Review Verdict: It’s hard to complain about the POVA 7, as it is one of the most affordable phones to have a Helio G100 processor. Beyond its processor, this budget phone also stands out for having the biggest battery in its price segment.
Pros
- Excellent price for a Helio G100 chip
- Big battery with decent charging speeds
Cons
- Not the brightest display
- Basic camera setup
TECNO made a surprise with the announcement of the POVA 7 series, with the base model having an insane early bird price of Php 5,999 when it goes on sale on June 26. We’ve used the POVA 7 for a few days, and we think TECNO has hit a jackpot with one of the most affordable Helio G100 phones in the market.
TECNO POVA 7 Review Philippines: Design
We usually manage expectations when it comes to budget phones, but even if the POVA 7 has a plastic frame and body, it does feel premium on the hand. We like the aesthetic of the POVA 7, where you have a refined and subtle version of the POVA 6 Pro’s mecha design without the LED lights.
A nice upgrade with the POVA 7 is the IP64 rating, making it comfortable to use during the rainy weather. The Hyper Titanium colorway we have has a nice frosted finish that’s resistant to smudges. Aside from stereo speakers, you still get a headphone jack.
TECNO POVA 7 Review Philippines: Display and Speakers
The POVA 7 has a 6.78-inch IPS display with a 120hz refresh rate and a Full HD resolution. Being a budget phone, we had to manage our expectations: the bezels are on a thick side, and peak brightness is not good enough for outdoor use. Those imperfections aside, the POVA 7’s display is serviceable for regular use.
At the very least, you can watch your favorite videos–Netflix included–in Full HD. For audio, you get stereo speakers, and their audio quality is roughly the same as what we experienced with the POVA 6 Pro. If you’re not happy with the speakers, you do get a headphone jack for plugging in your wired cans.
TECNO POVA 7 Review Philippines: Cameras
The POVA 7 keeps it basic with its cameras with a 108-megapixel main shooter, a 2-megapixel filler camera, and an ordinary 8-megapixel selfie camera. It’s not the most outstanding setup for a budget phone, but the main camera is good enough for taking photos for posting on social media.
From the photos we took using the main camera, the POVA 7 can produce decent shots as long as you have adequate lighting. It struggles with low-light situations, so you’ll have to manage expectations for that.
The same goes for the selfie camera, where it struggles preserving details in mixed lighting situations.
Given its chipset limitations, video recording is capped at Full HD resolution, which should be enough for most users. There’s no OIS or EIS onboard, so you’ll need a steady pair of hands or a gimbal for smooth footage.
TECNO POVA 7 Review Philippines: Internals and Battery
We mentioned earlier that it rocks a Helio G100, and its price makes it one of the most affordable in the market. It comes with 8GB RAM, and you can get either 128GB or 256GB storage. We’d argue that MediaTek needs to retire the whole Helio G100 series since it’s based on a 6-year old design, but honestly we don’t mind given the pricing of the POVA 7.
Since the Helio G100 is an incremental update to the Helio G99, the POVA 7 can run titles like PUBG Mobile smoothly in high graphics, while demanding titles like Genshin Impact should run fine in medium graphics as long as you cap FPS to 30.
The POVA 7 comes with Android 15 out of the box, and it’s nice to see that there’s minimal to no bloatware preinstalled.
Another solid selling point of the POVA 7 is its huge 7000mAh battery that supports 45w charging. It’s a nice combination for a budget phone–from the time we unboxed the phone, it took us two days before we needed to charge the POVA 7. Its charging speeds are good enough for topping up the POVA 7’s huge battery quickly.
TECNO POVA 7 Review Philippines: Wrap-up and Conclusions
TECNO has hit a sweet spot with the POVA 7. Aside from a compelling early bird price today (June 26) at Shopee, the POVA 7 hits the basics on a good 2025 budget phone: the best possible entry-level processor with the Helio G100, a large battery that has decent charging speeds, and looks that’s not as boring as other budget phones.
TECNO POVA 7 Review Philippines: Price
The POVA 7 is priced at Php 6,999 for the 8GB/128GB variant and Php 7,999 for the 8GB/256GB variant For the first day sales, the 8GB/128GB variant will have a promo price of Php 5,999 in TikTok, while the 8GB/256GB variant will have a promo price of Php 6,749 in Shopee.
