iQOO 11 review

Competition

Still fairly limited in its global availability, the iQOO 11 does break ground onto new markets. In addition to the usual China and India, this new model is confirmed to be hitting the shelves in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, for the time being. We won't pretend we have intimate knowledge of those markets, but we do feel like we can pick out the 11's potential rivals.

The Xiaomi 12T Pro comes to mind first, and it's a little cheaper than the iQOO, making price one of its strongest selling points. The other is the camera - even though it's missing a telephoto, the 200MP primary camera does zoom well enough to match the iQOO's 2x results. The 12T Pro as good or better than the 11 at most things camera related, with the Xiaomi's video capture being notably more dependable than the iQOO's. The iQOO does counter with longer battery life, a superior display, and a somewhat more upmarket build.

The Realme GT2 Pro may be close to a year old, and with that, it too is less expensive than the iQOO, but it's also a full generation behind in chipset (as opposed to the sort of half-gen difference between the Xiaomi and iQOO above). Picking the better cameraphone of the two is tough, but we'd still go with the Realme for its vastly superior ultrawide (with fisheye capability), microscope and overall better video recording. The iQOO's display isn't substantially better here, and the 11 can't easily claim a battery life victory either, though the faster charging might be somewhat of a consolation.

Now, if you're a sucker for 144Hz, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra can give you that and do it with more consistency than the iQOO 11, though the iQOO's display is otherwise better. The Moto is mostly a match for the iQOO's imaging capabilities, and we wouldn't necessarily pick one over the other. Perhaps the Moto's wireless charging can help sway this decision, but we also like the iQOO's longer battery life. Ultimately, we'd probably award this one to the 11.

You may be able to score a base version Galaxy S22+ for a little over the iQOO 11's asking price, and we can see how some folks could prioritize the Samsung brand over iQOO. But the S22+ has merits of its own, like the IP68 rating and overall more premium build. The Samsung cameras are a more versatile setup for both photos and video too. The Galaxy is no match for the iQOO's battery life or charging speed.

Xiaomi 12T Pro • Realme GT2 Pro • Motorola Edge 30 Ultra • Samsung Galaxy S22+ 5G

Verdict

Going from the 9T to the 11, iQOO's non-Pro high-end model has stepped its game up a notch - it gets a great display with a spec sheet and performance not typically found in the class. The latest Snapdragon inside it is proving its worth, too and delivers heaps of power, while the whole package is remarkably efficient and also super-fast to charge. Stereo speakers are a given at this point, but these are better than average, the IR emitter is a welcome sight, and the design stands out - in this BMW Motorsport livery in particular.

Some may say it's unreasonable to expect an IP rating at this level, but if you can find it on a midrange Samsung, perhaps the top-tier iQOO should have it too. Video recording on the 11 does not inspire confidence either, though that's more of an outlier in an otherwise convincing camera setup, which still leaves room for the Pro to breathe freely. Meanwhile, the limited availability from our perspective is hardly an issue if you're reading this from a place where it is, in fact, available.

In the end, the iQOO 11 is a performance-focused offering with a superb display, excellent battery results, and a camera that's good enough. It may be priced a touch too high, but you're getting some state-of-the-art hardware plus, we're yet to see what numbers competitors will come up with for 2023. The iQOO 11 then gets a cautious recommendation from us.

Pros

• Recognizable design in part thanks to the BMW Motorsport collab, in part because of the distinct camera island.
• Excellent display throughout - high-res, high-refresh rate, super bright, can be color accurate too.
• Top-class battery life and charging speed.
• Nice-sounding stereo speakers, IR emitter.
• Superb performance.
• Overall great photo quality for the class, notably good low-light results.

Cons

• Relatively limited availability for now.
• No proper ingress protection.
• Underwhelming nighttime video quality, some oddities with the zoomed-in video implementation.