The largest emitter used on small craft such as runabouts and light escorts, the Type VII phaser array is considerably more powerful than its more diminutive counterparts, with faster recharge rates, ranges and, of course, offensive capabilities.

Recent advances in technology have allowed Starfleet to decrease the overall size of the Type VII, thereby allowing it to be employed on vessels previously considered to be much too small to cope with the necessary machinery. As such, the Type VII is markedly superior to the Type VI phaser array but, due to practical issues, falls far short of the standard Type VIII arrays now being deployed on current starships.