iQOO Z10x Review: A Big Battery Budget Smartphone

The premiumisation of the price range smartphone, which began just a few years in the past (and continues at this time), meant that everybody would have bought a sub-Rs. 15,000 machine had been then keen to spend upwards of Rs. 20,000, supplied the machine justified its price ticket. It may accomplish this by providing a good set of cameras with good efficiency, quicker charging, higher shows and extra. And so you would purchase a top quality smartphone just like the Realme 9 Professional+ that checked all of the containers on the decrease finish of the mid-range.

The ‘5G Tax’ (the price of including 5G connectivity to a smartphone) additionally pressured the value-for-money price range section to show into bare-bones units, which received you fewer cameras (in comparison with their 4G counterparts), fundamental plastic designs and common battery life. These smartphones solely existed to ship 5G connectivity for these on tight budgets and nothing extra. However after years of delivering the identical telephones with the identical technique, issues are lastly beginning to change.

There are just a few units, such because the Poco M7 Professional and the CMF Cellphone 1, that provide extra than simply fundamental 5G connectivity below Rs. 15,000. After releasing a fundamental 5G-enabled Z9x final 12 months, iQOO’s Z10x lastly seems to be steering issues in the fitting route. iQOO’s newest Z10x provides much more options to the combination, however does it minimize any corners to get there?

iQOO Z10x Design: What’s with that digicam?

• Dimensions – 165.7 x 76.3 x 8.09mm
• Weight – 204 grams
• Sturdiness – IP64

Whereas the iQOO Z9x went with a somewhat fundamental design, the iQOO Z10x no less than makes some trustworthy makes an attempt to interrupt the mould. It nonetheless makes use of polycarbonate plastic for its rear panel and mid-frame, however the total match and end are rather a lot higher this time.

The mid-frame has flat sides with bevelled edges, whereas the rear panel has curved edges round, making the telephone comfy to carry. That is necessary as a result of this can be a big-battery smartphone that feels a bit heavy at 204 grams. Whereas I am not a fan of the lavender color of the Ultramarine end, I do like that iQOO has made makes an attempt to offer it a delicate wave-like sample, which is seen at sure angles. It makes this fundamental price range smartphone really feel a bit particular. I am additionally completely satisfied to see that this polycarbonate rear panel doesn’t collect smudges or appeal to mud on account of its frosted look and texture.

iQOO’s Z10x has polycarbonate mid-frame and rear panel

As identified in my first impressions, the digicam module seems to be like there’s rather a lot happening, and it is filled with options. Including to this picture is its chunky look. It protrudes fairly a bit, making the telephone wobble rather a lot when positioned on a flat floor.

Quickly after the unboxing, I used to be a bit shocked to find that it had only one user-accessible digicam on the again. The second is a 2-megapixel depth sensor for the Portrait mode, whereas the third camera-like cavity is an infrared blaster.

Inserting the infrared blaster within the digicam module makes little sense. The IR blaster is normally positioned on the highest fringe of the telephone in order that it is pointing in the fitting route when utilizing the built-in app. Anybody trying to make use of the distant management function to regulate an equipment will clearly be sitting upright and holding the telephone close to waist stage.

The infrared (IR) blaster is oddly positioned in the back of the telephone

As a result of this IR blaster is positioned on the again, you must maintain the telephone up in a single hand (making certain it is pointed on the proper equipment) after which use your different hand to function the Good Distant app, making it a two-handed affair. The positioning of the IR blaster is clearly a beauty transfer to make the digicam seem refined and interesting (like a triple digicam setup).

One other new addition to the digicam module is the Dynamic mild, which has been borrowed from Vivo’s Y collection. The Dynamic mild principally capabilities as a notification LED, alerting customers about incoming calls, messages, music, and even the battery’s charging state. You may select between three preset colors, however you can’t customise and select a shade from a color picker. Total, I did discover the Dynamic mild function helpful. When charging the telephone you’ll be able to solely inform when the telephone is charging (blinking inexperienced), totally charged (regular color of your alternative) and low battery (pink), which is beneficial supplied you all the time preserve your telephone face down. Oddly, the settings for this function are weirdly buried within the Settings > Shortcuts and Accessibility > Dynamic mild part of the Settings app.

The wave-like sample on the Ultramarine end is seen solely at sure angles

The iQOO Z10x, similar to the iQOO Z9x, will get an IP64 ranking for mud and water resistance. This ranking supplies full safety towards mud and sand however is barely splash-proof with regards to water. Nonetheless, iQOO’s guarantee doesn’t cowl injury brought on by liquid ingress, so it is sensible to be a bit cautious. The iQOO Z10x is MIL-STD-810H licensed, that means that this machine can operate usually in excessive climates and temperatures.

iQOO Z10x Show: Will get the job completed

• Show dimension – 6.72-inch, 2,408 x 1,080 pixels, full-HD+
• Show sort – LCD, 60-90-120Hz
• Show safety – Panda glass

Identical to its predecessor, the protecting show glass on the iQOO Z10x will get smudged simply. The show’s colors seem saturated when utilizing the default Customary color mode, however seem extra pure with the ‘Skilled’ preset. It will get sufficiently shiny when used outside, each when searching via apps or viewing video content material. Nonetheless, being an LCD, it doesn’t provide the deepest blacks like some AMOLED shows (out there on competing smartphones) can. You may nonetheless get pleasure from your streaming exhibits at full-HD decision in normal definition, because the telephone helps Widevine L1 playback specification.

The iQOO Z10x’s show has noticeably thick borders, particularly on the backside

Discovering an All the time-on-display (AOD) function within the personalisation setting was a little bit of a shock. It is because the function will devour numerous energy on an LCD panel, which, not like an AMOLED panel, can’t shut off its unused pixels however has to maintain its total backlight on. Fortunately, iQOO’s software program solely permits the AOD function to return alive when a brand new notification arrives or upon waking up the machine.

iQOO Z10x Software program: Customary stuff

• Android model – 15
• Software program – Funtouch OS 15
• Software program dedication – 2 years software program, 3 years safety

Funtouch OS has been round for some time and desires no particular introduction. With Funtouch OS 15, Vivo added a bunch of latest AI instruments among the many many new customisation options which had been lacking in previous variations. The brand new AI instruments are sensible however not precisely succesful with regards to picture enhancing.

The telephone does include some bloatware and third-party apps, however the latter could be uninstalled if not required. Surprisingly, there, I acquired only a few spammy notifications throughout the assessment interval. These had been primarily from the Browser app, which is able to push notifications even when you’ve got by no means opened the app. Avoiding opening the V-Appstore (or ignoring it altogether) can be a great way to keep away from getting pointless notifications from it.

iQOO’s Funtouch OS 15 brings some AI instruments to Android 15

iQOO and Vivo’s respectable monitor file with delivering updates primarily applies to its premium and mid-range units. Budget units do take further time to obtain their updates and, so customers may be left wanting for extra, as promised updates arrive a bit later than anticipated. With this in thoughts, iQOO providing simply two years of OS updates is worrisome for individuals who maintain on to their units for a few years. The great factor is that the telephone already ships with Android 15, so with two years of updates, there’s a good likelihood it should get upgraded to Android 16 and perhaps Android 17.

iQOO Z10x Efficiency: Pretty much as good because it will get

• Processor – MediaTek Dimensity 7300, 2.5GHz, 4nm
• RAM – 6/8GB (LPDDR4X)
• Storage – 128/256GB (UFS 3.1)

Funtouch OS 15 runs easily on mid-range and premium units, it isn’t the case with a price range smartphone just like the Z10x. With the display screen’s refresh fee set to Auto, I observed fairly just a few hiccups on occasion, the place the telephone stuttered whereas scrolling via feeds or lagged a bit when launching apps. There seems to be a scarcity of software program optimisation, as, at occasions, it felt just like the {hardware} was struggling to maintain up with the software program’s gestures. It is 2025, and whereas all of that is acceptable on entry-level units with barebones {hardware}, iQOO wants to shine the Z10x’s software program, as I’m reviewing the 8GB RAM variant.

The iQOO Z10x’s show is a smudgy mess

The stereo audio system present a really treble-heavy sound, but it surely’s simply not loud sufficient. The telephone has an Audio Booster mode which bumps up the amount to 400 p.c, but it surely solely sounds worse (learn tinny) when you cross one hundred pc. One is certainly higher off connecting a pair of wired earphones. However iQOO selected to take away the three.5mm headphone jack this 12 months. So, TWS it’s!

The telephone has no noticeable heating points even when utilizing the digicam app. iQOO appears to have made good use of the graphite sheets as this telephone doesn’t pack any vapour chamber cooling system (given its worth level).

As for uncooked efficiency, the iQOO Z10x carried out nicely in comparison with its rivals on this section, as is seen within the desk under.

Gaming efficiency is sweet, preserving in thoughts different units out there on this section. After all, the telephone struggles to keep up a gradual body fee, but it surely’s attainable to play Name of Responsibility: Cell at Very Excessive graphics settings. Contact sampling is nearly enough. You may get pleasure from smoother gameplay at Low graphics and Extremely body fee, however the body fee hovers round 60 fps and nothing past.

iQOO Z10x Cameras: Standard, standard

• Main digicam – 50-megapixel, f/1.8, AF
• Depth digicam – 2-megapixel
• Selfie digicam – 8-megapixel, f/2.05, FF

Since there is just one accessible digicam on the again, it has to tackle the roles of a number of lenses and, due to this fact, should be adaptable to numerous conditions. Certainly, not a lot has modified by way of imaging in comparison with the iQOO Z9x, and it is because the iQOO Z10x additionally makes use of the identical {hardware} as its predecessor.

iQOO Z10x main digicam samples (faucet photos to broaden)

In daylight, the first digicam, at its default magnification, captures common pictures for a smartphone at this worth level. The pictures will look nice in your telephone, however zoom in even a bit bit, and the photographs begin to tear up. Dynamic vary is respectable, however there’s loads of noise seen, particularly within the shadows, even in daylight. Additionally, you will come throughout random patches with garbled particulars (dangerous noise processing), as is seen from the pattern displaying a essential highway above. Something that strikes will get blurred, and so the foliage and finer particulars are sometimes misplaced.

Underneath dim or low mild with avenue lighting, photos seem delicate and have a water-colour impact with blurred particulars

Utilizing the 2X zoom (under) isn’t really helpful, because the telephone struggles to seize respectable photos at its default capturing decision. The 10cm focussing vary did enable me to get shut sufficient for close-up photographs (above).

The selfie digicam affords good edge detection, however the picture high quality is strictly common.

Selfies have common element and seem barely delicate, relying on the out there mild. The digicam additionally has hassle exposing the topic in very shiny environments, as could be seen within the first selfie pattern. In low mild, it isn’t price pulling out this telephone for a selfie, even with the display screen flash turned on.

On condition that this can be a price range smartphone, my expectations with video recording weren’t very excessive. The rear digicam sort of proved this level by capturing very fundamental video high quality (you’ll be able to inform what’s taking place in a scene) with dangerous dynamic vary (clipped shadows). The telephone additionally struggles to maintain the body in focus whereas panning, and the EIS leads to a really cropped view. In low mild, the main points simply aren’t there. It is laborious to determine folks even when capturing a brightly lit avenue from a detailed distance. The video recording additionally seems jerky when strolling as a result of the digicam lacks OIS.

iQOO Z10x Battery: Spectacular!

• Battery capability – 6,500mAh
• Wired charging – 44W
• Charger within the field – Sure

In our PC Mark Work Battery check, which runs a bunch of functions on a loop until the telephone’s battery drains to twenty p.c, the iQOO Z10x managed a good 24 hours and 10 minutes. In our video loop check, which performs an HD video on loop until the battery runs out, it managed a stable 37 hours and 46 minutes. Final 12 months’s iQOO Z9x lasted 22 hours and 35 minutes in the identical check, which fits to point out that the upper capability battery does result in enhancements in battery life.

iQOO’s Z10x packs a high-capacity 6,500mAh battery

Throughout the testing interval, regardless of heavy utilization with the telephone getting used repeatedly (social media apps, mail, messaging and so on., video streaming, 3D gaming), I solely managed to empty the telephone’s battery to 40 p.c. So, it is protected to imagine that no matter your utilization, it ought to final you greater than a day of heavy use and about two days with informal utilization.

Charging is one space that has not received any upgrades. The charger is not precisely gradual, however when paired with a battery with such a excessive capability, charging takes some time. It is nonetheless tolerable, with the telephone managing a 38 p.c cost in half-hour, 74 p.c in an hour and finishing the charging course of in 1 hour and 36 minutes.

iQOO Z10x Verdict

After spending time with the iQOO Z10x, it is clear that the model has not minimize any corners for its new Z collection smartphone. iQOO has tried to repair the failings of the earlier mannequin however got here up wanting the competitors in some areas. There’s a silver lining to iQOO’s efforts to face out (larger battery delivers higher standby), but it surely may have centered its efforts on better-optimised software program and a greater set of cameras, even when it simply delivers the fundamentals.

Poco’s M7 Professional (Evaluate) might not provide the very best efficiency in its section, but it surely will get you an AMOLED panel with deep blacks that many will admire and an OIS-stabilised digicam that may get you sharper pictures. It is nonetheless the telephone to beat on this section, with costs ranging from as little as Rs. 13,700 for the bottom 6GB RAM variant. CMF’s Cellphone 1 (Evaluate), other than its Tremendous AMOLED show and barely higher cameras (in comparison with the Z10x), additionally affords one thing thrilling with its modular strategy for the DIY crowd at this worth level.