The mid-range smartphone segment is rapidly evolving, especially the sub-Rs 30,000 price mark. It’s a highly competitive market with various options available. However, not every smartphone is designed the same. But the newly launched iQOO Z7 Pro is different.
The iQOO Z7 Pro is priced at Rs 24,999, and it stands out as one of the best-looking phones in its price range, especially the Blue Lagoon variant that I have been testing. However, does it have what it takes to be an overall package that fulfills the needs of the average consumer? Here’s my review.
Design and Aesthetics
The iQOO Z7 Pro differs significantly from the iQOO Z7 that I reviewed earlier this year, despite sharing a similar name. While I appreciated the iQOO Z7 (review) for its compactness, I also liked the new Z7 Pro for its larger size and curved design. The design of this phone aligns more with the latest Vivo smartphones rather than typical iQOO devices.
The phone’s back panel and frame are constructed from plastic, which makes it feel lighter than most phones of this size. Moreover, the matte finish back panel doesn’t accumulate smudges or fingerprints, making it easy to maintain the device’s pristine appearance.
Display and Audio
The iQOO Z7 Pro boasts a large 6.78-inch curved AMOLED screen with FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s protected by Asahi tempered glass and comes with a pre-installed soft screen protector out-of-the-box, a thoughtful addition as it can be challenging to find screen protectors for phones with curved displays.
In comparison to the Lava Agni 2 (review), another mid-range 5G device with a curved display, the iQOO Z7 Pro’s accidental touch detection is better, and its display is slightly brighter with more accurate colour reproduction in the default mode. However, it’s worth noting that the iQOO Z7 Pro is a bit more expensive than the Lava offering.
While the display is impressive, the mono speaker setup is a letdown, especially when considering that the cheaper iQOO Z7 has a stereo speaker and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Camera
iQOO has made some compromises in the camera department. Despite phones that cost less featuring dedicated ultra-wide-angle cameras, the iQOO Z7 Pro lacks one. It has a dual-camera setup at the back with a 64 MP primary shooter and a 2 MP depth sensor. The front houses a 16 MP selfie shooter with support for up to 1080p video recording.
Photos taken in daylight situations exhibit good colour, detail, and saturation. Selfies in daylight also turn out well. However, the camera system lacks the versatility of an ultra-wide-angle lens.
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Performance and Battery
Under normal daily usage, the phone feels fast and responsive, powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chip with 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. It performs well in benchmarks, such as AnTuTu, where it scores over 700,000 points. Real-world gaming is smooth, even for demanding games like COD: Mobile at high graphics settings, although prolonged gaming does cause the phone to heat up.
The iQOO Z7 Pro packs a 4,600 mAh battery with support for up to 66W fast charging, which takes just over 50 minutes to fully charge the phone. On most days, the phone lasts the entire day, providing around five to six hours of battery life. However, continuous gaming will drain the battery faster, but the fast-charging feature comes in handy.
Should You Buy the iQOO Z7 Pro?
The iQOO Z7 Pro is undeniably one of the best-looking phones in the sub-Rs 25,000 price range. However, features like a mono speaker setup and the absence of an ultra-wide-angle lens do make it somewhat compromised compared to some of its competitors. If you can live with a single speaker and don’t prioritize an ultra-wide camera, the iQOO Z7 Pro is a great device to consider.
