For the price, the iQOO Z9 is a powerful device. This inexpensive phone is an excellent option for entertainment and light gaming because of its strong processor, extended battery life, and gorgeous display.
Indian customers have developed a specialised market for iQOO smartphones since its introduction in 2020. Its best-in-class hardware and reasonable price have made it a popular option for young people. The iQOO Z9, the company's most recent product, appears to have the most prominent characteristics. First of all, it offers unparalleled performance at a price below Rs 20,000, which is difficult to get in this price range.
After using the brand-new iQOO Z9 for more than a week, I have some intriguing findings regarding the reasonably priced gadget to share. In this evaluation, we'll determine whether this is the greatest smartphone beneath Rs 20,000.
A budget phone that looks like one
The design of low-cost cellphones has improved within the past several years. However, in terms of appearance, the iQOO Z9 is not one of them. The iQOO Z9 is a rather unassuming smartphone with a plastic body, in contrast to some of the previously released, comparable products in the market like the Nothing Phone (2a) (review) and the Lava Blaze Curve (review). Remarkably, unlike other phones in this price bracket, the business isn't even attempting to disguise that fact.
Although the iQOO Z9's design isn't its best feature, its weight is. It has a big 6.67-inch display, weighs 188 grammes, and has a 5,000 mAh battery. With a very little camera bump and an IP54 designation that protects it from dust and water, it is also among the thinnest phones in the market. The Graphene Blue variant of the gadget feels quite light for daily use, and since it resists smudges and fingerprints, you really don't need to use a case. The camera island with the mirror, on the other hand, is very different, and maintaining cleanliness may require carrying a microfiber cloth.
Best-suited for multimedia
The iQOO Z9 is a gadget specifically designed for content consumers, thanks to its dual speaker configuration and 6.67-inch OLED screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The display gets sufficiently bright and maintains visibility even in direct sunlight, and HDR playback is supported. This flat panel display appears a little out of date in comparison to gadgets like the Phone (2a) and the Blaze Curve, with a somewhat broader bezel at the bottom. Additionally, there is an in-display fingerprint sensor; while it isn't the fastest or most accurate, it does the job. I liked to watch YouTube videos and Instagram reels. I was surprised to see that the gadget could play 4K HDR films as well.
The camera gets the job done
The iQOO Z9's camera island is home to two cameras: a 2 MP bokeh lens and a main 50 MP Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS. Additionally, there is a 16 MP selfie camera with 1080p video capture capability. There is an in-sensor zoom supported 2x option on the phone, and the primary camera can record 4K footage at 30 frames per second.
I was pleased with the primary cameras' output, particularly the images taken during the day. Although the contrast was a little bit greater, most of the photographs showed a lot of details. In contrast, the performance of the selfie camera was mediocre.
Adequately powerful, can handle most games
The iQOO Z9's camera island is home to two cameras: a 2 MP bokeh lens and a main 50 MP Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS. Additionally, there is a 16 MP selfie camera with 1080p video capture capability. There is an in-sensor zoom supported 2x option on the phone, and the primary camera can record 4K footage at 30 frames per second.
I was pleased with the primary cameras' output, particularly the images taken during the day. Although the contrast was a little bit greater, most of the photographs showed a lot of details. In contrast, the performance of the selfie camera was mediocre.
I was pleased with the primary cameras' output, particularly the images taken during the day. Although the contrast was a little bit greater, most of the photographs showed a lot of details. In contrast, the performance of the selfie camera was mediocre.
The iQOO Z9 comes with the most recent version of Android 14, which has the FunTouchOS 14 skin on top, unlike some of the phones that have just been released. But unlike some of the more expensive iQOO cellphones, this one has a lot more bloatware, such as "hot apps" and "hot games," so the OS isn't as pure. Apart from that, three years of security patches and two significant Android OS upgrades are promised for the gadget.
The phone has a battery life that is readily sufficient for a whole day. The phone provided slightly more than six hours of screen-on time despite the extensive usage, which included gaming, benchmark runs, downloading files from the internet, and testing the cameras. Furthermore, the smartphone may be fully charged in around 100 minutes or 1.5 hours thanks to the 44W rapid charging.
Verdict: A value-centric smartphone
Although the iQOO Z9 may not seem like much at first, it yet has all the features a user of a contemporary smartphone may want. The iQOO Z9 is a value-for-money smartphone since it costs Rs 17,999 (with the bank discount), which is over Rs 4,000 less than the Nothing Phone (2a), which has comparable specs.
