[Tested] Do you really need a Snapdragon 888-powered phone? | 91mobiles.com

iQOO debuted in the Indian smartphone market in 2020 with a promising flagship to its name in the form of the iQOO 3 (review). Despite that, the company struggled to make its mark and retired to the dugouts for the remainder of the year. Fast-forward to 2021 and the brand made a startling comeback by announcing a slew of enticing Android handsets priced attractively across different segments. To bring you up to speed, the company announced the iQOO Z3 (review), the iQOO Z5 (review), the iQOO 7 (review), and the iQOO 7 Legend (review) smartphones in the country. Interestingly the lineup was backed by segment-leading Qualcomm SoCs, namely the Snapdragon 768G, the Snapdragon 778G, the Snapdragon 870, and the Snapdragon 888 respectively. 

While we have thoroughly tested all devices from iQOO’s stables, we thought it would be fitting to pit the phones against each other to better understand how a phone’s performance scales as you climb up the performance ladder. It also helps that the devices are backed by the same software, allowing us to gauge the hardware’s prowess more objectively. So, if you were curious about the performance difference between various Qualcomm SoCs, or just wanted to know which iQOO phone is the best for you, then read on.

iQOO Z3 

The iQOO Z3 is the most affordable handset of the lot and the device is backed by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 768G processor. For the uninitiated, the smartphone is 5G ready and offers a 120Hz LCD display, along with other niceties like a headphone jack and 55W fast charging. Unsurprisingly, the handset makes for a compelling buy, given its starting price of Rs 19,990. With the specs out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the device’s performance. You’ll find two separate galleries attached below, comprising numerous benchmarks and in-game graphics and fps settings for some popular games, so have a gander. 

Benchmarks

Games 

iQOO Z5 

The iQOO Z5 is the most affordable Snapdragon 778G handset and correspondingly, buyers looking for a bit more horsepower without burning a hole in their wallets cannot go wrong with the phone. While the handset ships with slower 44W charging as compared to the Z3, the device somewhat makes up for it by offering a beefy 5,000mAh cell. What’s more, the smartphone ships with speedy LPDDR5 memory too, which should pay dividends when multitasking between a slurry of apps.  

Benchmarks

Games 

iQOO 7 

Launched alongside the iQOO 7 Legend, iQOO 7 offers a high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor that works alongside speedy LPDDR5 memory and UFS 3.1 storage. Furthermore, the device ships with a 120Hz, AMOLED display with a dedicated display chip that does MEMC or frame interpolation in popular games like Call of Duty Mobile. Coupled with 66W fast charging, the iQOO 7 is as loaded as it gets, so let’s see how well the specs translate to its performance chops. 

Benchmarks

Games 

iQOO 7 Legend 

iQOO 7 Legend is undeniably fast and the smartphone is backed by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processor. What’s more, the handset benefits from a capable set of cameras too and offers a pressure-sensitive screen as well. To that note, hardcore gamers can map certain in-game commands to a 3D touch of sorts, giving them an edge over the competition. Unsurprisingly, the handset’s performance doesn’t disappoint either, as you will be able to make out by the screenshots attached below. 

Benchmarks

Games 

Verdict

Fret not, we have compiled the results in a handy chart below, so you don’t have to jump between sliders. Take a gander. 

Phone	Antutu	GeekBench (Single core)	GeekBench (Multi-core)	CPU Throttle (Higher is better)	BGMI	BGMI 4K texture pack	PUBG: New State	Garena Free Fire Max	Call of Duty Mobile
iQOO Z3	4,52,044	722	2,050	86%	HDR/Ultra	No	Max/Ultra	Max/High	Very High/Very High
iQOO Z5	5,62,904	736	2,580	89%	HDR/Ultra	No	Max/Ultra	Max/High	Very High/Very High
iQOO 7	7,16,633	1,026	3,483	83%	HDR/Extreme	Yes	Max/Ultra	Max/High	Very High/Max
iQOO 7 Legend	8,07,965	1,134	3,650	81%	HDR/Extreme	Yes	Max/Ultra	Max/High	Very High/Max

Interestingly, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 768G processor is – for the most part – on par with the beefier 778G SoC found on the iQOO Z5. In fact, the two SoCs outputted similar scores in GeekBench, and played most demanding games at the exact same graphics and FPS settings too. What’s more, compared to Qualcomm’s 8-series processors, both the 7-series SoCs offered better stability after being subjected to a sustained workload. 

Furthermore, the Snapdragon 888 SoC – while clearly the best chipset of the lot – offers diminishing real-world returns when compared to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 processor. It also helps that the SD 870 SoC throttled less in our 30-minute CPU throttling test. Ipso facto, those on the lookout for a capable Android handset will find a device powered by the Snapdragon 768G/778G to their liking. The iQOO Z5, for instance, costs Rs 24K and for the price, offers excellent bang for the buck. On the off chance you are a hardcore gamer, then stepping up to the iQOO 7 (which starts at Rs 32K) will offer you flagship-tier performance without burning a hole in your wallet. That’s not to say that the SD888 chipset is bad – only, most users (including avid gamers) should be perfectly content with a Snapdragon 870-backed device at their disposal.