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iQOO Z6 Lite 5G is the fourth phone under iQOO's Z6 series to launch in India (others in that list are iQOO Z6 5G, iQOO Z6 44W and iQOO Z6 Pro). With a starting price of Rs 13,999, it is the most affordable one in the lot.
But despite its budget pricing, iQOO has equipped the Z6 Lite with a pretty all-powerful spec sheet. The design also uses the iQOO Z6 Pro template, which is to say, it looks good and is built solid.
iQOO phones, regardless of their price tags, are performance-oriented. They are designed from the ground up for gaming. iQOO Z6 Lite also follows the same trend.
The biggest takeaway is the built-in chip. iQOO Z6 Lite is the world's first phone to come with Qualcomm's all-new Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 processor. As far as official figures are concerned, we are seeing 18 per cent faster performance and up to 7 per cent faster graphics compared to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480.
iQOO is pairing it with a 4-component cooling system that includes graphite film, copper foil, thermal gel, and a temperature sensor that pulls off continuous performance. Many budget phones usually don't have dedicated thermals, let alone such elaborate phones.
Even with that, the Z6 Lite maintains a sleek chassis at around 8.25mm. It has a slight edge but it's not like anything we've seen before. Phones like Redmi Note 11 Prime are hefty in comparison.
The body is made entirely of plastic, with a smooth matte finish, if a bit slippery, with a subtle gradient that adds a bit of flair to the whole package without making it watery or anything like it. The frame is flat and fits snugly in the hands.
The power button and volume rocker are firm and tactile with good position.
The majority of this phone feels modern and elegant but the front flips over and you get a dated waterdrop-style notch. It's no different from other Z6 phones and to expect anything else in a "lite" version would be too much to ask for, but, looking at the rest of the phone, we can't help but wonder if iQOO will keep that up. The cost is low.
That display has its plus points. It's a 6.58-inch 1080p IPS LCD with a fast 120Hz refresh rate, something that's still not common in this price range. The display also supports touch sampling of 240Hz, which is nifty when gaming. As far as we can tell, it's almost identical to the iQOO Z6 5G. Like that phone, the Z6 Lite's screen isn't too bright. The pre-applied screen-guard attracts a lot of smudges and fingerprints.
Biometrics are handled by an in-display fingerprint reader. It is mostly fast and reliable.
You get only one usable camera on this phone. It's 50MP with "i-autofocus". The other is a 2MP macro. For what it's worth, the iQOO Z6 Lite is a very small phone at its price to support 4K video recording (@30fps). On the front, the phone houses an 8MP selfie shooter.
Running the show is Funtouch OS 12 which is based on Android 12. iQOO is promising two years of major OS and up to three years of security updates, something that is largely unheard of in this segment.
Rounding out the package is a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging. But, to make full use of it, you have to buy a charger separately. If you want to take it with the phone, iQOO will sell it for Rs 399 when it goes on sale from September 14.
Talking about which, the price of 4GB / 64GB variant of iQOO Z6 Lite is Rs 13,999 and the price of 6GB / 128GB variant is Rs 15,499. Budget phones are different in 2022. They are not as attractive as before and 5G only adds to the cost. Looking at the price and what's on offer, you can't help but be impressed with iQOO's hardware choices. Long term software support is the icing on the cake. Watch this space for our full review of the iQOO Z6 Lite 5G coming soon.
