iQOO Z9s review: shines in terms of performance and battery life

The iQOO Z9s, a younger sibling to the Z9s Pro (review), offers an incremental upgrade over the popular Z9 (review), which was rated the best-performing phone under Rs 20,000 by us earlier this year. The company has made adjustments to the design, chipset, and battery in the all-new iQOO Z9s. But are these changes for better or worse? Let’s explore this in our iQOO Z9s review. In India, the base 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs 19,999, while the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage models are priced at Rs 21,999 and Rs 23,999, respectively.

Verdict

The iQOO Z9s’ battery life is one of its strongest aspects, helping it stand out in its price segment, and the phone also shines on the design and display front. Moreover, the handset’s performance ranks second in its class, just behind its predecessor, the iQOO Z9. The cameras are decent but could have benefitted from some improvements to better compete with rivals. The software comes with standard two years of major software updates.

Design and display

The iQOO Z9s design comes across as a breath of fresh air. The pill-shaped module around the back, while somewhat reminiscent of the Vivo V40 series, distinguishes the device in its segment. This module is split into two oval sections: the upper, slightly raised black section houses the dual cameras, while the lower, flush section contains the Aura Light. The lower section seamlessly matches the phone’s colour, and a matte finish between the two sections adds a touch of elegance. We reviewed the Onyx Green variant which looks pristine, though the phone’s glossy plastic back attracts fingerprints and smudges. It is better to keep the phone wrapped in a case if you don’t want to clean it every now and then. A transparent TPU case is provided in the box that also keeps the device from wobbling when lying flat on the surface.

	iQOO Z9s	OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite	Samsung Galaxy M35
Thickness	7.49mm	8.1mm	9.1mm
Weight	182 grams	191 grams	222 grams
IP rating	IP64	IP53	–

Much like its cousin, the iQOO Z9s Pro, the handset also flaunts a curved profile, which measures just 7.49mm in thickness. This makes the iQOO Z9s the thinnest smartphone with a 5,500mAh battery. As a result, it is easy to handle despite its tall form factor, and at just 182 grams, it’s comfortable to hold for extended periods. However, the design isn’t without its flaws. The glossy edges can make the device feel slippery, and the slightly off-centre USB Type-C port on the bottom edge detracts from its aesthetic appeal.

Coming to the display, the iQOO Z9s boasts a 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and 1,800 nits peak brightness. The display is bright under direct sunlight and offers good viewing angles for the price. Moreover, since it is a curved screen, the bezels are razor-thin, providing an immersive viewing experience. The handset provides excellent sharpness for streaming on platforms like Netflix, complemented by dual stereo speakers that deliver loud, clear sound without much distortion.

	iQOO Z9s	OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite	Samsung Galaxy M35
Display size	6.77-inch AMOLED	6.67-inch AMOLED	6.6-inch Super AMOLED
Peak brightness	1,800 nits	2,100 nits	1,000 nits

Cameras

The iQOO Z9s boasts the same 50MP Sony IMX882 OIS + 2MP dual camera setup and a 16MP selfie camera as its predecessor, which captured some remarkable images in daylight. But, does it stand out against the latest competitors such as Samsung Galaxy M35 and OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite? Let’s find out.

Daylight

The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite surpasses the iQOO Z9s and Samsung Galaxy M35 in daylight photography, delivering images with noticeably superior detail. However, its colour reproduction is less vibrant compared to the iQOO Z9s and Galaxy M35. The Samsung device also excels in dynamic range, while the iQOO Z9s struggles with underwhelming exposure in shadowy areas.

Portraits

Unlike the Samsung Galaxy M35, the iQOO Z9s and OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite both come with a dedicated 2MP depth camera for portraits. The iQOO Z9s outshines with superior facial detailing and separation of subjects from the background with minimum distortion around the edges. The colours are also accurate on the iQOO smartphone.

Selfies

The iQOO Z9s excels at capturing selfies, outperforming its competitors by delivering finer facial details that the Samsung Galaxy M35 and OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite might miss. It also provides good exposure for background elements, though the skin tones can be slightly off. On the other hand, the Samsung device produces skin tones that are more true to life.

Low light (night mode)

The iQOO Z9s automatically switches to long exposure mode, or night mode, for low-light photography, and this setting cannot be turned off. While the results are decent, the handset outperforms the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite by delivering more detailed shots. However, it falls short of controlling the light flare as cleanly as the Samsung Galaxy M35, which also preserves more accurate colours and offers better dynamic range.

Performance and software

The iQOO Z9s is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset. Given the naming convention, one might expect it to outperform the iQOO Z9’s MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC. However, this is not the case, and the iQOO Z9s delivered a lower AnTuTu score compared to its predecessor. However, its 7,02,347 score is miles better than most of its competitors, including the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite and Samsung Galaxy M35 5G. It also performs well on Geekbench, with single-core and multi-core scores of 1,044 and 3,011 respectively. On the Burnout CPU Throttle test, the handset performed at a respectable 63.9 percent of its peak performance.

While scrolling through the smartphone, there weren’t any lags, app craze or freeze issues. The handset’s optical in-display fingerprint scanner also works quite seamlessly, unlocking the device in a jiffy. For gaming, the iQOO Z9s handled 30-minute sessions of BGMI, Call of Duty, and Real Racing 3 with a 12.7-degree increase in temperature on aggregate. The handset’s average FPS also remains on par with its competitors. The phone supports up to 2,000Hz touch sampling rate in Ultra Game Mode, ‘4D Game Vibration’ for a realistic experience, and ‘Motion Control’ to control the characters in the game by tilting/ raising your device.

The iQOO Z9s runs FunTouch OS 14 layered atop Android 14 out of the box. The software comes with loads of apps pre-installed – 51 in total, out of which six are third-party ones, making the app drawer look a bit cluttered. That said, the phone benefits from several software features, including App Retainer which keeps the selected apps up and running in the background, Split Screen, Hidden Photos, and Mini Window. The latter adds a floating window to your screen to easily track your ride, check your food delivery, or access important documents while multitasking.

	Pre-installed apps	Updates
iQOO Z9s	51	2 years major + 3 years security
OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite	50	2 years major + 3 years security
Samsung Galaxy M35	52	4 years major + 5 years security

iQOO is promising two years of major software and three years of security updates for the iQOO Z9s 5G, keeping the device relevant at least until 2027.

Battery and charging

The iQOO Z9s features an upgraded 5,500mAh battery as opposed to 5,000mAh on the regular Z9. This resulted in an enhanced backup in both synthetic benchmarks and our lab tests. The handset recorded 16 hours and 11 minutes on the PCMark battery test, which runs a series of tasks until the battery life drops to 20 percent from 100 percent. This is better than the competitors too.

In our 30-minute YouTube streaming test, the iQOO Z9s only consumed 3 percent of its battery. For gaming, the battery dropped by about 5.3 percent on average after 30 minutes each of BGMI, Real Racing 3, and Call of Duty. This suggests the phone should comfortably last a day with moderate to heavy use. However, the iQOO Z9s could benefit from faster charging capabilities. It supports a maximum of 44W, which is slower compared to the OnePlus Nord CE4. Using the included charger, the iQOO smartphone takes approximately 66 minutes to charge from 20 to 100 percent, which is 16 minutes slower than its counterpart.

	Charging speed	Charging time (20-100 percent)
iQOO Z9s	44W	66 minutes
OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite	80W	50 minutes
Samsung Galaxy M35	25W	96 minutes

Final verdict

The iQOO Z9s is a good device, but it is not as outstanding as its predecessor in terms of value for the price. Competitors offer better cameras, faster charging speeds, and longer software support. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy M35 (review) provides an impressive four years of major software updates, while the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite (review) boasts 80W fast charging.

However, the iQOO Z9s excels in performance, surpassing its competitors (excluding the iQOO Z9) and handling most tasks seamlessly. Additionally, its design with a unique pill-shaped camera module, a vibrant AMOLED display, and impressive battery life, set it apart. If these features are important to you, the iQOO Z9s should be worth considering.

Editor’s rating: 7.5 / 10

Pros

• The phone comes with a unique pill-shaped camera module that sets it apart from the competitors.
• The AMOLED display is rich in colours and offers respectable viewing angles.
• The battery life is impressive, making it a top choice for longevity.
• The performance surpasses most competitors, handling most tasks seamlessly.

Cons

• The cameras are underwhelming compared to the competitors.
• The software comes with lots of apps pre-installed, which affects the usage experience.

The post iQOO Z9s review: shines in terms of performance and battery life first appeared on 91mobiles.com.

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