iQOO Z9s Pro 5G: The smartphone market’s most competitive battleground has always been the mid-range segment, where manufacturers fight tooth and nail to offer the perfect balance of features, performance, and affordability. Enter the iQOO Z9s Pro 5G, launched in August 2024, a device that boldly challenges the status quo by bringing flagship-level specifications to a price point that doesn’t require breaking the bank.
Design Excellence That Commands Attention
The iQOO Z9s Pro immediately distinguishes itself with a design philosophy borrowed from the premium iQOO 12 flagship. At just 7.49mm thin (7.99mm for the Orange variant), it proudly holds the title of being the slimmest smartphone housing a massive 5500mAh battery in its segment. This engineering achievement speaks volumes about iQOO’s commitment to not forcing users to choose between battery life and elegant form factor.
The device comes in two striking colorways that cater to different aesthetic preferences: Luxe Marble and Flamboyant Orange. The Luxe Marble variant showcases a sophisticated white base interwoven with delicate grey veining, creating an almost premium granite-like appearance. Meanwhile, the Flamboyant Orange variant introduces the series’ first premium vegan leather finish, radiating youthful confidence and energy.
Weighing in at 185 grams (190g for the Orange variant), the phone strikes an excellent balance between substantial feel and comfortable handling. The IP64 rating provides essential protection against dust and water splashes, ensuring durability for everyday usage scenarios.
Display Technology That Redefines Visual Experience
The centerpiece of the Z9s Pro experience is its stunning 6.77-inch curved AMOLED display that delivers over one billion colors. This isn’t just marketing speak – the screen genuinely transforms content consumption with its exceptional visual fidelity. The Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2392 pixels provides razor-sharp clarity at 388 pixels per inch, ensuring text remains crisp and images pop with vivid detail.
What truly sets this display apart is its extraordinary 4500 nits local peak brightness – a specification typically reserved for premium flagship devices costing twice as much. This incredible brightness ensures perfect visibility even under direct sunlight, eliminating the common frustration of struggling to see your screen outdoors.
The 120Hz refresh rate creates butter-smooth scrolling and responsive touch interactions, while HDR10+ support enhances video content from streaming platforms. The curved edges don’t just look premium; they provide intuitive gesture navigation and create an immersive viewing experience that draws you into whatever you’re watching or reading.
The inclusion of Schott Xensation glass protection adds another layer of premium feel while providing robust protection against daily wear and scratches. Advanced features like wet touch technology ensure the display responds accurately even when your fingers are damp or the screen has water droplets.
Performance That Punches Well Above Its Weight
Under the hood, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor built on a sophisticated 4nm process delivers impressive performance that challenges more expensive competitors. The octa-core CPU configuration, featuring a prime Cortex-A715 core at 2.63GHz alongside three additional performance cores at 2.4GHz and four efficiency cores at 1.8GHz, provides excellent multitasking capabilities.
Real-world benchmarks tell an impressive story. The Z9s Pro achieves an AnTuTu score of approximately 8,08,080, comfortably exceeding the 700,000 threshold considered necessary for smooth gaming experiences. Geekbench scores of 1,131 in single-core and 3,074 in multi-core tests demonstrate solid computational power that handles demanding applications effortlessly.
The device comes with multiple memory configurations: 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB, and 12GB + 256GB options. The Extended RAM technology can theoretically boost available memory by an additional 12GB, enabling seamless handling of over 40 active background applications. While storage uses UFS 2.2 standard rather than the faster UFS 3.1, performance remains snappy for everyday tasks.
Gaming performance deserves special mention. BGMI runs smoothly at Ultra HDR graphics and Ultra frame rate settings, maintaining an impressive average of 36.75 FPS. The Adreno 720 GPU handles graphically demanding titles competently, while the 300Hz touch sampling rate (boosting to 1200Hz during gaming) ensures responsive controls during intense gaming sessions.
Camera System That Surprises and Delights
Photography capabilities center around a thoughtfully designed dual-camera setup that prioritizes quality over quantity. The 50MP Sony IMX882 primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) captures surprisingly detailed images in various lighting conditions. The sensor’s 1/1.95″ size allows for better light gathering, resulting in improved low-light performance.
The 8MP ultrawide camera with 120-degree field of view adds versatility for landscape shots and group photos, while the LED flash ring (inspired by the Vivo V40) provides attractive portrait lighting. Video recording extends to 4K at 30fps with both gyro-EIS and OIS working together to ensure stable footage.
The 16MP front-facing camera handles selfies and video calls competently, though it represents one area where the device shows its mid-range positioning. AI-powered features including AI Photo Enhance and AI Erase add practical functionality, automatically improving image clarity and removing unwanted objects from photos.
Super Night Mode leverages computational photography to capture impressive low-light shots, while various AI scene recognition modes optimize camera settings automatically based on the subject matter.
Battery Life and Charging That Actually Works
The massive 5500mAh battery represents one of the Z9s Pro’s strongest selling points. In real-world usage, this translates to comfortable all-day performance for most users, with heavy users achieving 4-5 hours of continuous gaming or screen time. The efficient Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor helps maximize battery longevity through intelligent power management.
The 80W FlashCharge technology transforms the charging experience completely. From zero to 50% in just 21 minutes, and a complete charge in under 34 minutes – these aren’t just impressive numbers, they represent genuine convenience for users who can’t afford lengthy charging sessions.
The inclusion of 7.5W reverse wired charging adds practical utility, allowing the phone to function as a power bank for other devices when needed. This feature proves particularly useful during travel or emergency situations.
Software Experience That Needs Refinement
Running Android 14 with FunTouch OS 14, the software experience offers extensive customization options but occasionally shows rough edges. The interface includes features like app cloning, gesture navigation, and comprehensive theme customization that enhance functionality beyond stock Android.
iQOO promises two major Android upgrades and three years of security updates, providing reasonable long-term support for a mid-range device. The “50-Month Smooth Experience” claim suggests internal testing indicates the device should maintain responsive performance over extended use periods.
However, user feedback indicates some software optimization challenges, particularly regarding bloatware and occasional stability issues. These concerns appear addressable through software updates but represent areas for improvement.
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iQOO Z9s Pro 5G Market Position and Exceptional Value
Priced at ₹24,999 for the base 8GB + 128GB variant, ₹26,999 for 8GB + 256GB, and ₹28,999 for the top-tier 12GB + 256GB configuration, the Z9s Pro offers compelling value against established competitors. These prices position it aggressively against the Nothing Phone (2a), OnePlus Nord CE4, and Motorola Edge 50 Fusion.
The combination of premium design elements, flagship-level display technology, capable performance, and excellent battery life creates a value proposition that’s difficult to ignore. While the camera system could benefit from refinement and software optimization needs attention, the overall package delivers far more than what the price suggests.
For users seeking a device that doesn’t compromise on essential features while maintaining affordability, the iQOO Z9s Pro represents a compelling choice that successfully bridges the gap between budget constraints and premium aspirations.