With the launch of the new iQOO Z7 Pro, iQOO is poised to overthrow the OnePlus Nord CE 3 in the mid-range price category. Not only does the iQOO Z7 Pro offer top-notch performance, but it is also priced better than its biggest competitor, OnePlus Nord CE 3. For perspective, the base 8GB + 128GB storage variant is being offered at a limited-time effective price of Rs 21,999, with the top 8GB + 256GB storage variant being offered at Rs 22,999. This makes the iQOO Z7 Pro Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 cheaper respectively than both the Nord CE 3’s variant.
So, if you have a budget of under Rs 25,000 and you are on the lookout for a solid mid-range smartphone, let us give you 4 reasons why the iQOO Z7 Pro should be at the top of your wishlist and 1 reason why you should skip it.
iQOO Z7 Pro: 4 reasons to buy
— Sleek and stylish design: The iQOO Z6 Pro sported a curved rear panel, which was plastic, plus the front was flat and there was a big chin. However, the iQOO Z7 Pro does so many things better than its predecessor. For starters, there’s a dual-curved display with Schott Xensation protection, along with slim and what looks to be almost symmetrical bezels. The rear sports a matte glass finish which is smooth to the touch. Again, it exudes a very premium feel and is also curved on both sides.
The phone is very slim and very lightweight to hold. There’s an IP52 rating for what it’s worth. The raised camera island is still there, although there are now 2 lenses instead of 3, and there’s a ring flash. Overall, yes, iQOO Z7 Pro has grown in size over the iQOO Z6 Pro, but there’s no doubt, the company has paid attention to detail while crafting this smartphone. Hands down, the iQOO Z7 Pro is currently the best-looking smartphone in the sub-Rs 25,000 price segment.
— Gorgeous AMOLED display: The iQOO Z7 Pro brings major display upgrades over its predecessor, the iQOO Z6 Pro. So, you get a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display, which has obviously grown in size. But, other than this, it is brighter at up to 1300 nits, there’s a 120Hz refresh rate, the panel is 10-bit and there’s support for HDR10 video playback. So, when it comes to content consumption on YouTube or OTT or while playing games, the display simply looks gorgeous.
In fact, when it comes to the display quality, as I said, with support for Widevine L1, HDR10 playback, 10-bit colours and likes — the iQOO Z7 Pro has a top-notch screen. However, there’s one thing that could’ve made the multimedia experience on the iQOO Z7 Pro even better than it already is. I am going to mention it in the “1 reason to skip” section below.
— Solid performance: The iQOO Z7 Pro is powered by the new 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC, coupled with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB UFS 2.2 storage. And despite featuring a slower storage type versus the faster UFS 3.1 storage used in the Nord CE 3, the iQOO Z7 Pro still managed to post similar or sometimes even better benchmark scores over the Nord CE 3.
Overall, with Funtouch OS 13 at the helm, a 4,600mAh battery and 66W fast charging support, performance is one area where the iQOO Z7 Pro delivers through and through. In fact, it would be an understatement to say that this smartphone is one of the best-performing smartphones right now in the sub-Rs 25,000 price segment. Be it the general performance, or playing graphics-intensive games like COD: Mobile and Asphalt 9: Legends to maintaining good thermal levels over prolonged usage, the iQOO Z7 Pro will surely impress you with its solid performance.
— Reliable camera: The iQOO Z7 Pro might not have the most versatile camera setup out there, but with its 64MP primary rear camera and its 16MP selfie snapper, one can expect to have a reliable camera performance. In my testing, I found the rear camera to click some of the best-looking photos I have taken from a sub-Rs 25,000 phone in a long time. The iQOO Z7 Pro not only impressed me with its superb camera performance in adequate lighting, but the phone also proved impressive in clicking photos in not the best lighting conditions.
Additionally, the selfie camera is also quite good, and if you are someone who loves posting social media-worthy selfies, you will surely appreciate the results captured by the iQOO Z7 Pro. As for video recording capabilities, 4K footage captured from the rear camera looks top-notch. However, one area where the camera performance does need some tuning is with the 1080p video recording from the front camera. So, I hope iQOO can fix it soon, maybe with a software patch.
iQOO Z7 Pro: 1 reason to skip
— A few missing links: While I don’t think there are any major reasons to skip the iQOO Z7 Pro at a budget of under Rs 25,000, there are still a couple of missing links that could’ve turned this otherwise great phone into a perfect phone in its price segment. The first missing link is the dual speakers. So, the iQOO Z7 Pro features a single-bottom firing speaker and its output is okay. I mean, it is loud and it should be okay for most folks, but it clearly lacks the depth offered by a dual-speaker setup. The second missing link is an ultra-wide-angle camera. So, as good and reliable as I found the camera setup on the iQOO Z7 Pro, I did miss having an ultra-wide angle camera to capture wider scenes or to fit a lot of people in one frame.