Premium design, stellar performance at a budget

Looks and feels like a flagship

The curved display and the back panel give it a premium look and feel. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The iQOO Z9s Pro closely resembles the company’s flagship iQOO 12, and I appreciate that. The sleek, curved design and the oval-shaped camera island sets it apart. The Luxe Marble variant feels premium in hand, though the back panel smudges easily.

Its 6.77-inch curved AMOLED screen with FHD+ resolution is sharp, vivid, and exceptionally bright––boasting a peak brightness of 4,500 nits, one of the brightest displays on a smartphone––even in harsh sunlight. The optical, in-display fingerprint sensor is also fast and accurate.

The display is sharp and bright with excellent visibility even under direct sunlight. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

With its attractive design and excellent display, the iQOO Z9s Pro is perfect for everyday use, whether you’re watching videos or scrolling through hundreds of Instagram reels.

A camera that takes pictures in a snap

The fast shutter speed ensures clear-looking pictures at all time. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

In a typical mid-range smartphone style, the iQOO Z9s Pro has two cameras at the back – a 50 MP primary camera and an 8 MP ultra-wide angle camera. Unlike some of the similarly priced phones––such as the OnePlus Nord 4 or the Motorola Edge 50 that I recently reviewed––the iQOO Z9s Pro has a really fast shutter speed that ensures blur-free images, even while capturing fast-moving subjects.

Similarly, I also noted that the pictures from the primary camera look true to life and retain a lot of details. While the phone can record up to 4K resolution videos on the main camera, the ultra-stabilisation is limited to 1080p. I did not notice much of a difference in shooting normal and ultra-stabilisation mode.

Take a look at some of the camera samples from the iQOO Z9s Pro:

iQOO Z9s Pro camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
iQOO Z9s Pro camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
iQOO Z9s Pro camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
iQOO Z9s Pro camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
iQOO Z9s Pro camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)
iQOO Z9s Pro camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

A power efficient, adequately fast processor

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 helps deliver excellent battery life. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 powering the iQOO Z9s Pro isn’t as powerful as the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 or the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, but at this segment, it delivers class-leading performance. With an AnTuTu score of over 8 lakh and a CPU stability score of 95 per cent, it is really an efficient processor.

In fact, even while I was playing COD: Mobile for a while or running AnTuTu benchmark, the phone just got warm to the touch, whereas most of the smartphones would get really hot. The same also goes while using it under normal circumstances, where the phone doesn’t get heated up.

Well-optimised software with some AI features

Original and edited image using AI Eraser. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The iQOO Z9s Pro runs on Android 14-based FunTouchOS, which includes some bloatware but is well-optimised. I noticed minimal lag or stutter during use. I will even go on to say that the iQOO Z9s Pro is more stable than the OnePlus Nord 4 (review), and I always thought I would prefer OxygenOS to FunTouchOS.

iQOO has introduced new AI features like AI Photo Enhance and AI Eraser, which allow users to remove unwanted objects from photos or improve image quality. These features require an active internet connection and can be accessed from the gallery app. Their performance is similar to other Android smartphones, with results varying depending on the image.

Impressive battery life, backed by 80W fast charging

The device offers an all-day battery life. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The iQOO Z9s Pro weighs 185 grams despite packing a massive 5,500 mAh battery, that easily lasts over a day for most users. I consider myself a heavy user, and the phone has easily offered over six hours of screen-on-time almost every day, except when I was stress-testing the device with continuous gaming. With 80W fast charging, the phone can be fully charged in less than 50 minutes.

A well-balanced mid-range smartphone

An excellent smartphone under Rs 25,000. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The iQOO Z9s Pro doesn’t go overboard on one or two features, compromising on others. Instead, it offers a well-balanced experience for regular users, gamers, and smartphone shutterbugs.

The iQOO Z9s Pro is an easy recommendation for those seeking a solid smartphone under Rs 30,000. If you’re looking for a more performance-focused device, alternatives like the Poco F6 (review) or OnePlus Nord 4 might be worth considering.