iQOO Z7 5G Review – Best Phone Under 20,000?

The iQOO Z7 5G has been launched in India in two RAM variants. The 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant cost Rs. 18,999. Whereas the 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant cost Rs. 19,999.

The phone is available in two colour options: Norway Blue and Pacific Night. You can buy the phone directly from the official website of iQOO or other online platforms like Amazon and Flipkart.

The iQOO Z7 5G packs the following items inside the box:

• Phone
• Charger
• USB cable
• Phone case
• SIM eject tool
• Quick start guide
• Warranty card

Before we talk in detail about the iQOO Z7 5G review, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:

• Display: 6.38 inches AMOLED
• Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 920
• RAM & ROM: 6GB 128GB, 8GB 128GB
• Software: Android v13
• Rear camera: 64MP + 2MP
• Selfie camera: 16MP
• Battery: 4500 mAh
• Weight: 173 grams
• Dimensions: 158.9 x 73.5 x 7.8 mm

iQOO Z7 looks very stylish and compact at the first look. The phone is available in two colour options: Norway Blue and Pacific Night. I have the blue variant with me for the review. It features a plastic back which comes with a glittery matte finish that does not attract any fingerprints.

Looking at the back with different angles reflects different colours, which looks pretty cool. Not the forget that it’s quite lightweight as well, weighing just about 173 grams. I could easily hold and carry the phone for long durations.

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The edges are flat and offer a good grip in hands, similar to an expensive iPhone. The iQOO Z7 has a satisfactory design overall, and the volume rocker and power key provide a satisfying clicking sensation.

Talking about that, the right side has the power button along with volume rockers. The left side is clean while the top has the SIM tray slot and a secondary mic. The bottom side has the 3.5mm audio jack, type-C port, loudspeaker and primary mic.

iQOO Z7 captures really good images with its main camera. It features a dual camera setup on the back which includes a 64MP main camera and a 2MP depth camera. The front side has a 16MP for taking selfies.

The main camera does a job of capturing bright and vibrant images in daylight conditions. The images come out detailed and sharp. Dynamic range was wide as well. The HDR mode also captures good photos. It quickly focuses on the subject.

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The lack of an ultra-wide lens is noticeable and a major drawback at this price. On the other hand, the portrait shots were on-point. The depth camera manages to differentiate between the subject and background really well. Edge detection was good and the blur effect looked nice.

The 16MP front camera captures fantastic selfies in outdoor lighting. I could see the details on my face, like the beard hair. Skin tones looked pretty natural and overall colours looked nice as well.

iQOO Z7 packs a 4500 mAh battery which falls is little short compared to the standard 5000mAh battery we see at this price range. Keeping that aside, the phone easily delivers one full day of battery backup.

I got about 5-6 hours of screen on time which is decent. A heavy user would need to plug in the charger by the evening. The phone comes with 44W fast charging support which is not really the fastest at this price.

It takes a little more than an hour to fully charge the phone from 0 to 100 per cent. A 30-minute charge takes the battery level to about 60 per cent.

iQOO Z7 features a 6.38 inches AMOLED display which offers a nice viewing experience. It has a 90Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,300 nits. I have to say that it gets pretty bright, even under direct sunlight. I faced no issues while using the phone both indoors and outdoors.

The 90Hz refresh rate makes the scrolling experience really smooth. The animations and swiping on the phone look seamless. The content on the screen looks sharp and vibrant. The viewing angles are great with deep blacks.

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The display also supports Widevine L1 and HDR playback, so you can watch high-quality content on OTT platforms.

On the other hand, it still uses a water-drop notch which looks dated for a 20K phone. While the side bezels are slim, the bottom chin is thicker. The display is protected with Schott Xensation glass, and I have to say it’s pretty durable.

iQOO Z7 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset, which is paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The phone glides through everyday tasks. Apps opened up quickly and switching between apps was seamless.

It can even handle heavy use like video editing and multitasking. Playing graphic intensive games is not an issue at all. I tried CoD Mobile, BGMI and Asphalt 9. Both the games ran smoothly on high settings.

While I noticed some frame drops while playing on the highest graphic settings, it was not an issue as soon as I lowered the settings. Not to forget, the phone gets pretty warm on the backside after just 30 minutes of gaming.

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iQOO Z7 runs on Funtouch OS 13 skin which is based on Android 13. I really appreciate iQOO for providing the latest Android version out of the box. It brings a bunch of features and a simple UI.

You can customise the whole UI of the phone as per your liking. At the same time, it is loaded with bloatware, including Moj, Josh, Spotify, Facebook, Byjus, Hot Apps, Hot Games, V-Appstore, and more. While many of them can be uninstalled, the iQOO apps cannot be uninstalled, so you gotta live with them.