iQOO has finally upgraded its Z-series with the launch of two new smartphones in India: iQOO Z9s Pro and iQOO Z9s. Both smartphones come loaded with some interesting set of features and specifications. The iQOO Z9s is meant to take the competition under the Rs 20,000 price segment, while the Pro variant will compete with the likes of Realme 13 Pro+, OnePlus Nord 4, Nothing Phone 2a Plus, and more. The iQOO Z9s Pro comes with a price tag of Rs 34,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB model, Rs 26,999 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB variant, and Rs 28,999 for the 12GB RAM + 256GB option.
The latest model from iQOO has a lot to offer. Right from the premium design language to improved cameras and decent features, the Pro model is iQOO’s knight in shining armour. However, does it have enough arsenal to take on the competition? Let’s find out in this in-depth review.
iQOO Z9s Pro Design: Slim and Stylish
- Dimensions – 163.72 x 75 x 7.49mm
- Weight – 190g
- Colours – Flamboyant Orange and Luxe Marble
The latest iQOO device follows a similar design trait as we have seen in the Neo series and its flagship series. The company has finally made it more refined and premium for the customers, which is good. The handset is available in two different finishes. The Flamboyant Orange comes with a leather finish at the rear panel, while the Lux Marble offers a glass finish with some textures. Fortunately, I got the chance to use both devices and in my opinion, the Lux Marble looks premium compared to the leather option.
The smartphone is available in two different colour options: Orange with a leather finish and Lux Marble with a glass finish.
Talking about the design aesthetics, the handset is currently one of the slimmest smartphones in this price segment with 7.49mm. The curved display on the front provides a bezel-less experience, and you will feel any sharp edges while holding it, which is sadly the case with some curved smartphones.
The button placements could have been slightly better here, as you required some effort to reach the volume controls. The phone also comes with some screen protection, but it is not from Corning. The good thing here is that you get an IP64 rating, which makes it dust and splash-resistant. Overall, the design language has certainly improved, and it is surely one of the most well-designed smartphones in the Rs 30,000 price segment.
iQOO Z9s Pro Display: Good for Outdoor Usage
- Display – 6.77-inch Full HD+ curved AMOLED display
- Refresh Rate – 120Hz screen refresh rate
- Other Features – 2160Hz PWM Dimming, 100 percent P3 colour gamut, Scott Xensation Glass protection, HDR10+, 4,500nits peak brightness
Coming to the display, the iQOO Z9s Pro 5G comes loaded with a curved AMOLED screen that offers a bezel-less experience. Being a curved display, the accidental touches are minimal, which is a common problem with such kinds of screens.
The iQOO Z9s Pro comes loaded with a curved AMOLED display that offers vibrant colours.
The display offers crisp visuals and vibrant colours. The viewing angles are great, and the outdoor visibility is good as well, all thanks to the 4,500 nits of peak brightness. You also get three different colour modes to customise the display to your own taste. These include Standard, Professional, and Bright.
The Professional colours have better saturation, while the Bright mode makes the colours pop out a bit more than the Standard. The handset also comes loaded with a dynamic 120Hz screen refresh rate, making the whole scrolling experience smooth.
The device also features an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is fast and reliable. The handset also packs stereo speakers, which deliver good audio output. However, you can crank it up to full volume, there is a little distortion.
iQOO Z9s Pro Software: Bloatware Heavy
- Software – FunTouch OS 14
- Version – Android 14
- Updates Promised – 2 Years of OS updates and 3 years of security patches
The user interface is frankly not the strongest suite for iQOO phones, and the same can be said for this device. You get the latest Android 14 operating system with the newest skin of FunTouchOS 14 on top of it. The user interface does offer some good-level customisations and a fluid experience, but there are a few instances where it slightly lags.
The handset offers two years of Android updates and three years of security patches.
The first one is the amount of bloatware present in the smartphone, though most of them can be deleted. The other culprits are the Hot Games and Hot Apps, which give away ads for different apps and games. And thirdly, you have the V-Appstore that spams you with notifications of new apps and games.
Sadly, there is no option to delete them, but you can always disable them to save yourself from spammy notifications. Also, the company says it offers two years of OS upgrades and three years of security patches, while the competition is providing at least three years of Android updates and four years of security patches.
iQOO Z9s Pro Performance: Value for Money
- Processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
- Memory – Up to 12GB
- Storage – Up to 512GB
One thing here, the company has done a good job with the pricing of the iQOO Z9s Pro. It is currently one of the cheapest smartphones available in the market that comes loaded with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor. All the other phones offering this chipset are priced around Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000.
The iQOO Z9s Pro packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor that offers good performance.
This instantly makes it one of the best smartphones in its price range. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor is a capable chipset that can offer a good level of performance for everyday usage. Whether be it mindlessly scrolling Reels or switching between different Slack, WhatsApp, and Chrome, you will face no problem with the device. I have also compiled the results of benchmarks, which you can check below.
| Benchmark | iQOO Z9s Pro | Honor 200 | Motorola Edge 50 Pro | Realme GT 6T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 Single Core | 1136 | 1145 | 1142 | 1843 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi Core | 3091 | 3304 | 3124 | 4756 |
| AnTuTu v10 | 814328 | 821,670 | 818,387 | 1,462,980 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 10460 | 12,723 | 13,730 | 19,517 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Slingshot | 8255 | Maxed Out | 8393 | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life | 5287 | 5917 | 5394 | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 5428 | 6043 | 5457 | 11481 |
| GFXBench T-Rex | 119 | 60 | 116 | 60 |
| GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 | 74 | 59 | 61 | 60 |
| GFXBench Car Chase | 40 | 38 | 32 | 60 |
In terms of gaming, the handset is ready to take most of the heavy titles you throw at it. I played Call of Duty: Mobile on this device with Very High graphics settings and Max frame rates. During the gaming sessions, the phone did not stutter or lagged even once. However, I did notice it getting slightly hot around the camera module, but it was not too alarming.
iQOO Z9s Pro Cameras: Top-Notch
- Rear – 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 sensor with f/1.79 aperture + 8-megapixel Ultra-Wide Camera
- Front – 16-megapixel sensor with f/2.4 aperture
Cameras are certainly one of the major highlights of the iQOO Z9s Pro. The company has finally added some pro-grade cameras to its Z-series, which results in better performance. Overall, the cameras are reliable for any lighting conditions. During daylight, the photos came out to be crips, and the dynamic range was decent as well. The portraits captured from the iQOO Z9s Pro also came out to be good. The low-light performance is also good, and you get some detailed shots. That said, if you want to read in-depth about the iQOO Z9s Pro cameras, then you can head over to this link.
iQOO Z9s Pro Battery: Decent Battery Life
- Battery Capacity – 5,500mAh
- Wired Charging – 80W Fast Charging
- Charger – 80W (Included in Box)
The iQOO Z9s Pro has a huge 5,500mAh battery, which is even bigger than the batteries found in the OnePlus Nord 4, Motorola Edge 50, Nothing Phone 2a Plus, Honor 200, and more. This results in better battery backup as compared to the other devices. With casual to moderate usage, you can easily get up to 2 days of battery life. With heavy usage, which includes watching episodes on streaming platforms, scrolling Reels, checking Gmail, using Chrome to read articles, and more, you still get a day full of battery backup.
The handset packs a 5,500mAh battery and supports 80W fast charging.
The phone lasted 26 hours and 42 minutes in the HD battery loop test. The charging speeds are also quite decent. With the 80W fast charger provided by the company, the phone charged 33 percent in 15 minutes, 57 percent in 30 minutes, and 100 percent in 52 minutes.
iQOO Z9s Pro Verdict
The iQOO Z9s Pro offers a decent mix of style, performance, and features. The handset offers a premium design and vibrant display that offers good outdoor visibility. The battery life is impressive, and so are the cameras. The performance is also good, and you will not feel any disappointment in this section. However, it comes with its fair share of cons, and bloatware is one of the most annoying. Also, the number of Android upgrades seems to be subpar with the competition.
As for the competition is concerned, the iQOO Z9s Pro will go against the OnePlus Nord 4 (Review), Realme GT 6T (Review) Poco F6 (Review), Realme 13 Pro+ (Review), Nothing Phone 2a (Review), and more. That said, if you are looking for a stylish mid-range smartphone with features and power-packed performance, consider the iQOO Z9s Pro.
