The iQOO Z7 5G is the latest mid-range offering from iQOO and OnePlus has come up with a competitor for the device, called the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G. With both smartphones lying in the same price segment, it might be a little difficult for you to choose between the two. So let’s take a look at the key differences between the iQOO Z7 5G and the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G to check which one is a better offering.
Display: AMOLED vs LCD
The iQOO Z7 5G gets a 6.38-inch AMOLED full-HD+ display with a 2408 x 1080 Pixel resolution. It has a teardrop notch at the centre. In addition the display has a 90Hz Refresh Rate and 360Hz sampling rate.
On the other hand, the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G has a 6.7-inch IPS LCD display with support for up to 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate.
The competition isn’t limited to just AMOLED vs LCD, but also between the sizes of the panels and the front design. While the iQOO Z7 5G definitely has an EDGE over the Nord CE 3 Lite when it comes to punchy colours, it’s you who will have to decide whether it is a bigger panel with a punch-hole is what you need or a smaller AMOLED panel with lower refresh rate and an older design.
In our opinion, we would have picked the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G only because of the bigger size of the panel and higher refresh rate.
Read More: iQOO Z7 5G Review: Does it justify the price?
Processor: MediaTek vs Qualcomm
Now, the iQOO Z7 5G packs a Dimensity 920 chipset under the hood. The phone runs FunTouch OS 13 based on Android 13 on the software side. You get up to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage that is expandable up to 1TB using a microSD card.
The OnePlus Nord device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 Processor paired with 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and up to 256GB UFS 2.2 internal storage which is expandable as well. It runs on Android 13 OS out of the box.
While processors in both the devices are capable ones, the Dimensity 920 is a slightly more powerful one, at least on paper. However, the difference won’t show in daily tasks as both of them handle it with ease, including some level of gaming as well. Both of them run on Android 13 OS out of the box but the choice of skin remains subjective.
In our review of the iQOO Z7 5G, we found that the device was lagging in some scenarios but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a software update. However, if you are more into OnePlus’ OxygenOS and you like its look and features better, then Nord is the device to go for.
Cameras: 108MP vs 64MP
As for the cameras, the iQOO Z7 5G has a dual camera setup on the back of the device. This includes a 64MP primary camera with f/1.8 Aperture and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, this one has a 16MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture.
The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G in comparison, has triple cameras on the back, with a 108MP Samsung primary sensor and a couple of 2MP lenses for macro and depth shooting. There is a 16MP f/2.4 selfie shooter.
While both have unnecessary auxiliary Sensors at the back, its the main sensor which counts and OnePlus seems to have taken the crown in that area. While we aren’t saying that it would certainly take better pictures than the iQOO Z7 5G, the 108MP main sensor does prove to be better considering on-paper specs. Going by such specs, the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G wins in this department.
Battery: 4500mAh vs 5000mAh
The Z7 5G is backed by a 4,500mAh battery with 44W Fast charging support while in contrast, the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G from OnePlus packs a bigger 5000mAh cell with faster 67W fast charging which makes it a clear winner here as well.
Conclusion
As far as the differences are concerned, the iQOO Z7 5G does fail to stand above the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite in terms of specs. Majority of these seem better on the Nord. Even though the Nord has a base price tag that is Rs 1,000 costlier than iQOO’s phone (Rs 19,999 for Nord & Rs 18,999 for iQOO Z7 5G), the smartphone seems worth every penny from where we are looking at it.
