SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · iQOO

iQOO Z9 review: Sony OIS and a bright AMOLED on a sub-$250 gaming-leaning budget phone.

SpecEagle Editorial·Apr 2024·$230
Overall
66/100
Class rank
#1 of 2
Tier
Budget
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

The student gamer's value pick.

Z9 gives the spec-sheet trio a budget buyer screenshots — OIS Sony camera, bright AMOLED, big battery — and keeps the jack and microSD. The Dimensity 7200 holds frame rates where it matters. The filler second lens and IP54 are the price; for the money it lands well.

01Display

76/100

76/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2024.

TypeAMOLED, 120 Hz, 1,800 nits HBM
Size6.67 inches
Resolution2,400 × 1,080 px (FHD+)

02Camera

66/100

66/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2024.

Main50 MP, f/1.8 (Sony IMX882), OIS
Bokeh2 MP
Selfie16 MP

03Performance

64/100

64/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2024.

ChipsetMediaTek Dimensity 7200 (4 nm)
RAM8 / 12 GB
Storage128 / 256 GB · microSD

04Battery

78/100

78/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2024.

Capacity5,000 mAh
Wired44 W

05Build

66/100

66/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2024.

06Value

78/100

78/100 — right at the average for budget phones of 2024.

What works
  • Sony IMX882 with OIS at $230.
  • 1,800-nit AMOLED.
  • Headphone jack + microSD survive.
  • Dimensity 7200 handles BGMI at high settings.
What doesn't
  • 2 MP bokeh filler instead of ultrawide.
  • IP54 splash only.
  • Funtouch ships heavy bloat.
  • Two OS updates.

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 2-phone cohort of budget devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .