iQOO Z7 5G Review: Excellent value for its price

In recent years, iQOO has been releasing phones that offer great value for their price, and the latest model, the iQOO Z7, appears to follow this trend. It succeeds the iQOO Z6 from the previous year and features several enhancements.

To begin with, the phone boasts a stunning 90Hz AMOLED display, a Dimensity 920 chip for improved performance, and a faster 44W charging speed. Additionally, the main camera has been upgraded to a 64 MP OIS sensor, resulting in high-quality photographs.

The iQOO Z7 5G has an attractive and modern design, coupled with impressive specifications. Consequently, this phone may be a strong contender for the best phone under 20K. To determine if this is the case, let's examine the iQOO Z7 5G in detail in this review.

iQOO Z7 5G Price in India

iQOO Z7 price in India starts from Rs 18999. The phone is available in two configurations with 6 GB RAM and another with 8 GB RAM priced at Rs 19999.

The phone is available in two colour options including Pacific Night and Norway Blue.

Design

Upon initial inspection, the iQOO Z7 appears sleek and small in size. The phone is offered in two colour choices, Norway Blue and Pacific Night, with the former being used for this review. The back panel is composed of plastic material, featuring a glittery matte texture that does not attract fingerprints.

As one views the back panel from different angles, the colours reflected vary, creating a visually appealing effect. Furthermore, the phone is quite lightweight, weighing just around 173 grams, which allows for comfortable handling and carrying for extended periods.

Display

The iQOO Z7 includes a 6.38-inch AMOLED screen that provides an enjoyable viewing experience. It features a 90Hz refresh rate and a maximum brightness of 1,300 nits. Even in direct sunlight, the screen remains sufficiently bright, and I encountered no difficulties while utilising the phone indoors or outside.

The 90Hz refresh rate results in a remarkably smooth scrolling experience, with seamless animations and swiping on the phone. The content on the screen is vivid and sharp, with deep blacks and exceptional viewing angles.

Performance and Software

The iQOO Z7 employs the MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset, combined with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The phone effortlessly navigates daily activities, with apps opening swiftly and switching between them being seamless.

It can also handle more demanding tasks, such as video editing and multitasking, without difficulty. Playing graphics-intensive games is not a problem, as I tested CoD Mobile, BGMI, and Asphalt 9, all of which ran smoothly on high settings.

Although there were some frame drops noticed while playing on the highest graphic settings, this issue was resolved by reducing the settings. It should be noted that the phone becomes quite warm on the back after only 30 minutes of gaming.

The iQOO Z7 operates on the Funtouch OS 13 interface, which is based on Android 13. I commend iQOO for providing the most recent Android version right out of the box, which offers a range of features and a simple user interface.

Users can personalise the entire interface of the phone according to their preferences. However, the phone comes preloaded with several applications that may be considered bloatware, such as Moj, Josh, Spotify, Facebook, Byjus, Hot Apps, Hot Games, V-App Store, and others. Although most of them can be uninstalled, the iQOO applications cannot, so they must be tolerated.

Camera

The iQOO Z7's primary camera does an excellent job of capturing high-quality images. It has a dual camera setup on the back, comprising a 64MP main camera and a 2MP depth camera, while the front has a 16MP camera for selfies.

In daylight conditions, the main camera produces bright and vivid images with a lot of detail and sharpness. The dynamic range is also wide, and the HDR mode takes excellent photos. The camera can quickly focus on the subject.

However, the absence of an ultra-wide lens is a noticeable disadvantage at this price point. Nonetheless, portrait shots are excellent, with the depth camera distinguishing the subject from the background. The edge detection is precise, and the blur effect is attractive.

In outdoor lighting, the 16MP front camera takes fantastic selfies, capturing facial details such as beard hair. Skin tones are natural-looking, and the overall colours are pleasing.

Battery

The iQOO Z7 is equipped with a 4500 mAh battery, which is slightly less than the standard 5000mAh battery found in phones at this price point. However, the phone can still last for a full day on a single charge. With heavy usage, the battery may need to be charged in the evening.

The phone supports 44W fast charging, which is not the fastest at this price range. It takes a little over an hour to fully charge the phone from 0 to 100 percent, and a 30-minute charge can bring the battery level up to around 60 percent.

iQOO Z7 6G Verdict

iQOO Z7 is a highly impressive smartphone that offers exceptional performance and features at a reasonable price point. Although the phone appears somewhat outdated from the front, the AMOLED display is exceptional and offers a smooth scrolling experience. The MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset ensures that even the most demanding games run flawlessly.

While the primary camera is capable of capturing high-quality images, the lack of an ultra-wide camera is a significant drawback. Despite average battery life and charging speed, the phone still offers excellent value for money. All in all, the iQOO Z7 is a well-balanced 5G phone that is an excellent option for gamers on a budget.