Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro Smartphones Review – The Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro are two new smartphone releases by Vivo in its iQOO Z series, which is reserved for budget phones. They were released in August 2024 and started shipping month. It is only available in India at the moment, but given Vivo’s release history, the new smartphones should also launch globally soon.
The iQOO’s Z series smartphones tend to provide better specs and features at a value-for-money price and that’s why they are so popular among budget gamers. The smartphones are similar to Vivo’s other phones like Vivo S19 Pro, and they have some fantastic technologies in the industry like 5G connectivity. Let’s begin with a detailed review of both Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro and see if these smartphones are worth purchasing.
Table of Contents
Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro Smartphones Review
Highlights
- Both Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro feature the same 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz high refresh rate support.
- The iQOO Z9s is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G chipset, which is capable of reaching 4×2.5 GHz clock speeds. On the other hand, the iQOO Z9s Pro features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 5G chipset that is capable of reaching 1×2.63 GHz clock speeds.
- Both smartphones come pre-loaded with Android 14 with a Funtouch 14 user interface for better customization support.
- Both Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro feature a similar 50MP dual rear camera system. For the selfie camera, both smartphones also have a 16MP selfie sensor.
- Both iQOO Z9s and iQOO Z9s Pro have a 5500mAh long-lasting. The non-Pro smartphone has 44W fast charging and the Pro model has 80W fast charging support.
Design and Display
The design and overall looks of the Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro are different from each other. The Vivo iQOO Z9s features a plastic build for the entire body, which isn’t quite as premium as a glass build but looks quite good honestly. However, the Pro model gets a vegan leather option in the rear panel, which makes it a whole lot more premium. It not only feels good in hand but also looks spectacular.
Both smartphones feature a curved design, which is more comfortable to touch. Both models have an IP54 rating for water and dust protection, and Schott Xensation glass for display protection. Also, due to the curved nature of the screen, you will find a better field of view. Speaking of the screen, both the Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro feature the same 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz high refresh rate support.
The display of the two smartphones supports HDR10+ and up to 1 billion colors, so watching content on this screen will be a pleasure. Also, the two displays are capable of reaching high brightness under sunlight, so using the smartphone outdoors will pose no issue. The iQOO Z9s is available in Titanium Matte and Onyx Green color options, while the iQOO Z9s Pro is available in Flamboyant Orange and Luxe Marble.
Memory and Internal
The iQOO Z9s is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G chipset, which is capable of reaching 4×2.5 GHz clock speeds. The iQOO Z9s Pro features the Qualcomm SM7550-AB Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 5G chipset that is capable of reaching 1×2.63 GHz clock speeds. They are both incredible chipsets and have more than enough performance to run all your everyday apps comfortably without any issues, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and more.
Both chipsets are quite powerful and perform quite well, even in gaming. Speaking of gaming, the two chipsets can play games like PUBG, CODm, Genshin Impact, Black Desert Mobile, and more at relatively decent framerates. The two smartphones also have 5G connectivity, so you will be able to download at gigabit-level speeds and have lower latency in gaming.
You won’t find any overheating issues on either phone. For RAM and storage, both smartphones can be purchased with up to 8GB/12GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage. When it comes to the software side of things, the Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro are running on Android 14 with a Funtouch 14 user interface for a bloatware-free and better experience.
Camera
Both Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro feature a similar 50MP rear camera system. The main 50MP sensors of the two smartphones are the same and they produce solid pictures with a lot of clarity, details, and a natural color tone. It is also optimized to capture more light, so the pictures end up being brighter even in the daylight.
The same performance is also seen during the night. You can switch on the night mode to boost the picture quality and take excellent pictures. However, the secondary cameras of the two smartphones are different. The Vivo iQOO Z9s has a 2MP depth camera, which is pretty useless. On the other hand, the Vivo iQOO Z9s Pro has an 8MP ultra-wide camera, which is not going to break any records but the images coming out of this sensor are good enough for posting on social media platforms.
On the front, both Vivo smartphones have the same 16MP sensor, which is capable of taking some decent selfies. These pictures have significantly better detail levels and overall lighting compared to other smartphones in the same price range. As for video recording, both the Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro can record videos at up to 4K@60FPS from the rear camera and up to 1080p@30FPS from the selfie camera.
Battery and Others
Both iQOO Z9s and iQOO Z9s Pro have the same Li-Ion 5500mAh battery, which is a high-capacity battery that is capable of providing 1 – 3 days’ worth of battery life, depending on the usage. With low to medium usage that includes a bit of calling, texting, social media, camera, and YouTube, achieving 2 days’ worth of battery is not impossible. However, with high usage, including gaming, the battery will drain faster and may not last a full day.
When it comes to charging, the iQOO Z9s has 44W wired fast charging, which can fully charge the phone under 1 hour and 20 minutes. On the other hand, the iQOO Z9s Pro has an 80W wired fast charging, which can fully charge the phone in around 50 minutes. Apart from that, both smartphones have Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.5, an under-display fingerprint scanner, NFC, GPS, stereo speakers, and a USB Type-C port for charging. The iQOO Z9s is available for a starting price tag of $238 (Rs 19,999 in India) approx, while the iQOO Z9s Pro is available starting at $298 (Rs 24,999 in India) approx.
Vivo iQOO Z9s Pro Pros and Cons
Vivo iQOO Z9s Pro Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Vivo iQOO Z9s Pro smartphone.
| Specifications | Vivo iQOO Z9s Pro |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | August 2024 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 163.7 x 75 x 7.5 or 8.0 mm |
| Weight | 185-190 g |
| Size | 6.77 inches |
| Display | AMOLED 1B colors 120Hz HDR10+ 4500 nits brightness ~388 PPI density |
| Protection/Others | Schott Xensation IP64, dust and water resistant |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2392 pixels |
| OS | Android 14, up to 2 major Android upgrades, Funtouch 14 |
| Chipset | 4nm – Qualcomm SM7550-AB Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 |
| CPU | Octa-core 1×2.63 GHz Cortex-A715 3×2.4 GHz Cortex-A715 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A510 |
| GPU | Adreno 720 |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB |
| Internal | 128GB, 256GB UFS 2.2 |
| Camera | 50 MP (wide), PDAF, OIS 8 MP (120Ëšultrawide) LED flash, panorama, HDR Max – 4K@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, OIS |
| Selfie | 16 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes (stereo speakers) |
| 3.5mm jack | No 24-bit/192kHz Hi-Res audio |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band |
| Bluetooth | 5.4, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| NFC | No |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | Yes |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Sensors | Under display fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | Li-Ion 5500 mAh 80W wired 7.5W reverse wired |
| Colors | Flamboyant Orange, Luxe Marble |
| Expected Price | $298 (Rs 24,999 in India) approx |
Conclusion
The Vivo iQOO Z9s and Z9s Pro managed to live up to Vivo’s promise of delivering excellent specs and features at a value-for-money price tag. The two phones have everything you could ask from a smartphone in this price range. It has a great display that is tuned to provide great visuals, HDR, and higher brightness when using it outdoors.
The chipsets are also quite good and can run some of the most graphically demanding games decently. The main rear cameras of the two phones are also quite good. The same goes for the battery and charging. Moreover, you get under-display fingerprint sensors in these two phones. The Pro model gets the added benefits of better build materials, a secondary camera, and faster charging speeds for a slightly higher price tag.
They are both excellent smartphones considering the price they launched at, but they are not without any cons. The design looks good but their build materials are cheaper. The secondary cameras of both smartphones are not good. A better alternative would be the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus, which costs around the same but has faster internal storage and even faster charging speeds. However, the final decision is up to you, so it is better to choose a smartphone based on your requirements and needs.
