iQOO Z7 review: Lightweight & efficient, is this the best phone under Rs 20,000?

If we just consider the hardware specifications, the iQOO Z7 is currently the most sensible purchase under Rs 20,000. However, does this value also translate to real-world user experience? Check out our iQOO Z7 review to find out.

iQOO Z7 has a plastic frame and a plastic back panel and it retains a 3.5mm headphone jack (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)

Design: Compact and colourful

There are a few things that make the iQOO Z7 stand out from the crowd. The iQOO Z7 is more compact than devices in similar price range; and at 173 grams, it is also lightweight. For someone who uses the Galaxy S23 Ultra as a daily driver, the iQOO Z7 feels feather-light, which also makes it a great almost one-handed device. However, it is still a tad bigger than the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 14.

The iQOO Z7 has a plastic frame and a plastic back panel, which has also helped the phone in losing a few grams of weight. Interestingly, the iQOO Z7 has a 3.5mm headphone jack, and also a hybrid SIM card slot. I have been testing the Norway Blue variant of the iQOO Z7, which shimmers and blings, without attracting smudges and fingerprints.

iQOO Z7’s 6.38-inch display has a peak brightness of 1300nits and it supports HDR playback on Netflix (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)

Display

The iQOO Z7 has a 6.38-inch FHD+ resolution screen with a 90Hz refresh rate along with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The smartphone has a water-drop-style notch, which does look a bit dated when compared to phones with a punch hole. On top of that, it also has slightly thicker bezels at the bottom.

While using the device, I felt that the screen gets adequately bright, even under direct sunlight. On top of that, iQOO Z7 also supports HDR playback on apps like YouTube, Prime Video, Hotstar, and even Netflix, along with Widevine L1 certification for HD content streaming.

While the display is bright and vivid, I felt that it’s slightly on the smaller side, especially for playing games like COD: Mobile and watching content. Don’t get me wrong, if you want a phone with a compact display, you will love the iQOO Z7. However, most people might prefer a phone with a slightly larger screen for an elevated multimedia consumption experience.

iQOO Z7 has a 64MP primary camera with OIS (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)

Cameras

While the iQOO Z7 has a dual-camera setup at the back, it’s mostly like having a single camera, and the primary 64MP sensor does lift all the weight. With features like OIS and 4K video recording, the primary shooter does a good job of capturing images with a lot of details and clarity under daylight conditions. However, there is a bit of a shutter lag, which will only be noticeable while capturing moving subjects.

Here are some of the unedited camera samples straight from the iQOO Z7, which have been resized for the web.

Spoons that are clearly in focus with blurred background (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
iQOO Z7 has managed to capture highlights of the car (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
The device has managed to keep the flower in focus while blurring the background (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
A low-light selfie (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express) 
iQOO Z7 has managed to capture details on the surface of the popcorn (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
S23 Ultra in the eyes of iQOO Z7 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
Both leaves and the fly are clearly focused while the background is artistically blurred (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)
The iQOO Z7 is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 920 5G SoC (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)

Performance

As mentioned in the prologue, iQOO smartphones are known for their performance, and the Z7 is no different. While it didn’t score 4.8 lakh points on AnTuTu as the company claims, the device managed to get a respectable 4.3 lakh points on AnTuTu. What really surprised me is the fact that the CPU only throttled down to 94% after running the benchmark for 15 minutes.

The device can easily handle games like COD: Mobile at medium and higher graphics settings without any issues. Besides, the 6/8GB RAM ensures that the phone can keep quite a few apps in the memory. However, the memory management on the FunTouchOS 13 is still on the aggressive side when compared to other devices.

With the Dimensity 920 SoC, up to 8GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage, the iQOO Z7 glides through everyday tasks without any issues. During my testing, I had no issues using apps like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Moreover, the iQOO Z7 offers one of the best haptic experiences in a sub-Rs 20,000 smartphones.

The phone ships with Android 13 based FunTouchOS 13 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)

Software Experience

iQOO Z7 ships with Android 13-based FunTouchOS 13 skin on top. While most bloatware on the phone can be easily uninstalled, the company should have offered a clean user experience straight out of the box. Things like hot apps and hot games do hinder the overall experience; again, they can be easily disabled from the V-Appstore.

While I didn’t notice any glitches while testing the iQOO Z7, I would definitely like a cleaner user experience, similar to the Motorola smartphones in this price range.

iQOO Z7 supports both Jio and Airtel 5G networks (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)

Connectivity and Battery Life

The iQOO Z7 supports a 5G network on both SIM slots, and I tested the phone with Jio 5G network. The cellular reception of the iQOO Z7 was as good as the more expensive Samsung Galaxy A54 that we recently reviewed. Besides, it also has features like Wi-Fi 6, making it an up-to-date smartphone in terms of connectivity.

The iQOO Z7 has a 4,500 mAh battery with support for 44W fast charging, and the charger is included in the box. Along with the charger, you also get a case in the box. Despite having a smaller battery, the iQOO Z7 can easily deliver over 6 hours of screen-on-time. However, three to four sessions of COD: Mobile could quickly deplete the battery.

iQOO Z7 is one of the most balanced phones under Rs 20,000 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar / Indian Express)

Verdict: Best Compact Smartphone under Rs 20,000

The iQOO Z7 is a well-balanced mid-tier smartphone that balances all major features that one expects from a phone in this price range. However, with no stereo speaker setup, ultra-wide-angle camera, and slightly dated design, the phone might not appeal to everyone.

If you are looking for the best value-for-money smartphone under Rs 20,000, then the iQOO Z7 is a good pick. However, if you want a phone with a large screen and a bigger battery, offerings from Xiaomi and Realme are definitely more enticing.