The race to offer 5G is picking up and now it is entering the under-15K segment, which is the toughest end of the smartphone spectrum because every small decision matters. The phone that’s attracting attention is IQOO Z6 Lite 5G. Going by the name, it’s abundantly clear what IQOO is looking at — it’s “lite” as well as 5G.
There are a few things that IQOO has got right with the phone, especially the ability to deliver a new chipset, which in this case is Snapdragon 4 Gen 1. It’s good to see the brand working with the latest offerings from Qualcomm as the processor is competing with the likes of MediaTek Dimensity 810. The processor is good at battery management besides offering respectable performance. And the thermals are impressive. Qualcomm is trying to sort out its naming strategy, which had lately become a hotchpotch. Since this is a battery-efficient processor, you can expect to get a lot out of the 5,000mAh battery, easily a couple of days. While playing games, things run smoothly as long as you keep graphic settings under check while the overall performance doesn’t throttle too much.
That brings me to 5G. It’s a sub-15K phone, so don’t have big expectations in terms of 5G bands because you will be getting only two of them — n77 and n78. These bands should be effective in most cities but temper expectations.
Shining a light on display and camera
The focus is sharp and there is enough details
Where IQOO has managed well are display and camera. It’s a 6.58-inch IPS panel with 120Hz screen refresh rate and FHD+ support. These are important because usually you get 90Hz refresh rate in this segment while having 120Hz makes scrolling smooth. By default, Smart Switch is on, which switches refresh rate between 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz, depending on the application. Dive into settings and bump it up to 120Hz. There is also 240Hz touch response rate and a single bottom-firing speaker that’s loud and does its work. When it comes to storage, you get 4GB RAM (LPDDR4X) on the entry variant and 64GB storage (UFS 2.2). Out of the box there is Android 12 and FunTouch OS 12, which appears to be stable and there are improvements. What I don’t like is the amount of preloaded apps. Many users don’t care to uninstall apps and on a 64GB device, it will eat up space.
In the camera department, there are two on the rear — 50MP and 2MP macro. Forget the 2MP macro. The 50MP snapper works well under bright lighting and under uneven lighting condition there is Night Mode that bumps up things ever so slightly. There is no ultra-wide but that’s not something you will miss because offering a bad ultra-wide camera doesn’t make sense. Video is limited to 1080p@60fps. The 8MP selfie camera is as good as on any device you get for the price.
Should you buy it?
It’s worth mentioning that there is no charger in the box. But while buying the phone, you can get the same for a small price, which is a good move. But I have an issue with the packaging because the box is big and a person who doesn’t know a lot about tech will feel that a charger is in the box. IQOO needs to change its packaging. Otherwise, it’s a good under-15K phone that delivers in way of affordability, minus big compromises.
At a glance
Under bright lighting pictures have good contrast and colours
Device: IQOO Z6 Lite 5G
Price: Upwards of Rs 13,999
High notes
• Power-efficient chipset
• Respectable display
• The main camera does a good job
Muffled note
• The packaging is too big for a phone that by default doesn’t come with a charger (can be bought separately)