7 Pros and Cons of Tecno POVA 7

The Tecno POVA lineup has long been the go-to option for gamers on a budget, and the POVA 7 continues that tradition at an affordable price.

Beyond delivering solid gaming chops, this phone also excels in everyday use. It arrives with a refreshed POVA interface and built-in AI enhancements that make navigation smoother and more intuitive.

Judging by its name, you might expect the POVA 7 to outdo the POVA 6, but its specs actually align more closely with the POVA 6 Neo. Want to know whether it lives up to the hype? Let’s dive into its strengths and weaknesses.

Pros of the Tecno POVA 7

Targeting the affordable gaming market, the Tecno POVA 7 positions itself as a strong contender. It can handle gaming smoothly and efficiently, even during long sessions. Its design is also striking and full of personality. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Futuristic, Space-Inspired Design

The POVA lineup is known for its daring design choices, and the Tecno POVA 7 stays true to that identity. It adopts a futuristic theme influenced by outer space, featuring bold lines and metallic accents that give it a distinct gaming feel, even at an affordable price.

One of the most eye-catching parts of the design is the camera module. Shaped like a triangle, it doesn’t try to mimic the typical camera layout seen on iPhones or entry-level phones. Instead, it showcases a spaceship-like pattern that adds a cool, unique touch, though not everyone might find it appealing.

The phone comes in three striking colors: Hyper Titanium, Magic Silver, and Geek Black. The back panel uses a soft matte finish that feels smooth to the touch and doesn’t easily attract fingerprints, keeping the device looking clean. In terms of durability, the body is protected with IP64-rated dust and water resistance.

However, there’s one aspect you might want to keep in mind: the thickness. At 9.3 mm, the phone isn’t exactly slim. This is mainly because of the massive 7000 mAh battery inside.

While it provides excellent battery life, it also adds some bulk. Other phones with higher battery density can manage to stay slimmer even with large battery capacities.

2. Strong Helio G100 “Ultimate” Performance with Ample Memory

The Tecno POVA 7 supports only 4G networks, which limits it to using the Helio G100 Ultimate chip. Even so, this processor is considered one of the most capable in the 4G category. It’s known for delivering reliable performance, including during gaming sessions.

The term "Ultimate" in its name is simply for branding, there’s no overclocking involved. The Helio G100 Ultimate powering the POVA 7 is built on a 6 nm process and features eight CPU cores.

It includes two high-performance Cortex-A76 cores running at 2.2 GHz and six power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores at 2 GHz. For graphics, it uses the Mali-G57 MP2 GPU, clocked at 1000 MHz. Based on AnTuTu v10 benchmarks, the chip scores around 430,000, a solid number for playing many popular games without trouble.

This chipset supports LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.2 internal storage. The Tecno POVA 7 is available with 8 GB of RAM and either 128 GB or 256 GB of storage. That’s already quite spacious, but Tecno also includes a dedicated microSD slot, so you can expand the storage if needed.

3. Fresh HiOS 15 Interface for POVA with Smart Tecno AI Features

The Tecno POVA 7 runs on Android 15 with HiOS 15 as its custom interface. The software is already in line with what you’d expect from phones released in 2025. Tecno even says that this is the biggest update the POVA Series has ever had.

Some of the new touches include Dynamic Animations, updated icons, and unique fonts made just for the POVA line. Most of these changes focus on the look and feel, making the interface look more modern and refreshing compared to earlier versions.

What’s interesting is that the Tecno POVA 7 also brings in a bunch of AI-powered features under what Tecno calls “Tecno AI.” This includes a built-in voice assistant named Ella.

What makes it more exciting is the integration with DeepSeek-R1, which adds more smarts to its AI system. If you're someone who follows AI trends, this could be something worth noting.

Other Tecno AI tools you’ll find here are Call Summary, real-time Call Translation, and Smart Touch, which lets you copy text by pressing two fingers on the screen.

There’s also the handy Circle to Search with Google, which helps you quickly look up info just by circling it on the screen. On top of that, you can identify songs simply by letting the phone listen to the audio.

Another helpful feature is Speech Enhancement, which improves voice clarity and reduces background noise. The Gallery app also benefits from AI, which allows you to improve your photos without lowering the resolution or quality.

4. Packed with Complete Sensors and Gaming Support, Including a Gyroscope

Since this phone is aimed at gamers, it’s no surprise that it comes with a full set of sensors to boost the gaming experience. One of the must-have features is a hardware gyroscope, and yes, the Tecno POVA 7 includes it. This sensor helps deliver faster and more accurate motion detection when you play.

Thanks to this, the Tecno POVA 7 stands out as one of the best choices for gaming in its price range. Besides the gyro, it also includes an accelerometer, proximity sensor, compass, and a fingerprint scanner for security.

Connectivity is pretty solid too. The phone has an infrared port that can turn it into a remote control for TVs or ACs. There’s also NFC, which can be used for things like access cards. And for wireless connections, you get Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi 5.

5. 7000 mAh Battery That Lasts All Day for All Kinds of Use

As mentioned earlier, the Tecno POVA 7 comes with a huge 7000 mAh battery. However, it still uses a Lithium Polymer type, which makes the phone a bit thick, about 9.3 mm. This is one of the reasons why many newer phones have switched to Silicon Carbon batteries, which allow for thinner designs without affecting battery efficiency.

Even so, the 7000 mAh battery in the Tecno POVA 7 still deserves praise. It provides great battery life for all kinds of daily activities, including gaming. According to Tecno, the phone can last up to 80.2 hours for music playback, 19.4 hours for watching videos, 18.2 hours for using navigation apps, and 14.6 hours for gaming.

The battery size is the same as the one in the Tecno POVA 6 Neo, and it's bigger than the Tecno POVA 6, which only has a 6000 mAh battery. For charging, the POVA 7 supports 45W fast charging, faster than the 33W charging on the POVA 6 Neo but slower than the 70W on the regular POVA 6.

Based on Tecno’s information, the POVA 7 can charge up to 50% in about 29 minutes, and a full charge takes around 70 minutes. While not super fast, the charging time is still reasonable considering the large battery.

Another nice touch is that the Tecno POVA 7 offers three charging modes: Low-temp for slow charging, Smart mode for balanced use, and Hyper mode for faster charging.

And for gamers, there’s also a Bypass Charging feature. This feature lets you power the phone directly while playing games, without sending the current through the battery. It helps keep the phone cooler and extends battery life, definitely useful for long gaming sessions.

6. Sharp and Smooth Screen, Comfortable for Long Use

Now let’s talk about the display. The Tecno POVA 7 has the same screen quality as the POVA 6 Neo, not the regular POVA 6. That’s because it uses an IPS LCD panel instead of AMOLED. For some users, this might be something to consider, since AMOLED usually provides richer colors and better contrast.

Still, the screen is quite large at 6.78 inches and supports Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2460 pixels). The bezels are fairly slim, and Tecno claims a screen-to-body ratio of 91.2%, which is great for watching videos or browsing content. The display looks sharp and clear enough for daily use.

One thing that stands out is the 120Hz refresh rate. This makes scrolling and animations look smoother, which is great not only for everyday use but also for gaming. A higher refresh rate can improve the in-game experience, especially when aiming for high frame rates.

If you're someone who uses your phone for hours at a time, the Tecno POVA 7 is also built with comfort in mind. Due to its large battery and TÜV Rheinland certifications for low blue light and flicker-free display, it helps reduce eye strain and makes it more comfortable to use over long periods.

7. Stereo Speakers with Dolby Atmos for Immersive Sound

The Tecno POVA 7 comes with stereo speakers, one at the top and one at the bottom of the phone. Unlike phones that use the earpiece for audio, these dedicated speaker holes give better sound balance.

With this setup, the sound feels more immersive, especially when you’re watching movies or playing games. It’s even better thanks to Dolby Atmos support, which adds a surround effect, just like in a movie theater. This makes your entertainment experience more enjoyable overall.

Cons of the Tecno POVA 7

While the Tecno POVA 7 offers a lot for its price, there are still a few downsides to keep in mind. These might help you decide whether this phone suits your needs.

1. Only Supports 4G, No 5G Connectivity

One limitation of the Tecno POVA 7 is that it only supports 4G networks. It uses the Helio G100 Ultimate chip, which is designed for 4G phones. Meanwhile, some phones in the same price range already support 5G and come with faster 5G chipsets.

Still, the Helio G100 Ultimate is one of the best 4G chips available for mid-range phones. It performs well, especially for gaming and handling multimedia tasks smoothly.

2. No Ultrawide Camera and a Lower-Resolution Front Camera

Cameras usually aren’t the main focus of gaming phones, and that’s the case here. The Tecno POVA 7 comes with a single 108 MP main camera, which is pretty decent and similar to the one on the Tecno POVA 6.

However, there’s no ultrawide lens, which might be a downside for users who like taking wide-angle shots. The front camera also takes a step back with just an 8 MP sensor, lower than the 32 MP front camera on the Tecno POVA 6. It’s more in line with what you get on the Tecno POVA 6 Neo. The front camera is okay for selfies and video calls, as long as the lighting is good.

For video recording, both the front and rear cameras can shoot in 2K (1440p), which is better than just 1080p. But there’s no stabilization feature, so the footage might look a bit shaky, especially when recording while moving.

Conclusion

Overall, the Tecno POVA 7 looks more like a direct upgrade from the Tecno POVA 6 Neo. It seems that the POVA 6 will be followed by the POVA 7 Pro, while the POVA 7 Ultra is introduced as a new addition to the lineup.

This makes sense when you consider that the screen still uses an IPS LCD, the battery capacity remains at 7000 mAh, and the front camera specs are quite similar. That said, the POVA 7 does come with several improvements: a better chipset, faster charging, a sharper main camera, and a more stylish design.

The lack of 5G support is a drawback, but the performance from the Helio G100 Ultimate still makes it a strong choice for gaming. And considering its affordable price, the downsides are pretty acceptable. So, what do you think, is this the right gaming phone for you?