The iQOO 11 is one of the first phones to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, Qualcomm’s latest and most powerful mobile platform. The phone also boasts a 144Hz QHD+ AMOLED screen, a 50MP main camera, a 5000mAh battery with 120W fast charging, and Android 13 out of the box. But how does it perform in real life, and is it worth buying? In this article, we will review the iQOO 11 in detail and see how it compares to other flagships in the market.
Table of Contents
Design and build quality
The iQOO 11 has a distinctive design that sets it apart from other phones. The back panel has a matte finish with a gradient color scheme that changes depending on the angle of light. The phone also has a BMW Motorsport collaboration edition that features a racing stripe and the BMW logo on the back. The camera module is rectangular and slightly protrudes from the surface, housing three lenses and an LED flash.
The front of the phone is dominated by the 6.78-inch display that curves slightly at the edges. The bezels are thin and uniform, and there is a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera at the top center. The screen also has an optical fingerprint scanner that works fast and reliably. The phone has a metal frame that houses the power button and volume rocker on the right, the SIM tray on the left, and the USB-C port, speaker grille, and microphone on the bottom. There is no headphone jack or microSD card slot on this phone.
The iQOO 11 feels premium and solid in the hand, but it is also quite large and heavy. The phone measures 164.9 x 77.1 x 8.4 mm and weighs 205 grams, making it one of the biggest and heaviest phones in its class. The phone is also not water-resistant, which is a drawback for a flagship device in 2023.
Display
The display is one of the highlights of the iQOO 11. The phone has a 6.78-inch LTPO4 AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1440 x 3200 pixels, a refresh rate of up to 144Hz, HDR10+ support, and a peak brightness of 1800 nits. The screen delivers stunning colors, sharp details, smooth animations, and excellent visibility in all lighting conditions. The screen also supports adaptive refresh rate, which means it can automatically adjust between 10Hz and 144Hz depending on the content and battery level.
The display also offers various customization options, such as color temperature, color mode, eye protection mode, dark mode, always-on display, and more. The display also has a touch sampling rate of up to 480Hz, which ensures responsive and accurate touch input. The display also supports pressure-sensitive zones on both sides of the screen that can be used to trigger different actions or shortcuts.
The iQOO 11 has one of the best displays we have seen on a smartphone in 2023, and it rivals or surpasses other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S23 or the OnePlus 10 Pro.
Performance
The iQOO 11 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor for mobile devices. The chipset is based on a 4nm process and features an octa-core CPU with one Cortex-X3 core clocked at 3.2GHz, two Cortex-A715 cores clocked at 2.8GHz, two Cortex-A710 cores clocked at 2.8GHz, and three Cortex-A510 cores clocked at 2.0GHz. The chipset also has an Adreno 740 GPU that supports ray tracing and variable rate shading.
The iQOO 11 comes with various memory configurations, ranging from 8GB to 16GB of RAM and from 128GB to 512GB of UFS storage. The phone also supports UFS 4.0 storage technology, which offers faster read and write speeds and lower power consumption. The phone also has a liquid cooling system that helps to dissipate heat and maintain optimal performance.
The iQOO 11 delivers outstanding performance in both daily tasks and gaming. The phone can handle multitasking, web browsing, social media, video streaming, and more with ease. The phone also runs smoothly on high-end games like PUBG Mobile, Asphalt 9, Genshin Impact, and more, with high graphics settings and frame rates. The phone also has a dedicated game mode that optimizes the performance, network, and sound for gaming. The phone also supports 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and GPS.
The iQOO 11 is one of the most powerful phones in the market in 2023, and it shows the potential of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. The phone can compete with or outperform other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S23 or the OnePlus 10 Pro.
Camera
The iQOO 11 has a triple camera setup at the back, consisting of a 50MP main camera, a 13MP telephoto camera, and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. The main camera has an f/1.9 aperture, a 23mm focal length, a 1/1.57-inch sensor size, a 1.0-micron pixel size, phase detection autofocus, and optical image stabilization. The telephoto camera has an f/2.5 aperture, a 50mm focal length, phase detection autofocus, and 2x optical zoom. The ultra-wide camera has an f/2.2 aperture, a 16mm focal length, and a 120-degree field of view.
The iQOO 11 can take impressive photos in most scenarios, especially with the main camera. The photos have good details, dynamic range, colors, and exposure. The photos also have low noise and distortion in low-light conditions. The telephoto camera can also capture decent shots with good zoom quality and bokeh effect. The ultra-wide camera, however, is the weakest link in the camera system. The photos have less detail, more noise, and more distortion than the other cameras.
The iQOO 11 can also record videos up to 8K resolution at 30fps or 4K resolution at 60fps with the main camera. The videos have good quality, stability, and sound. The phone also supports slow-motion video recording up to 240fps at 1080p resolution or 960fps at 720p resolution. The phone also has a 16MP selfie camera with an f/2.5 aperture that can take decent selfies with good details and colors.
The iQOO 11 has a good camera system that can satisfy most users’ needs. The main camera is the star of the show, while the telephoto camera is a nice addition. The ultra-wide camera could use some improvement, though. The phone can also record high-quality videos with various modes and features. The phone can compete with or surpass other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S23 or the OnePlus 10 Pro in terms of camera performance.
Battery
The iQOO 11 has a large battery capacity of 5000mAh that can easily last for a full day of heavy use or two days of moderate use. The phone also supports fast charging technology that can charge the battery from zero to full in about half an hour using the included 120W charger. The phone also supports Power Delivery 3.0 protocol that can charge the phone using other compatible chargers.
The iQOO 11 does not support wireless charging or reverse wireless charging, which is a shame for a flagship device in 2023. However, given the fast and reliable wired charging solution that the phone offers, this may not be a deal-breaker for most users.
The iQOO 11 has an excellent battery life and fast charging speed that can satisfy most users’ needs. The phone can compete with or surpass other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S23 or the OnePlus 10 Pro in terms of battery performance.
Software
The iQOO 11 runs on Android 13 out of the box, which is one of the latest versions of Google’s operating system Android 13 offers a smooth and secure user experience, with various features and improvements such as chat bubbles, smart reply, dark theme, privacy dashboard, one-time permissions, and more. The phone also has a custom skin called iQOO UI 13 that adds some extra features and customization options, such as gesture navigation, game space, smart scene, iQOO cloud, and more. The iQOO UI 13 is based on the stock Android 13, but it also has some changes in the icons, settings, notifications, and animations. The iQOO UI 13 is not very intrusive or bloated, but it also lacks some features that other skins offer, such as split-screen mode, screen recorder, or app drawer.
The iQOO 11 has a good software experience that can satisfy most users’ needs. The phone runs on the latest version of Android 13 and has a decent custom skin that adds some value to the user experience. The phone can compete with or surpass other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S23 or the OnePlus 10 Pro in terms of software performance.
Conclusion
The iQOO 11 is a powerful flagship phone that offers a stunning display, fast performance, good camera, excellent battery life, and fast charging. The phone also has a distinctive design, a large storage capacity, a liquid cooling system, and a pressure-sensitive screen. The phone has some drawbacks, such as the lack of water resistance, wireless charging, microSD card slot, headphone jack, and some software features. However, these may not be deal-breakers for most users who value the phone’s strengths.
The iQOO 11 is priced at $799 for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The phone also has other variants with higher memory configurations and different colors. The phone is available in China and India, but it is not officially sold in other markets. However, users can buy the phone from online retailers or third-party sellers if they want to get their hands on this device.
The iQOO 11 is one of the best phones in the market in 2023, and it shows the potential of the iQOO brand as a sub-brand of Vivo. The phone can compete with or surpass other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S23 or the OnePlus 10 Pro in terms of overall performance. The phone is also relatively affordable compared to other flagships in its class. The phone is a great choice for users who want a powerful and premium device that can handle anything they throw at it.
