iQOO Z5

Good at everything and superb in gaming

- Ramesh

Although it’s bullish about its prospects to be a leader in the Rs 20K-30K price segment, iQOO is somewhat choosy with its launches in India. First, it was iQOO 7 series, then came iQOO Z3, and now it’s iQOO Z5. This time, it’s said to be very significant in terms of pricing – while the flagship iQOO 7 series (launched in April) sits at the upper limit, iQOO Z3 (unveiled in June) comes at the lower end of the price bracket. The all-new iQOO Z5 fits nicely between the two.

The recently-introduced iQOO Z5 smartphone costs Rs 23,990 for the 8GB+128GB variant, whereas its 12GB+256GB model is priced at Rs 26,990. The phone comes in two colour options – Arctic Dawn and Mystic Space – and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC, besides sporting a triple camera set-up and a massive battery that is enough for a day to keep you going. We had the upper variant in Arctic Dawn colour for review and here’s what we think about it.

Design

The all-new iQOO Z5 sports a simple and sober design, and is very much reminiscent of the iQOO 7. Made up of a polycarbonate rear panel, it has a 3D curved back with a frosted texture and a matte finish, which is fingerprint-resistant.

The smartphone features a punch-hole cut out, housing the front camera, at the top of the screen. There’s a slightly protruded rectangular camera module and iQOO branding underneath on the back panel. You get a headphone jack on the top, whereas the bottom of the device houses a SIM tray, a USB Type-C port and a speaker grille. While the left side of the smartphone is plain, on the right you get volume buttons and a power button that doubles up as a fingerprint sensor. These buttons are very much accessible with your thumb and you do not need to shuffle your fingers to hold this phone in your palm. It will not slip out of your hand.