Mid segment has always been a very competitive market for the smartphone industry. The number of entries is always many but the one which are able to make a mark are few. iQOO7 enters the market as more or less well-rounded device. Will it be a market disruptor? Let’s find out.
DESIGN
The brand has worked well with the designing of the device. Making it look smart up to date and good looking. The curvy edges give it the sleekness you would be looking for. The rare gets AG matte glass which not only feels premium but also keeps fingerprint smudges away. iQOO 7 measures only 8.4mm in thickness and weighs less than 200 grams, making it a slim and handy device. The sides are polycarbonate, with the power button and volume rockers at the right side. It also features a flat bottom that holds the single speaker grille and Type-C port, SIM tray, and a mic.
The rear gets the triple camera setup which is well placed and designed in a way which goes well with the aesthesis of the smartphone.
DISPLAY
iQOO 7 gets a 6.62-inches Full HD+ AMOLED panel with an aspect ratio of 20:9 and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The screen is very comfortable to the eye. Viewing angles are great and under direct sunlight the panel is bright enough for direct viewing.
You have a thin bezel running all over the phone with a punch-hole notch at the top.
The iQOO 7 supports DRM L1 certification which means that it can stream Full HD content on apps like Netflix, YouTube, and Prime videos. Notably, HDR is not supported on OTT platforms except YouTube. The device comes with an intelligent display chipset that does Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation (MEMC). Basically, it interpolates animation frames in an attempt to make animation more fluid even slow-motion effects look better with MEMC. All in all, the display is sharp, smooth, produces rich colors, you will thoroughly enjoy watching content and playing games on this device.
CAMERA
The Triple rear camera on the iQOO 7 comprises of Sony IMX598 48MP primary sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide angle that doubles as a macro camera, and a 2MP monochrome lens. At the front, it gets a 16MP shooter for selfies and video.
The daylight photography was on point. The AI helps detect well and generate good images if you disable AI you might get better results depending on the light. Low light -photography might not be as perfect but does the job well. Ultra-wide mode makes the picture look a bit doctored in comparison the macro mode gives way better results.
The selfies you click will be as good as its competitors and in some cases even better. The selfie shooter doesn’t make the picture look unnatural and painted.
Performance: Under the hood, iQOO 7 is powered by a 7nm Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 processor. The smartphone is backed by Adreno 650 graphics engine. iQOO 7 runs on Android 11-based FuntouchOS 11.1 and coupled with up to 12GB RAM (LPDDR5)and up to 256B (UFS 3.1) storage. Performance is for sure the high side for this device. Using it as a main device for over 10 days didn’t make me feel a glitch even once.
VERDICT
At over Rs 34,000 this device is for sure a market disruptor. With performance equivalent to that of a flagship the device has everything going well for itself. This can be a real pick for someone who is looking for a smart, sleek, well rounded smartphone in the mid- segment.