but they usually sacrifice some features to get that lower price – and battery is usually a big culprit. This sub-£200 phone is the opposite of that, with a bigger battery than any flagship smartphone you can currently buy.
The Poco M7 has just landed with a frankly ludicrous 7000mAh battery thanks to the latest silicon-carbon tech. Poco reckons you can squeeze just over two days out of it with regular use. You can expect 28 hours of video playback or 46 hours of calls. That’s bordering on post-apocalyptic survival kit territory. It even supports reverse charging, which means you can juice up another device or your friend’s dying handset without touching a plug.
Now, obviously it’s not just a giant battery glued to a plank. You’re also getting a rather massive 6.9-inch FHD+ display with a 144Hz refresh rate – smooth enough to make scrolling through TikTok feel like gliding through silk. It’s got all the right display certifications too, so your eyes won’t melt after three hours of doomscrolling. There’s even a 200% volume boost for audio that’ll make your morning alarm actually work. Or let you watch Christopher Nolan films and still hear what the characters are saying.
Under the hood, the Snapdragon 685 chip runs the show, paired with Xiaomi’s new HyperOS 2. Sure, it’s not a gaming powerhouse, but it’ll handle your daily swipes and taps without turning into a toaster. There’s also the obligatory AI stuff thrown in – Google Gemini assistant and Circle to Search make their way in. I suppose that makes this one of the cheapest phones you can get with Google’s AI smarts baked in. If that’s even something you care about.
On the back, there’s a 50MP dual camera set-up. I expect it’s going to be decent in daylight and fine for social media, but don’t expect miracles at night. Still, Auto Night Mode and Dynamic Shots features should help it punch above its weight. Round front, there’s an 8MP selfie snapper that should handle your Instagram photos with ease.
I’m particularly impressed by just how big this battery is. Earlier this year, the Moto G86 impressed me with its 6720mAh battery in a £300 handset. But the Poco M7 blows this out of the water.
The Poco M7 is available to order now from £169 for the 6GB+128GB variant, or £189 for the 8GB+256GB version. But right now, it starts at £129 directly from Xiaomi and £119 on Amazon. It comes in Black, Blue, or the rather excellent-looking Silver.
