IQOO Z10 5G : iQOO has made a name for itself in the mid-range segment of smartphones, offering some of the most performance-centric smartphones for gamers and power users who love their speed but who have a limited budget for a smartphone.
Carrying on with that tradition, the company has now launched the iQOO Z10 5G, a phone that tries to balance performance, style and battery life without heavily overburdening your budget.
It’s aimed at a younger audience and gamers, with 5G support, a good processor and a display to enjoy content on.
But there’s a lot of competition at that price point – do any of them really grab your attention? Let’s find out.
Design: Sleek, Minimal, and Efficient
The iQOO Z10 doesn’t stray from the modern smartphone design playbook in terms of looks either – it comes with flat edges, a plastic matte finish back, and a dual camera module that doesn’t look too bad even next to pricier devices.
It’s svelte, light (it weighs about 190 grams) and an all-around pleasure to hold in the hand even during marathon gaming sessions or multi-hour movie binges.
There’s a fingerprint scanner on the side that is built into the power button — fast and accurate.
The phone is available in a few sleek color options to lure in the younger set, and it feels sturdy enough to make it through normal wear and tear.
Display: Fast, Fluid, and Fun
The phone’s biggest attraction is its 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, which offers 120Hz refresh rate as well. Whether you’re watching reels, streaming videos or simply scrolling through apps, the screen is immensely fluid and responsive.
Colours are well reproduced, and peak brightness is high enough to be seen in sunlight.
You also get a good touch sampling rate which will help you if you are playing high paced games. iQOO’s focus on the display experience is obvious here — it’s made for content and speed.
Performance: Highs Great for Multitasking and Gaming
The Z10 5G runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC, which is accompanied by upto 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. Performance is pretty good for a phone in this segment.
Average jobs, including messaging, social networking, and video streaming, are unchallenging.
What’s more, it can also handle high-end games such as BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile on medium to high settings, without giving away the show with lag or overheating issues.
The phone is also powered by Funtouch OS 14 that’s built on Android 14 and it’s more toned down compared to previous versions.
There’s still bloatware, but this can be uninstalled and system animations are a lot smoother.
Cameras: Fine in daylight, O.K. Otherwise
On the back, a 64MP main sensor with OIS is paired with a 2MP depth sensors. Below that you are limited to daylight shots which turn out pin sharp with good dynamic range.
The addition of Optical Image Stabilization is a nice addition at this price point, helping tons with video stability and ever so slightly with night NV shots.
But when shooting in darker, poor lighting, or even indoors, or whatever, photos do lose some of their ultra-detailed crispness unless you’re in Night Mode.
The 16MP front-facing camera does the job for casual snaps and video calls but does tend to overly smooth out skin tones.
Battery & Charging: Power Up All Day with Quick Fill Ups
The iQOO Z10 is backed by a 5000mAh battery which easily lasts a day even on moderate to heavy usage – including gaming, streaming, and muti-tasking.
And when you do start running low, there’s 44W fast charging on offer, which will take you from 0 to 50% in about 25 minutes.
It may not be the swiftest charger in this category, but it has plenty of speed to keep things convenient for daily use.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate for smooth visuals
Gaming and multitasking is a breeze with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1
Solid battery life and OK fast charging
optical image stabilization for improved photo and video quality
Clean UI with minimal bloat
Cons:
Average (Low-light camera)
No ultrawide or macro lens
Plastic back doesn’t feel as high-quality
Mono speakers, no right or left separation
Funtouch OS could use some polish
IQOO Z10 5G: Verdict
With the iQOO Z10 5G, most of the basics are nailed. They pack speedy performance, a beautiful AMOLED screen, good battery performance, and OIS-equipped cameras, all while staying competitive in terms of price.
It is an app for users looking for speed and functionality and not a lot of extra frills.
Though it’s not perfect — no stereo speakers here, and it doesn’t have quite the same camera flexibility — it still packs better bang for the buck than most of its peers.
So if you’re a student, a casual mobile gamer, or an everyday user searching for a dependable, fast, and future-proof 5G phone, the iQOO Z10 5G is very hard to beat.
