iQoo 11 5G: The Ultimate Flagship Killer

The first flagship Android smartphone of 2023 to reach India is the iQoo 11 5G. The phone is a replacement for the iQoo 9T, which was released in 2017. The Qualcomm flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC is found in the iQoo 11 5G, which is marketed as the fastest Android smartphone in the world. Additionally, the phone has high-end components such a 2K AMOLED display, a 50-megapixel primary camera, and 120W rapid charging capability.

The new handset has received some 'pro' features but as they say, upgrades come at a cost. The iQoo 11 5G is far more expensive than the outgoing model. Should you buy the iQoo 11 5G or wait for other flagship phones to launch? Here is our full review to help you decide. Here are few highlights regarding this article.

●       Price of iQoo 11 5G in India.

●       Display and design of the iQoo 11 5G

●       Software and specifications for iQoo 11 5G.

●       Performance and battery life of the iQoo 11 5G

●       iQoo 11 cameras for 5G

Price of iQoo 11 5G in India

Two variations of the iQoo 11 5G have been released. The base model comes with 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage and 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM. The cost is Rs. 59,999. The model we are reviewing has 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM for a price of Rs. 64,999. Cardholders of HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank are qualified for a Rs. 5,000 discount as part of the launch offers.

Display and design of the iQoo 11 5G

There are two color options and finishes for the iQoo 11 5G. The manufacturer sent us the Legend model, which has a traditional white back panel with a racing stripe pattern modeled after BMW Motorsport. This specific variation combines silicone leather and fiberglass. The phone has a very energizing sensation in the hand and is pretty attractive to look at. For those who prefer the traditional black color, the Alpha color option, which features a glass back, is a safer choice. Both variants include metal chassis for increased durability and a more upscale appearance.

The phone cannot be used with one hand because it is rather tall. It is approximately 8.72mm thick. On the right side of the phone, you can easily access the power and volume controls. Although the phone weighs roughly 205g, it does not feel particularly hefty. Of course, you will notice the hefty weight if you are switching from a lighter phone.

The iQoo 11 5G's front features a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with 2K resolution. The viewing experience is excellent since the screen offers vibrant colors and deep blacks. The set of extra features that improve the multimedia experience are the icing on the cake. These include compatibility for WideVine L1 and HDR10 material in apps like Netflix, as well as peak brightness of up to 1800 nits (for use outdoors, in direct sunlight).

The iQoo 11 5G's display bezel at the chin is somewhat thicker than other bezels. For the front camera, a hole-punch cutout is present at the top. Additionally, the screen features a layer of Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus, which should increase its resistance to scuffs and breakage from unintentional drops.

According to the content on the screen, the iQoo 11 5G's display intelligently alternates between 1Hz and 144Hz. Since most of the apps I tried operated at 120Hz in my experience, it appears like iQoo has some optimizations for running apps at 144Hz in the works. I preferred utilizing Smart Switch, which dynamically adjusts the refresh rate based on the system power consumption and real usage circumstances, over the other two refresh rate settings. Strangely, a few apps, like Twitter and Instagram, had some UI stutters. As an alternative, you can change the refresh rate to High (up to 144Hz) or Standard (60Hz).

On the iQoo 11 5G, there is also a smart refresh rate feature that allows only a section of the display to refresh at a higher rate as needed. This is achievable in a few apps, like YouTube, where, for instance, the comments section scrolls more quickly than the video's playing area while refreshing at a slower rate. According to iQoo, clever switching lowers power consumption. Additionally, the display includes a function dubbed Monster Touch, which enables you to use specific areas of the display as extra in-game buttons in a selection of games.

Software and specifications for iQoo 11 5G

The iQoo 11 5G is the first smartphone in India to use the latest flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, as was already mentioned. Additionally, there is a special Vivo V2 chip that is designed to improve the camera, display, and gaming capabilities. The phone has a larger 5,000mAh battery than the 4,700mAh battery of the iQoo 9T. There is a 120W fast charger within the box.

In-display fingerprint scanning is quick and responsive, and AI face recognition is also supported. Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.3, a USB Type-C port, GPS, and other wireless communication options are available. It is regrettable that the iQoo 11 5G does not have an IP rating and does not allow wireless charging.

The iQoo 11 5G runs the most recent version of Android 13 out of the box in terms of software. Vivo's Funtouch OS 13 is placed on top of it. The custom skin offers a variety of customization choices, including the ability to alter the size and form of program icons and wallpapers. Funtouch OS 13 adapts the system-wide color based on the user-selected wallpaper or theme and supports Android 13's system UI color palette feature as well.

In order to allow other people to use the same phone without having access to your apps and data, Funtouch OS now enables users to create guest profiles. Imagine it as having a user profile similar to those on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, where each user keeps a record of their own viewing habits and other preferences. For those who frequently lend their phone to others for use, this privacy option is an excellent choice.

Additionally, you get assistance with adding widgets to the home screen. The software also works with Android 13's Privacy Dashboard, Permission Manager, etc. All of this is fantastic, however the business' native V-App Store generates a lot of spam and sends out plenty of notifications. Thankfully, there are only a few third-party apps on the UI—Snapchat, Spotify, and Byju's. If you'd like, you can remove the undesired apps.

Performance and battery life of the iQoo 11 5G

The iQoo 11 5G's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC is a powerful chip. While using the tablet for normal work or playing games, I did not feel any lag at all. Even with the 'Max' frame rate and 'Very High' visual settings, Call of Duty: Mobile performed admirably. Even after a few matches, which lasted for around 20 minutes each, the phone did not become as warm as I had anticipated. I also played Asphalt 9 Legends, and that game was excellent as well, with no lag or stuttering.

The iQoo 11 5G has a feature called frame rate interpolation, which supposedly adds more frames to a game even if it doesn't truly support it. Users can also decide between Battery Saver, Balanced, and Monster power modes under the "Ultra Game" option. While Monster mode unlocks the SoC's full performance at the expense of battery life, Balanced mode provides a balance of good performance and power efficiency.

To determine if the iQoo 11 5G could meet the manufacturer's reported score of 13,23,820 points on AnTuTu, I conducted a few benchmarks. Our review unit's AnTuTu score of 12,63,366 was lower than the stated number. Having said that, it ranks among the best results we have so far tallied. The Asus ROG Phone 6 (Review), powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, loses to the iQoo 11 5G by a respectable margin. In the single-core and multi-core tests on Geekbench, the iQoo 11 5G also received scores of 884 and 3099.

With great power comes the worry of overly consuming batteries. The iQoo 11 5G, however, appears to be quite optimized for this top-tier Snapdragon SoC. I averaged just over six hours a day in front of a screen, which is not bad. The iQoo 11 5G lasted for 20 hours, 59 minutes in our HD video loop test, which is excellent for a flagship Android device. The battery was also fully charged with the 120W fast charger in 23 minutes, which is a few minutes sooner than the stated time.

iQoo 11 5G cameras

A triple camera arrangement is present on the rear of the iQoo 11 5G. The camera is a 50-megapixel Samsung GN5 with optical image stabilization (OIS) capabilities. A 13-megapixel portrait camera with 2X optical zoom and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera are added to the main camera.

The iQoo 11 5G generally has great photography performance, as is typical of premium iQoo phones. The primary camera performs fairly well in daytime. Although the colors are little oversaturated, the dynamic range is fairly outstanding. Regardless of the time of day, images always have regulated highlights and properly lit shadows. On occasion, low-light photos taken in Photo mode with scene detection enabled are sufficiently decent and well-exposed. You can switch to Night mode, which often takes a few seconds to record and a few more seconds to analyze an image, if you want a brighter low-light image.

The ultra-wide camera sensor is less capable than the majority of current flagships. The 8 megapixel sensor's details are not as sharp, especially where the corners are warped. Additionally, the dynamic range performance is subpar. I thought iQoo would do better in this regard. The telephoto lens's 2X optical zoom effectively captures details, and the background blur also appears to be extremely realistic. However, the skin tone of the subject seems a little bit lighter in portrait mode, making them appear a little bit fairer than they actually are.

You get a 16-megapixel front camera for selfies, which often accurately detects skin tone. But just like the portrait mode on the rear camera, the front camera exaggerates the subject's fairness. Even when all beauty settings are disabled, the portrait mode on the front camera slightly smoothes the skin. Additionally, it occasionally blurs the incorrect boundaries, as seen in the image below when the software obscured some of my face and my earbuds.

The iQoo 11 5G's back camera can record videos in up to 8K at 30 frames per second. The Night Mode video recording at 4K 30 fps is enabled by the V2 chip, and the results are extremely amazing. Although there is some noise in the darker places, the overall video is well-exposed and performs significantly better than the usual video mode, so I would not be too upset about it. However, you cannot capture videos in night mode at 1080p/ 4K 60fps.

Only 1080p 30fps video recording is still supported by the front-facing camera. Although the subject is properly exposed, the camera sacrifices dynamic range.

something new updates are available soon you iqoo phones so stay alert for new update on your device that boots for gaming and more performance that 

Wrapping up…

The iQoo 11 5G can be taken into consideration if you're looking for a phone that provides best-in-class performance with the newest chipset, extremely rapid charging, an excellent multimedia experience, and good cameras. It wouldn't hurt to hold off a little before making your purchasing choice, but keep in mind that there are a ton more Android flagships from OnePlus, Samsung, and other manufacturers that are just around the corner.