iQOO Z7 Pro 5G review: Reliable mid-range phone with stylish design

After in introducing the premium Neo7 Pro, iQOO has launched an affordable mid-range phone Z7 Pro in India.

The new iQOO Z7 Pro comes in two colours-- Blue Lagoon and Graphite Matte-- with prices starting at Rs 23,999.

The Z7 Pro 5G comes in the fancy matte finish panel and the dual-curve display looks amazing, but does it deliver a smooth performance? read our review.

Design, build quality, and display

iQOO's Z7 Pro borrows some design elements from premium Neo series phones. It features a gorgeous smooth sparkling cover panel on the back. It has a big rectangular camera module with aura LED flash in a circular shape beside the dual cameras.

The matte finish exudes a premium hand feel and also, does an excellent job repelling the fingerprint smudges. It should be noted that the company offers the transparent silicone case free with the retail box. It is soft and sturdy enough to help the device survive an accident fall on a flat surface even with the display facing down. It has minute appendages at the edges that ensure the display doesn't touch the ground with a flat surface.

. As advertised, the device's display is really bright enough to view content, be it reading news or messages or watching any multimedia content, without any issues outdoors. The colours on the screen really come off as vibrant and the black too, has a distinguishable darker shade compared to some devices with LCD panels.

Also, the in-screen fingerprint sensor works smoothly, but like in all other devices with similar biometric support, the owner has to keep their fingers dry and clean, for the sensor to accurately take note of the thumb impression to unlock the screen.

. The super slim iQOO phone can very easily slip out of the hand, but the cover case without adding much to the thickness, offers a good grip to hold onto the device.

Add to that the company pre-fits a plastic-based secondary shield on the display and users need not worry about the screen getting scratched when kept in the pocket with coins or keys.

It has a USB-C charging port along with a mic and SIM tray at the base. Please be advised, the small hole beside the Type-C port is a mic. Don't mistake it for the SIM ejector pin holder to remove the tray. The latter is actually on the extreme left. FYI, the phone has just two slots for nano SIMs and there is an option for microSD card.

On the left side, there is no physical button as such and on the right side, it has a volume rocker and power button. And, on the top, it houses a mic and an engraving 'Professional Portrait', advertising that the phone has good camera hardware (more on that later).

On the front, it has a beautiful 6.78-inch full HD(2400 × 1080p) dual-curved AMOLED screen. It has a 90.4% screen-to-body ratio, supports 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and offers peak brightness up to 1300 nits.

. Performance

The new iQOO Z7 Pro is powered by 4nm class 2.8GHz MediaTek Dimensity 7200 with Mali-G610 MC4 GPU, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM with two storage options-- 128GB (UFS 2.2) and 256GB (UFS2.2).

The device is a smooth performer and is excellent while playing graphics-rich games such as Asphalt 9: Legends. There is noticeable swiftness while loading apps and switching between them.

Even while operating the camera while recording high-resolution 4K videos, the phone does not show any lag-ness at all. Also, the device doesn't get warmed up easily when operating the phone outdoors.

. It runs on Android 13-based FuntouchOS 13. It has the familiar UI as seen in Vivo phones and is very easy to browse around settings to find any features to enhance user experience. Even for the first time, iQOO device owners can get the hang of the user interface in a day or two.

With a 4,600mAh battery, it can deliver a full day under normal usage. If you go extreme with gaming or binge-watch content on OTT for several hours with just a cellular data plan on, you may have to carry around the power bank or charger offered by the company.

It can power up the phone from zero to 50 per cent in around 20 to 25 minutes and hit the 100 per cent mark in 45 minutes.

Must read | Android: Tips on how to ensure device's battery life lasts a full day

The new iQOO Z7 Pro also supports 5G cellular service offered by both Airtel and Reliance Jio in India.

. Photography

The new iQOO Z7 Pro houses a dual-camera module-- 64MM (Samsung GW3 sensor, f/1.79, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation) + 2MP depth sensor (f/2.4) with Aura LED flash.

. It takes brilliant photos in the natural light conditions. The subjects, in this case, flowers, really look vibrant and pretty, worthy to be shared on social media platforms.

. Though it has no ultra-wide angle mode, the phone, as you can see in the sample photo, manages to cover a vast area of the field into the frame.

. With 2X zoom, the phone delivers good photos without any hint of noise as such.

. Also, the close-up shots come off really well. It captures minute details of the subject pretty well in the close range.

. With portrait mode, the photo quality is good. The native camera app manages to get the background effect right without making it look artificial as such.

. In the night mode, the phone does a decent job of capturing colours well and looks sharp. It also manages to balance the light coming from the street lights. And, most importantly, it does a fine job of controlling noise.

. As noted earlier in the performance section, the device supports up to 4K video recording at 30 fps(frames per second). It can also record full HD (1080p) at 30fps.

With gyro-EIS(Electronic Image Stabilisation), the phone does manage to deliver stable videos on par with most of the phones in its class.

. And, on the front, it houses a 16MP (f/2.45) sensor. It takes amazing selfies in natural light outdoors and even in indoors with controlled light conditions. With editing tools, users can superficially adjust their colour.

. FYI, it does a fantastic job of smoothing the skin without the need for editing tools. Even if you are not satisfied with it, the native camera app has a superficial beauty feature.

. Here, you can further smoothen the skin, or even adjust the shape of the eyes, cheeks, nose, and more.

The front camera can record videos up to 1080p (full HD) videos and does a fine job with clear HD video calls, provided you have a stable internet connection.

. Final thoughts

Z7 Pro 5G is a reliable performer with a stylish design. The phone is optimised to function smoothly be it gaming or normal day-to-day chores on a phone. Also, the camera is amazing in natural light set up.