iQOO Z9s Pro

For photography, the iQOO Z9s Pro sports a dual-rear camera setup comprising a 50MP Sony IMX882 OIS primary sensor and an 8MP ultrawide lens with 120-degree Field of View (FoV). The handset rocks a 16MP snapper on the front in the punch-hole setup for selfies and video calling. The cameras perform admirably well in a variety of environments with their quick focus and shutter speeds. While there is a jitteriness in the viewfinder when the sun goes down, it is pretty natural in the competition.Furthermore, the iQOO Z9s Pro boasts a couple of AI features: AI Photo Enhance and AI Eraser, which are similar to the ones we have seen in a handful of other smartphones this year. The AI Photo Enhance improves the clarity of your old photos, although the results may not be as detailed as anticipated. The AI Eraser tool, on the other hand, eliminates unwanted objects from the frame. The feature works as advertised, but it could benefit from further refinement.Here's how the iQOO Z9s Pro camera performance against its closest arch-rivals Nothing Phone (2a) and OnePlus Nord CE4:DaylightThe iQOO Z9s Pro surpasses both the OnePlus Nord CE 4 and the Nothing Phone (2a) in daylight photography. It captures more detailed images with vivid, eye-catching colours that appear vibrant and pleasing. Additionally, its dynamic range outshines that of its competitors.UltrawideThe iQOO Z9s Pro clearly outperforms the OnePlus Nord CE 4 in landscape photography, but it's a close contest with the Nothing Phone (2a). Both the Nothing and iQOO devices produce contrast images with vivid colours. However, when zooming in, you'll notice slight warping in the ultrawide shots from the Phone (2a). It's also worth noting that the Phone (2a) offers a wider field of view and brighter images than its rivals.PortraitsThe iQOO Z9s Pro excels at capturing portraits with superior facial details and edge detection. The phone also offers near-accurate skin tones; however, its bokeh effect appears unnatural. The handset fails to blur out the background as cleanly as the OnePlus Nord CE4 and Nothing Phone (2a).SelfiesThe OnePlus Nord CE 4 shines in selfie photography, producing images from its front-facing camera with superior facial detailing and more natural skin tones. In comparison, the iQOO Z9s Pro tends to smooth out facial details and renders skin tones darker than they are.Low light (night mode)Many phones struggle with low-light performance. Moreover, except for the Nothing Phone (2a), both the iQOO Z9s Pro and the OnePlus Nord CE4 default to long exposure shots. This diminishes the authenticity of the images, making the scene look brighter with limited dynamic range. That said, the Nothing Phone (2a) impresses with slightly better details even, though the colours may not be realistic.

The iQOO Z9s Pro performance has been taken care of by Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC aided by 8GB/ 12GB RAM and 128GB/ 256GB storage. The 12GB RAM variant achieved an AnTuTu score of 8,03,223, which is on par with the OnePlus Nord CE4, also equipped with the same chipset. The Geekbench scores are also impressive for the price, with 1,131 in the single-core test and 3,074 in the multi-core test. Additionally, in the Burnout CPU throttle test, the device sustained 62 percent of its peak performance.Talking about real-world performance, the handset delivers smooth scrolling and multitasking. It also effortlessly handles graphically demanding games like BGMI, Call of Duty, and Real Racing 3, even in high graphics and frame rate settings. The handset maintained an average frame rate of 36.75 while playing BGMI in Ultra HDR graphics and Ultra frame rate settings. Moreover, the phone's thermals increased by 7.5 degrees on average. This might not be the best gaming performance for a device within the price range, but it is still respectable. The handset features a 30 cm² VC Liquid Cooling system to prevent the device from getting uncomfortably warm. Additionally, the handset boasts an AI Game Voice changer, motion control, and 4D game vibration for a realistic and enhanced gaming experience.In terms of software, the iQOO Z9s Pro boots Android 14-based FunTouchOS 14 out of the box. The software experience is the same as the other iQOO smartphones launched in the last 8-9 months. The app drawer looks loaded, with 47 apps pre-installed, seven of which are third-party. These third-party apps are popular with millions of downloads and removable if not required.Pre-installed appsUpdatesiQOO Z9s Pro472 years OS + 3 years securityNothing Phone (2a)303 years OS + 4 years securityOnePlus Nord CE4492 years OS + 3 years security

The iQOO Z9s Pro, equipped with a 5,500mAh battery, delivered an impressive 14 hours and 22 minutes in the PCMark battery test, closely matching the performance of the OnePlus Nord CE4, which features the same battery capacity. The device consumed just 3 percent of its battery life in our YouTube video streaming test. When gaming on BGMI, Call of Duty, and Real Racing 3 for 30 minutes each, the battery level dropped by an average of 7 percent.The handset should comfortably last at least a day with moderate to heavy usage. If required, the phone can be charged quickly using the 80W charger provided in the box. During our lab test, the iQOO Z9s Pro juiced up from 20 to 100 percent in 39 minutes.iQOO Z9s ProNothing Phone (2a)OnePlus Nord CE4Battery5,500mAh5,000mAh5,500mAhCharging time (20-100 percent)39 minutes (80W)56 minutes (45W)35 minutes (100W)