iQOO has been impressive for all the recent offerings including the flagship iQOO 12 and the flagship killer iQOO Neo 9 Pro. The budget smartphone was an upgraded budget smartphone with some refined features and hardware checks were pending and the company came up with a device beyond expectations. Yes, we're talking about the iQOO Z9 smartphone, which debuted lately to cater to the most exciting and bustling category, the sub-Rs 20,000 smartphone market in India.

Customers in this segment desire phones with a nice camera, respectable performance, and a seamless UI for their daily tasks, which we believe iQOO has nailed. We tried the smartphone for a time, and here's our take on the Nothing Phone 2a and Lava Blaze Curve 5G competitor.

iQOO Z9 Display And Display:

The 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 120 Hz represents a major improvement over previous models. The display is smooth, displays brilliant colours, and has a larger canvas for a buttery smooth scrolling and multitasking experience in the segment. However, if you are spending and looking for a sub-20,000 segment display, you may expect a great outdoor experience, which this phone lacks. The auto-brightness sometimes seems to jitter but overall a decent choice in most of the surroundings.

The company's two new colour additions, Brushed Green and Graphene Blue improve the overall beauty and elegance of the design. Even though the smartphone is now made of plastic, it is still manageable and light. With the power button and volume rockers on the right side, the design appears to be more well-organised and tidy. The SIM tray and two speakers are located on the bottom. Additionally, it has thinner bezels for a better viewing experience. An in-display fingerprint sensor is also included.

iQOO Z9 Performance:

Yet another interesting option which I really wanted to talk about is the enhanced performance. The iQOO Z9 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7200, which provides smoother performance, easier scrolling, better app switching, and other benefits, implying that the phone performs admirably in its primary function. But what about games?

We played BGMI and Call of Duty, and the phone's performance and thermals remained steady. The device's battery usage is also in balance. Not only was the Ultra Gaming Mode more enjoyable, but it also resulted in a faster battery drain because it requires more power.

The smartphone scored more than 6,42,000 on AnTuTu, with 1172 in single-core and 2630 in multi-core threads, indicating higher performance than the Redmi Note 13 5G.

The iQOO Z9 does come with pre-installed junk, but the unique Funtouch OS 14 (based on Android 14) provides a seamless user experience. The company also offers two Android OS updates and three years of security updates, making it a good deal.

iQOO Z9 Battery:

The smartphone features a 5,000 mAh battery, which is decent. With usual usage, including a few BGMI games scrolling Instagram, and Facebook, and watching YouTube, the phone lasted up to a day. In terms of charging, the iQOO Z9 supports 44W fast charging, which can charge the smartphone in around an hour.

iQOO Z9 Camera:

The smartphone features a dual camera setup but lacks an ultra-wide lens. While the 50 MP primary shooter performs well in bright sunlight, it may underperform in low-light conditions. The iQOO Z9 camera produces crisper images with richer colours and sharper details. The HDR also enhances the overall photography.

Portrait mode also works well, but you may notice some flaws with the details. The smartphone's details and colours make it an excellent choice for selfies. Here are some of the shots to help you form your own opinion.

iQOO Z9 Verdict:

If you're looking for an affordable beast that can handle all of your work and store all of your memories, this could be the ideal device when compared to other devices in the segment. The smartphone features dual stereo speakers, ultra gaming mode, and a decent display and design. However, the smartphone lacks an ultra-wide lens and includes bloatware, but it is worth considering at Rs 19,999.