By KBC Associate 
The new F7 series from Poco lacks a vanilla model – there are only Pro and Ultra versions. And as far as value for money goes (the brand’s key selling point), some believe that the Poco X7 Pro is better than the F7 Pro.
Right now, the Poco X7 Pro starts at €320 and you can add 4GB of RAM for €20, doubling the storage is another €20. While not quite a flagship chip, the Dimensity 8400 Ultra is unique with its eight Cortex-A725 cores. Also, the display is quite premium with 1220p+ resolution, 12-bit colors, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support.
The plastic frame is a downgrade compared to the F7 Pro, but this model has a higher IP rating, IP69. The camera is nothing special (50MP 1/1.95” main, 8MP ultra-wide and 20MP selfie), but it’s not far off what the F-phone has. And the battery is virtually the same at 6,000mAh Si/C and 90W wired-only charging.
Before settling on the X7 Pro, you should consider the older Poco F6. With a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, the phone is not as fast as the X7 Pro, but still holds its own. And it has the same display and same camera system. The battery is smaller at 5,000mAh (still with 90W charging) and the water resistance is a fairly basic IP64. Given the €20 difference between the two, we’d go with the newer X7 Pro.
There’s also the vanilla Poco X7, which is around €70 cheaper than the Pro. That’s nice and all, but the Dimensity 7300 Ultra is a major downgrade in terms of performance (and it is hooked up to UFS 2.2 storage, compared to UFS 4.0 on the Pro), plus the battery has 5,110mAh capacity and charges at 45W. The display and cameras are similar enough, but the loss of performance has us leaning towards the Pro.
Last year, Apple released new iPad Air tablets with the M2 chip, then refreshed them with M3-based models this year. iPadOS does not make the best use of the extra performance, though, unlike macOS, so you might not notice a huge difference between the two generations.
The iPad Air 13 (2024) ranges from €125 to €230 cheaper than the equivalent 2025 model, depending on the storage tier. Maybe, you’d like extra storage than extra performance.
Similarly, the smaller iPad Air 11 (2024) is €120-€160 cheaper than its newer sibling.
If you prefer Android tablets, the Xiaomi Pad 7 and Pad 7 Pro are both €70 off. Both have 11.2” IPS LCDs (144Hz, 12-bit, Dolby Vision) with stylus support, quad speakers and 8,850mAh batteries. The primary difference is in the chipset – Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 on the vanilla and Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 on the Pro.
The Pro also has better cameras (back: 50MP vs. 13MP, front: 32MP vs. 8MP) and faster charging (67W vs. 45W), but it does cost €50 more. In terms of performance, the Pro has only a slight lead, despite the higher class of chip.
Finally, the Amazon Fire Max 11 is a great streaming tablet that can also be used for work and even light gaming. It has a good quality 11” IPS LCD (2,000 x 1,200px, 60Hz) and stereo speakers. Storage is expandable, if you prefer local media over streaming. Note that this version has ads, but you can get rid of them for €15 extra.
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