The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite (review) and the iQOO Z9 (review) compete closely with each other, and both have a starting price of Rs 19,999 in India. In order to find out which smartphone is a better value-for-money option, we compared the two against one another in a head-to-head performance and battery comparison. We are now comparing these smartphones for their camera capablities to find out which device is the better shooter.
Here are the camera specifications of both phones:
| OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite | iQOO Z9 |
| 50MP Sony LYT 600 f/1.8 primary camera with OIS + EIS support | 50MP Sony IMX882 f/1.79 primary camera with OIS support |
| 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor | 2MP f/2.4 bokeh sensor |
| 16MP f/2.4 selfie camera | 16MP f/2.0 selfie camera |
Table of Contents
Daylight
Both phones rely on their 50MP primary cameras to capture the scene for daylight shots. The iQOO Z9’s image has a more saturated tone, leaning towards cooler hues, while the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite reproduces colours that more closely reflect the actual scene.
In terms of detail level both the phones, but the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite’s sky has slightly more detailed clouds and showcases the actual colours of the sky. Due to these factors, the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite wins the daylight comparison.
Winner: OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite
Portrait
In portrait shots, the iQOO Z9 does a substantially better job of capturing details and has better edge detection. The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite’s images showcased slight overexposure even with a couple more tries, which results in blurry images with washed-out colours. Thus, the iQOO Z9 wins the portrait comparison.
Winner: iQOO Z9
Selfie
Both phones use a 16MP camera to capture selfies and video calls. The iQOO Z9 has a slightly bigger aperture, which manages to capture more light. If you observe the subject’s face in the image, the iQOO Z9 captures more facial details and skin texture compared to the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite, which smooths out the texture.
The iQOO Z9’s image also shows a more natural skin tone, while the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite adds a slight blush to the subject’s skin tone. Thus, the iQOO Z9 wins the selfie comparison.
Winner: iQOO Z9
Low-light (Night Mode off)
We took low-light images in both devices with night mode disabled to observe how the phones took images with no post-processing. The iQOO Z9 showcased significantly better results with sharp images and a decent level of illumination. The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite, in comparison, outputs blurry images with a visible level of noise, poor edge detection, and muted details.
Winner: iQOO Z9
Low-light (Night Mode on)
With night mode enabled, both phones capture comparatively better images, but the results don’t diverge much compared to the pictures with night mode disabled. The iQOO Z9’s images capture a lot of light, which allows the phone to highlight more details.
It also maintains good edge detection and colour. The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite does a much better job with night mode enabled, but the image falls short in all key aspects compared with the iQOO Z9. The iQOO Z9 wins this round.
Winner: iQOO Z9
Verdict
The iQOO Z9 wins against the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite in our comparison by a significant margin. It does a better job of capturing portrait shots and selfies and is a much better shooter in low light. The OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite instead captures better images in daylight, so if you usually take pictures during the day, it is still a compelling choice. If you’re looking for a camera phone under Rs 20,000, the iQOO Z9 is the better choice compared to the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite.
