iQOO Z6 Lite 5G Review: Futureproofing on a budget

If looking at the budget smartphone segment, most devices look similar to each other and offer similar features. This is more evident in the sub 15000 segment. With so many options it can be overwhelming.

Instead of releasing just another boring phone, iQOO has tried to add an excitement factor to the market. With that in mind iQOO has launched the iQOO Z6 Lite, which is the first 5G enabled phone in the sub 15000 segment. Not only that it is one of the first phones to come with a new Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 SoC. in addition to that the phone also comes with a 50 MP primary camera and 120 Hz display. Though on paper it sounds to be a great device. But how does it actually perform? Here are my views after using the device for about 2 weeks.

Design

The iQOO Z6 Lite looks just like its siblings with minimal changes. It features the same boxy design as the iQOO Z6 5G, two large camera bumps and a shimmering gradient finish. In sunlight, however, it takes on a bluish-greenish tint.

The fact that it falls under Rs 15,000, and at that price point, it looks pretty much like any other mid-range smartphone these days — with a smudge-proof plastic lining. Basically, you don't have to worry about fingerprints or dust. Overall build quality is good and the smartphone has decent looks. Aside from the 194 grams weight and 8.25 mm thickness which does make it hard to use the device sometimes, I do not have any issues with the way it looks or feels.

Display

In the era of punch-hole displays (and now dynamic islands!), thick bezels plus dewdrop display designs look dated. This was also the case with other smartphones in the Z6 series. This iQOO Z6 Lite 5G is equipped with a 6.58 inch Full HD+ LCD panel.

The lack of an AMOLED panel does hurt the phone. Apart from that, the phone has enough brightness to be easily visible even under sunlight and with the fast 120 Hz refresh rate with 240 Hz touch sampling rate, the display feels smooth under the daily workload. The large display does make it difficult to use with one hand, well that's not an issue for most people.

Performance

The first phone to feature the new Snapdragon 4 Gen I chipset, the successor to the Snapdragon 480+ SoC we saw in many budget smartphones, gives us hope that this budget smartphone will be better, if not the best. And that's the case here! iQOO Z6 Lite 5G works smoothly in daily tasks even after a long time of use. From simple games like Subway Surfers to graphic-rich COD, casual gaming is no problem here. Games like Apex Legends Mobile, and Asphalt 9 are easily playable on the iQOO Z6 Lite. But all this is low medium graphics settings. At maximum settings, it starts to stutter after only a few minutes.

The software experience here is exactly the same compared to any other iQOO or Vivo smartphone as it runs the same FunTouchOS 12 based on Android 12. As expected, it comes pre-installed with some apps, including Josh Moj and a custom browser app. Though you can uninstall these apps, it is just annoying to see them. Even though there are numerous ways to customize the look and feel of the OS. the FunTouch OS 12 falls short when compared to the highly polished MIUI and RealmeUI found on other smartphones in this segment.

There's a solo speaker at the bottom that's loud and of decent quality but lacks a clear output at maximum volume. Luckily, iQOO has a 3.5mm audio jack. The phone is 5G-ready and we will see how the phone performs with 5G. But as of now, the 4G services were good and the call experience as well as streaming on Mobile Data is a satisfactory experience

Camera

Don't get confused by the camera array. It's not a triple, it's a dual-camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel macro sensor while omitting the wide-angle lens. The 50 MP shooter is of decent quality. Details are preserved and colours are slightly enhanced, making the photo suitable for social media. Quality is maintained till there's enough light, but as soon as low-light conditions occur, the camera starts lagging due to loss of detail and stabilisation. Night mode helps to some extent to keep your photos noise-free. But in all other than using the images for social media, the camera performance falls short.

The 2 MP macro shooter also is not very useful. Using a macro lens is a waste because you can't maintain focus and get decent macro shots. The same goes for the selfie shooter. Equipped with an 8MP selfie lens, iQOO Z6 Lite delivers softer and brighter skin selfies in sunlight. The front camera also struggles with blurry photos at night. The low light performance of the device could have been much better.

Battery

The iQOO Z6 Lite 5G is equipped with a 5000mAh battery that allows keeping the phone active for more than a day on a single full charge. Battery life is more than enough to handle everyday tasks with a smartphone, including calls, social media, web browsing, and music among other things you use on a daily basis. Even if you play games frequently, you can easily get through the day. It comes with support for 18W charging, but to my unpleasant surprise, no charging adapter is included in the box! However, I tried charging him using a 20W charging adapter and it took the phone over 2 hours to go from 0% to 100%. Though I personally do not use fast chargers that much, I know many people who will be let down by these charging speeds. It would have been better if iQOO supported at least 33 W fast charging.

Verdict

The iQOO Z6 Lite 5G does keep its promise to provide decent performance at a reasonably low price. The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 shines when it comes to battery endurance and efficiency in light tasks and even some heavy tasks. Even gaming on the phone is a pleasant experience if you use mid to low graphical settings. The inclusion of a 120 Hz display, good build quality and an eye catching design makes the iQOO Z6 Lite look charming enoughh to consider it.

My main gripe with the device is the camera performance. Though the primary camera is decent for daily use, the 2 MP camera is just useless. The low light performance of the camera also has much room for improvement. Another issue with the device is the use of LCD display while there are plenty of devices in the same segment that uses AMOLED displays.

Despite these shortcomings, the price tag of Rs 13999 makes the iQOO Z6 Lite 5G an interesting choice. Moreover, there are many banks offers also available during the festive sales which lower the price even more. The futureproofing you get with 5G support is definitely a win for us.