In the chessboard of the smartphone market, mid-range models play a crucial role. They are not only the backbone of manufacturers' sales, but also the testing ground for innovative technologies. In 2024, with continuous technological breakthroughs and increasingly diverse consumer demands, competition in this market has intensified.

In this competition, major manufacturers are striving to find differentiated breakthroughs. Huawei's nova series focuses on providing exceptional photography experiences; Redmi Turbo series satisfies users' demands for high-performance displays and fast charging; OPPO Reno series attracts many video creators by enhancing video recording capabilities; vivo S and Y series win the hearts of young consumers with cutting-edge imaging technology and stylish designs...

iQOO, as a subsidiary brand of vivo, has also been actively pushing forward in the mid-range market this year. On September 24th, the upgraded version of iQOO Z9 Turbo, the Z9 Turbo+, was officially launched. Equipped with a 6400mAh ultra-large battery and Dimensity 9300+ processor, this new device achieves leading performance and battery life in its class.

The New Position was invited to attend the new product launch event. Visually, the iQOO Z9 Turbo+'s hardware performance speaks for itself, and in many aspects, it rivals flagship models. It can be said that iQOO has fired the first shot for the upcoming "Double 11" festival a month later.

However, competition in the mid-range market is not limited to hardware. As the market continues to evolve, consumers' expectations for mid-range smartphones have expanded beyond mere hardware performance. They now place greater emphasis on the overall user experience, the sophistication of the software ecosystem, and interoperability with other smart devices. To manage costs, iQOO Z9 Turbo+ has made some compromises in terms of materials and user experience. However, considering iQOO's past user demographics and target audience, these appropriate trade-offs are unlikely to significantly impact sales.

01. Mid-range price, flagship performance: Is iQOO's new device packed with sincerity?

Five months ago, when iQOO Z9 Turbo was launched, The New Position predicted that the competition in the mid-range segment had entered a new era. However, with the launch of iQOO Z9 Turbo+, this benchmark has undoubtedly been raised even further.

Compared to Z9 Turbo, Z9 Turbo+ has undergone further upgrades in terms of its chipset, battery life, signal strength, and IP65 water resistance, and it also introduces a new color option – Moon Shadow Titanium.

Especially noteworthy is the use of the Dimensity 9300+ chipset, which was previously found in vivo's X100S series, marking a true "technology trickle-down." Paired with vivo's self-developed Q1 gaming chip, this combination is undoubtedly a sincere offering for gamers.

How does this configuration perform in games? According to official data, AnTuTu benchmarks score it at 2,387,855 points, ranking first in energy efficiency among flagship platforms. In Mihoyo's latest game, "Honkai: Star Rail," iQOO Z9 Turbo+ achieved an impressive 58.5 frames per second (FPS) at 6.5 watts, while other brand's same-platform products only managed 55.5 FPS. The Z9 Turbo+'s frame rate is more stable and power-efficient.

Moreover, with the support of the Q1 gaming chip, iQOO Z9 Turbo+ enables an ultra-frame experience. When enabled, the game frame rate can increase by 2.4 times, from a maximum of 60 FPS to 144 FPS, offering 144FPS frame-by-frame high definition. By connecting with a cooling back clip, iQOO Z9 Turbo+ can also activate Monster+ mode, achieving 1.5K+144FPS ultra-resolution and ultra-frame performance concurrently.

Of course, such performance is aided by a high-quality display. The upgraded Z9 Turbo+ employs Huaxing's latest C8 flagship backlight material, boasting a 144Hz ultra-high refresh rate, 1.5K resolution, a peak brightness of up to 4500 nits, and support for 3840Hz ultra-high-frequency PWM dimming and full-brightness DC dimming. This is undoubtedly a boon for heavy multimedia and gaming users.

As for the imaging aspect, which has always been a focus of attention, iQOO Z9 Turbo+ does not bring too many surprises. It retains the same dual-camera setup as its predecessor, with a 50-megapixel LYT-600 primary camera that supports OIS optical image stabilization and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor. Thanks to vivo's imaging algorithm tuning, the Z9 Turbo+ performs adequately in daily photography and night scenes. One positive aspect is that following the OPPO Reno series, iQOO now allows users to share their Live Photos on Xiaohongshu.

In terms of other specifications, features such as "Wi-Fi 7" wireless network technology, "dual Wi-Fi" band connectivity, dual-band GPS, and even quad-band Beidou (which may not even be found in flagship devices) are all standard on the iQOO Z9 Turbo+. Coupled with vivo's self-developed BlueHeart AI assistant, the device also includes trendy and practical features like AI background removal, AI instant image cutout, and one-click video editing.

Of course, this does not mean that the iQOO Z9 Turbo+ is without flaws. In the opinion of The New Position, the device's biggest drawback lies in its all-plastic body.

With a starting price of 2199 yuan, it is not overly expensive. However, the top-end model priced at 2899 yuan nearly reaches the 3000 yuan price segment. Even if the trade-off was made to prioritize thinness and lightness, a fully plastic phone at this price point still seems somewhat cheap. Moreover, compared to its predecessor, which only had a plastic frame, the Z9 Turbo+'s full plastic body represents a significant step backward in materials, which the author personally finds questionable.

02. Buy a battery, get a phone free: iQOO continues to differentiate itself

In the previous section, an important upgrade of the iQOO Z9 Turbo+ was not mentioned: in terms of battery life, the Z9 Turbo+ boasts iQOO's largest-ever 6400mAh ultra-thin Blue Ocean battery. Despite an increase of 400mAh in battery capacity, the overall thickness of the device remains a slender 7.98mm, with a weight increase of just 1g to 196g, truly achieving "more capacity without added bulk" for a lighter and more powerful device.

It must be said that in the pursuit of "thin and light battery life," iQOO has carved out its niche.

In previous articles by The New Position, we expressed the view that the future direction of mid-range devices should gradually move away from the "value-for-money bucket phone" approach and towards differentiation, even if this requires significant trade-offs in hardware configuration.

Extending this to the industry as a whole, the standalone "value-for-money" approach has essentially reached its ceiling.

On the one hand, mid-range devices are largely synonymous with "value-for-money," which is inherently expected. No manufacturer can claim an absolute advantage in terms of value-for-money. On the other hand, costs are highly sensitive. Once upstream supply chain costs rise, the original relatively low prices are challenged. Either costs exceed profit margins, or manufacturers are forced to revert to old practices. A prime example of this is last year's much-hyped "large storage" trend, which has since quieted down due to supply chain price hikes. Currently, only Redmi and realme still offer 1TB storage configurations.

Therefore, in the opinion of The New Position, since "value-for-money" has become almost a standard feature of mid-range devices, differentiation has naturally become the deciding factor for manufacturers' rankings. Just as Nubia Red Magic's gaming performance, OPPO A3 Pro's durability, realme's fast charging technology, and iQOO Z series' large battery capacity have all become distinguishing features that set them apart from competitors.

Indeed, sales figures bear this out.

After the launch event, iQOO officially tweeted that sales of the Z9 Turbo+ in the first hour were 154% higher than those of the Z9 Turbo, and overall sales were 227% higher than those of the Z9 Turbo during the same period, setting a new record.

It is foreseeable that the differentiating focus on "large battery capacity" will remain an advantage of iQOO products for a long time to come. In a sense, it is precisely this advantage that has secured iQOO a top-selling position at this year's "Double 11" event.

03. Final Thoughts

Overall, iQOO's product strategy for the Z9 Turbo+ is clear: allocate resources heavily towards performance and battery life, sacrificing some less critical peripheral configurations such as plastic frames and conventional short-focus fingerprint unlocking. However, as mentioned earlier, this strategy has paradoxically allowed it to stand out in the mid-range market.

Early in August, three data analytics firms—Canalys, Counterpoint, and IDC—released sales figures for China's smartphone market in Q2 2024. According to IDC, smartphone shipments in China reached approximately 71.58 million units in Q2 2024, representing an 8.9% year-on-year increase and returning to levels last seen in 2022. Canalys provided an even more optimistic outlook, with a growth rate of 10%, close to the global average of 12%.

The consistent positive growth clearly indicates that the industry has emerged from a tumultuous period. China, as one of the most competitive markets, serves as a barometer for the entire industry. With Huawei's return, the domestic high-end market is once again dominated by Apple and Huawei, while the mid-range segment, in addition to competing on value-for-money, is gradually seeing an increasing demand for differentiated quality.

A straightforward example is that due to its efforts in the mid-range market, Apple's shipments in China declined by 6.7% year-on-year in Q2 this year, ranking only sixth. This is the first time that Chinese domestic manufacturers have swept the top five spots in the mainland market.

Therefore, it can be said that the manufacturer that first emerges victorious from the intense competition in the mid-range market through differentiation will secure the top spot in the market. Of course, there is one crucial prerequisite: manufacturers must avoid undercutting each other with their newly launched devices.

*The lead image and accompanying images in this article are sourced from the internet.