iQOO Z6 Pro 5G Review: Decent Performer But Not A Standout

The niche community of mobile gamers had few options way back in 2020 with only Asus and a few other smartphone makers offering devices that were expensive as well.

iQOO’s arrival changed that. The smartphone maker started catering to those who can’t spend a hefty amount for a gaming smartphone.

Now, iQOO has several smartphones for everyone — from amateurs to pro gamers.

The latest offering in its Z series is the Z6 Pro 5G which is yet again a performance-centric smartphone that is priced competitively.

Let’s find out in this review what the iQOO Z6 Pro has to offer.

iQOO Z6 Pro:: Design and Build

The iQOO Z6 Pro follows looks similar to other iQOO phones with a plastic rear panel with matte finish that makes the phone look stylish. 

The phone fits easily in one hand provided you’re using it without the cover. With the plastic cover, the grace diminishes.

On the right are volume and power buttons, and at the bottom is the USB-C port, SIM card tray, and speaker.

What’s really noteworthy is the camera module at the back.

It has a large square module under which are two large rings which nestle the camera sensors. The top ring keeps the primary camera while the bottom one has the ultrawide and the macro lenses. This gives it an iPhone-like look from the back.

It’s a lightweight smartphone at 180 grams so it is easy to carry it.

iQOO Z6 Pro:: Display

The iQOO Z6 Pro features a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 1300 nits peak brightness. 

The screen is usually bright indoors as well as outdoors, even in direct sunlight. I used the phone for navigation while riding my bike and the screen had decent visibility.

The notch that houses the selfie camera feels a bit dated here.

The AMOLED display at this price range is a treat really, it gives a fine experience while reading articles or scrolling social media feeds. But most importantly, watching web series and streaming videos is indeed a pleasant experience on this device.

What’s disappointing is the 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz sampling rate on this phone, at a time when 120Hz is a bit common in performance-heavy mid-range smartphones.

Although you don’t notice much in regular usage,  it does come into play when you’re heavily into gaming.

iQOO Z6 Pro: How’s The Performance

Things are really smooth with the iQOO Z6 Pro, thanks to the Snapdragon 778G chipset. So, be it heavy gaming or hours of social media and other usages, this phone can handle it all without any lag or stutter. 

The Snapdragon 778G chipset is a capable processor and you can see it in several mid-range phones these days, including iQOO Z5, Realme GT Master Edition, Vivo T1 Pro, etc.

I played several rounds of Call of Duty, my all-time favourite game, and I really enjoyed the experience. You can pick high graphic settings and seldom you would see any issue with the overall performance of the phone.

Honestly, for a wholesome gaming experience, I enjoyed iQOO’s more expensive offerings, but it’s a good thing to have performance-centric smartphones in mid-range too. 

Gaming aside, you can rely on the phone for a smooth experience, even if you open five-six different apps.

What’s not good is the speaker as the sound is too less. I felt dual speakers would have done justice here. So be it gaming or streaming web series, you would have to use good earphones to enjoy things.

Coming to the software part, the Android 12-based FunTouchOS 12 has seen some improvements in recent time, there are fewer bloatware and customisations are better now, but it still somehow doesn’t feel as smooth as it should be.

iQOO Z6 Pro: How’s The Camera?

The iQOO Z6 Pro features a triple-camera setup — a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP macro lens. For selfies, it has a 16MP camera at the front.

Considering the phone is more geared toward the performance side, the cameras are not extraordinary, but you can still make good pictures of it.

The main camera has an average dynamic range and the colours look a bit faded, especially if you’re taking pictures of trees and plants.

Otherwise, in good light conditions, the regular pictures come out just fine, with decent detailing and focus. 

Pictures taken indoors have fine details and good colour reproduction. Most of the images I took indoors were sharp and looked good to put on social media.

However, the pictures taken in low light were not as good. Most of the pictures lacked detailing and you can see pixels burst upon zooming. The ultra-wide camera is also pretty average. 

The macro camera does a good job, given the right conditions. I liked a few shots using it. What I really enjoyed is the selfie camera; I am not a selfie fan but I liked the pictures I took using it. The skin tone looks natural and there is less smoothening as well. Further, you can play with the camera settings to get the best results. 

iQOO Z6 Pro: Is The Battery Good?

This phone can easily last for a day if the usage is moderate, thanks to the 4,700 mAh battery.

That said, if you do play games in the middle and upload things on social media, so you can expect it to last around 8 hours.

The smartphone also comes with a 66W fast charging support so it takes around 45 minutes to charge it fully.

iQOO Z6 Pro: Verdict

The iQOO Z6 Pro is indeed a good phone for gaming and overall performance, however, it has its own limitations with an average camera. I like Vivo’s mid-range phones better as you do get a good mix of camera and performance.

However, for those looking for a good gaming phone on a decent budget, this could well be considered. For those looking for a good camera along with overall performance, including gaming, this is not what you’re looking for.