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iQOO, a sub-brand of Vivo, has been looking to make a mark in all smartphone price categories, but its nomenclature can occasionally leave consumers wondering which one’s a premium offering, and which isn’t. For example, its latest launch, the iQOO Z7, on the surface looks like it’s in the same league as the iQOO Neo 7. Both have fairly similar features, but the iQOO Z7 is priced even more competitively.
Here’s the lowdown on the new smartphone that might end up checking off all your budget all-rounder needs.
Design
The iQOO Z7 | Photo Credit: Photo: Bijoy Ghosh
With rectangular edges, the iQOO Z7 sports a plastic body with a matte metallic finish. Weighing in at 173 grams, the phone felt just right for everyday use, light enough in hand or in the pocket. The review unit I received was in Norway Blue, reminiscent of the Neo 7 that I’d reviewed earlier. Apart from the volume rocker, and the power button on the right, you’d be happy to know that there’s a 3.5 audio jack as well. I think this was much needed as the single speaker setup at the bottom, delivers a sub-par audio experience.
Display
Bright 6.38-inch FHD+ AMOLED display | Photo Credit: Photo: Bijoy Ghosh
The iQOO Z7 features a 6.38-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400 × 1080. The colours on the display are punchy, and strangely sometimes a little too saturated for my liking - which really makes itself conspicuous while watching movies on YouTube content off the display.
The 90 Hz refresh rate is definitely desirable, making switching between apps and visually rich content buttery smooth.
Performance
The iQOO Z7 is built around a MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G mobile platform that features an octa-core processor. The unit I tried had 8 GB RAM and 128 GB ROM, which helped apps run pretty fast, and games rendered perfectly at 60 FPS.
On synthetic benchmarks, the iQOO Z7 scored 1040 on single-core and 2481 on multi-core tests, placing it above the ZenFone 7 and below the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro on Geekbench 6. On AnTuTu, it scored 5,17,000 positioned right between two well-performing Samsung smartphones - the A52s and the A54.
The iQOO Z7 runs on Funtouch OS 13 based on Android 13. However, the presence of bloatware mars the user experience with frequent notification pop-ups.
Camera
Rear camera setup of the Z7 | Photo Credit: Photo: Bijoy Ghosh
The presence of a single rear camera and a 2 MP depth sensor has become a mainstay among iQOO devices. The 64-megapixel camera is surprisingly good for a budget phone. Shots taken both during daytime and the post-sunset featured rich colours on the primary camera.
Videos captured were fairly stable thanks to the inbuilt OIS, however, the overall quality is just about good enough for social media posts. The 16-MP selfie camera gives clear selfies in daylight conditions, but the AI filters, which are turned on by default, tend to smoothen out skin details quite unnaturally.
Camera | Photo Credit: Photo: Bijoy Ghosh
Battery
The iQOO Z7 features a 4,500 mAh battery and supports fast charging up to 44 W. The phone took under an hour to fully charge using the supplied 44-watt charger. I got close to 7-8 hours of screen-on time, with the usual round of 2-3 hours of Call of Duty Mobile, a couple of hours of calls, and an hour or two of browsing and watching videos. I plugged it in at the end of the day with 20 per cent battery to spare.
Conclusion
The iQOO Z7 does a commendable job at its price point. You get a bright, 90 Hz, AMOLED display coupled with smooth user experience and performance. The sub-par audio experience and the presence of adware detract a bit from the experience overall. Hence, if you are looking for a reliable smartphone on a tight budget, this phone might be one of the best you can consider right now.
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