The newest offering in iQOO’s Z series flaunts a Pixel-like camera bar on its back panel and a curved AMOLED display. It is the first smartphone to be powered by MediaTek’s new Dimensity 7500 chipset. Due to the global RAM shortage, its base model, priced at Rs 34,999, packs 6GB of RAM. The 12GB RAM model comes with 256GB storage and fetches Rs 49,999. We’ve been using the smartphone for the last week to find out if it offers more value than its peers. Here is our review of the iQOO Z11.
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In This Article
iQOO Z11 Review: Design and Display
Box Contents
- Smartphone
- 44W power adapter
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Clear plastic cover
- Quick start guide
- Warranty card
The iQOO Z11’s design shakes things up with its horizontal camera bar (instead of a camera island) and curved form factor (instead of flat sides). The camera module is inspired by the Google Pixel. We saw a similar bar on the Tecno Pova Slim (our review here), although it wasn’t as pronounced. The LED flash is in the shape of a ring and blinks when you get an incoming call or have an unread notification. The plastic back panel curves into the plastic rails. It has a smooth finish and doesn’t attract fingerprints and smudges easily. The iQOO lettering is positioned in the bottom section.
The plastic frame has flat rails and rounded corners. On the right edge lie the volume rocker and the side button. The SIM tray, primary microphone, USB-C port, and primary speaker grille are placed at the bottom. Up top lie the secondary speaker grille and noise-cancelling microphone. Rated IP68/IP69 for dust and water resistance, the smartphone is immersible in water up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. It has a 1.5-metre drop resistance as well.
You don’t get to see curved displays on smartphones anymore, which is why the Z11’s 6.83-inch curved AMOLED panel feels like a breath of fresh air. This display has a 144Hz refresh rate and can reach a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. In High Brightness Mode, it is able to hit 2,000 nits, thereby maintaining perfect legibility under harsh sunlight. The touch response offered by the panel is smooth and satisfying. The curved edges do not register accidental touches. The optical fingerprint scanner is snappy and accurate.
During the review period, we used the iQOO Z11 to stream movies and TV shows across platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and JioHotstar. The 1.5K AMOLED display held up quite well, offering bright, clear, and crisp visuals packed with exceptional details. The colours were vivid, and the contrast was punchy. The dual speaker setup produced well-rounded audio output at an acceptable volume level.
iQOO Z11 Review: Performance and Cameras
Powering the iQOO Z11 is the MediaTek Dimensity 7500 Turbo chipset. The smartphone comes in 3 RAM (LPDDR4X) and storage (UFS 3.1) variants.
- 6GB + 128GB: Rs 34,999
- 8GB + 128GB: Rs 39,999
- 8GB + 256GB: Rs 44,999
- 12GB + 256GB: Rs 49,999
We ran a couple of benchmark tests on the smartphone. Here’s how it performed.
- AnTuTu 3D: 1,107,105
- Geekbench 6: 1,186 (single-core) | 3,258 (multi-core)
As you can tell by the benchmark numbers, the iQOO Z11 makes light work of routine tasks. It doesn’t break a sweat while handling phone calls, instant messaging, web/social media browsing, media streaming, and navigation. Apps load quickly and are optimised in the background when you minimise them. If you go for an 8GB or 12GB RAM variant, juggling multiple apps at once will be a piece of cake too. Of course, a few jitters are to be expected on the 6GB RAM model. Our review unit had 12GB RAM, so there were no stutters in daily use.
The iQOO Z11 has something to offer to gamers as well. You can get stable gameplay on titles like BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile at 60fps. iQOO claims that the smartphone can hit a frame rate of 144fps, but that applies to only a handful of titles. It remains to be seen whether the support will be extended to BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile in future. Having said that, the gameplay isn’t marred by jitters and frame drops. The 3,800mm² vapour chamber does a good job of managing the phone’s internal temperature, keeping throttling to a minimum.
Even though Android 17 is officially out, software duties on the iQOO Z11 are handled by the Android 16-based OriginOS 6. iQOO has promised 3 major OS updates and 5 years of security patches for this phone. There are a handful of bloatware apps littered across the interface, along with the ‘Apps’ and ‘Games’ folders, but they can be completely deleted from the device.
OriginOS 6 is vibrant, fun, and well optimised. We like the customisation options for the lock screen, home page, AOD face, and app drawer. Elements like the fingerprint icon, charging animation, USB insertion animation, touch animation, screen transition effects, and more can also be customised. Unlike the Z11 Lite (our review here), the Z11 does not have a dedicated Dynamic Light, but the LED flash blinks when you get an incoming call or have an unread notification. The colour of the light cannot be customised.
While OriginOS 6 does not have a central AI suite, there are AI features sprinkled all over the interface. The photo editor in the native ‘Albums’ app has an ‘AI Retouch’ feature that lets you remove unwanted objects from your images and adjust their colour composition. The Notes app has a dedicated AI button in the bottom toolbar. It can summarise documents and create new drafts (based on prompts). However, you will need to create an iQOO account to use it. Furthermore, the Z11 can generate captions and subtitles using AI. Lastly, you get Google’s Gemini Assistant and Circle to Search on deck.
The 7,050mAh battery pack holds enough juice to last a day of heavy use. It’s hard to exhaust this battery in a day, even when you fire the device on all cylinders. If you’re conservative with your usage, you can get up to 2 days of mileage on a full charge. The phone takes just over an hour to reach a full charge using the 44W power adapter provided in the box.
The horizontal camera bar on the rear panel houses a 50MP IMX882 primary shooter and an 8MP ultrawide lens. Up front, a 32MP selfie camera is nestled inside a punch-hole cutout.
The 50MP primary shooter captures good pictures in outdoor daylight conditions. The images showcase vibrant colours, sharp details, and tasteful contrast. The dynamic range in outdoor shots is fine as well. In low-light conditions, the main camera relies on Night Mode to boost the clarity of the shot and get rid of the graininess. The final results are quite decent, but nothing extraordinary.
Images taken with the 8MP ultrawide lens are a smidge softer than the ones taken using the main camera, but that’s not something we’ll hold against it. There is a tonal shift in the images, but we like their overall vibe. The pictures are still pretty vibrant and fun. In low-light conditions, the images are well-lit, but slightly soft and grainy.
The native Camera app lets you capture portraits in 3 zoom levels – 1, 1.5x, and 2x. The smartphone does a good job of locking focus on the subject, but its edge detection needs more work. While the portraits are clear and focused, the odd blurry edge often feels distracting. The front-facing 32MP camera captures clear and detailed selfies in natural and artificial lighting. The selfies have a natural feel to them. The texture correction applied in the processing phase doesn’t feel over the top. The primary shooter and selfie camera can record 4K videos at 30fps. Meanwhile, the recording chops of the ultrawide lens are limited to 1080p resolution at 30fps.
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Verdict
iQOO Z11 is quietly the real ‘value for money’ choice of its segment. It has a respectable spec sheet and a refreshing design. We also like that iQOO has chosen to bring back the curved display. This phone has something for every kind of user. The MediaTek Dimensity 7500 Turbo SoC has enough power to get you through daily tasks and even dabble in gaming. The 50MP primary shooter performs well in a wide range of lighting conditions. Finally, the versatile 7,050mAh battery pack can last you 2 days if you’re conservative with your usage.
Pros
- Nice design
- Good chipset
- Curved AMOLED display
- Big battery
Cons
- Lacks a telephoto lens
- Contains bloatware
