Realme NARZO 70 Pro 5G vs iQOO Z9 5G: Which is a Better Buy?

Realme recently expanded its NARZO lineup in India with the launch of its new NARZO 70 Pro 5G. It flaunts an OLED display, draws power from the Dimensity 7050 chipset, supports 67W fast charging, and much more. But it also has to face some stiff competition, and one name that might have caught your attention is the iQOO Z9 5G. So, if you are in the market for a smartphone around the Rs 20,000 mark and are confused between the Realme NARZO 70 Pro 5G and iQOO Z9 5G, you have landed at the right place. We are here to help you pick the best smartphone that fits your needs.

Specs at Glance

Price in India

Design

• Realme NARZO 70 Pro 5G: Realme is going all in on design with the latest NARZO 70 Pro 5G. The smartphone boasts a shining upper part that also accommodates the circular camera island and the other half of the panel has a slightly rough finish. This is not a bad thing as it will keep fingerprints and smudges at bay.
• iQOO Z9 5G: iQOO has opted for a no-nonsense, minimal smartphone look for the Z9 5G. It’s a more conventional smartphone with dual cameras in the top left corner and a simple back with just the iQOO logo at the bottom.

While design is subjective, we believe that if you are into funkier-looking smartphones or are looking for a smartphone that catches everyone’s attention, then the Realme NARZO 70 Pro 5G is your pick. But if you prefer a more minimalist and conventional smartphone look, the iQOO Z9 5G makes more sense.

Display

• Realme NARZO 70 Pro 5G: Realme’s latest offering features a 6.67-inch OLED display that produces Full HD+ (2400×1080 pixels) resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate, 2000 nits of peak brightness, a 2200Hz touch sampling rate, a 5000000:1 contrast ratio, a 199% P3 colour gamut, and a 92.65% screen-to-body ratio.
• iQOO Z9 5G: The iQOO also features the 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display with 2,400×1,800 pixels, 120Hz, 1,200Hz Instant Touch Sampling Rate, 1,800 nits brightness, 16.7 million colours, 91.9% screen-to-body ratio, 6000000:1 contrast, DT-Star2 Plus Glass Protection, HDR (Netflix).

It’s almost neck-to-neck when it comes to the display bit of both devices, so picking a winner here is almost impossible. Both smartphones flaunt the same 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display. While the NARZO 70 Pro 5G comes with 2000 nits of peak brightness, the iQOO Z9 5G falls a bit short with 1800 nits. However, these numbers don’t matter in real life, where both smartphones will offer almost identical performance.

Performance and UI

• Realme NARZO 70 Pro 5G: It draws power from the MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset and Mali G68 GPU paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. The device also supports 8GB of virtual memory. It runs the Realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14 out of the box.
• iQOO Z9 5G: The iQOO Z9 5G also comes with the same 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage and supports the extended 8GB of RAM. However, it differs from the NARZO 70 Pro 5G in terms of chipset. It packs the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC with ARM Mali-G610 GPU. Besides, it also runs the Android 14-based Funtouch OS 14 out of the box.

In terms of performance and UI, both smartphones are expected to deliver almost identical experiences. While the iQOO Z9 5G might have an edge when it comes to performance as it packs a 4nm chipset, unlike the 6nm one on the NARZO, churning out day-to-day tasks or multitasking with all the usual apps will be a piece of cake for both the devices.

Cameras

• Realme NARZO 70 Pro 5G: It houses a triple camera setup at the back: a 50MP Sony IMX890 primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, OIS, 2x optical zoom, 2μm pixel size, an 8MP ultrawide camera with f/2.2 aperture and field of view of 112°, and another 2MP macro sensor with f/2.4 and field of view of 88.8°. On the front, it packs a 16MP selfie shooter with f/2.4 and field of view of 82.6°.
• iQOO Z9 5G: It features a dual camera setup at the back with 50MP Sony IMX882 primary sensor OIS support and f/1.79 paired with a 2MP bokeh sensor with f/2.4. On the front, it houses a 16MP selfie shooter with f/2.0.

When it comes to optics, the NARZO 70 Pro 5G seems like a winner in this segment. It comes with three sensors, and most importantly, it features an ultrawide sensor, unlike the iQOO Z9 5G, which is missing altogether. So, if the ultrawide angle and number of sensors on a device matter to you, then the NARZO 70 Pro 5G is your device. Apart from that, both smartphones will have almost the same camera experience for primary or selfie shooters.

Battery

Both smartphones pack a 5,000mAh battery. While the iQOO Z9 5G comes with 44W fast charging support, the Realme NARZO 70 Pro supports 67W fast charging. So, while both smartphones will deliver almost identical battery performance, the Realme wins by a significant margin when it comes to charging capabilities.

Verdict

Purely on the biases of specifications, the Realme NARZO 70 Pro 5G seems to be checking most of the correct boxes. It has an ultrawide angle camera, 67W fast charging, and a flashy design. On the other hand, the iQOO will offer a tad better performance, a minimalist, more conventional design and stand on its ground.