iQOO 11 will debut in India next month as the company’s first smartphone offering for 2023. It will also be the first phone to feature the flagship-grade Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor under the hood, bringing a package that offers premium features at an aggressive Prices.
Before launching in India on January 10, 2023, we got a sneak peek of the iQOO 11 smartphone, and it looks really impressive, which we will get into later. In addition to our short hands-on time with the iQOO 11, we also got the chance to catch up with Nipun Marya, CEO of iQOO India, where he walked us through some of the iQOO plans for 2023.
Some of the main highlights of the upcoming iQOO 11 is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform under the hood alongside LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage while also coming with iQOO’s best screen ever, 2K E6 AMOLED display. Then there’s Vivo’s V2 game frame interpolation chip that helps achieve a normal frame rate in games of up to 144fps, promising a super-smooth gaming experience, which we’ll put to the test once we get the device up for review. For charging, iQOO also brings 120W fast charging which is fully charged in 25 minutes. We’ve already had a glimpse of what iQOO 11 is able to beat other Android flagships in AnTuTu tests to reach the top position.
We wanted to understand what went into working on the company’s latest flagship smartphone, the iQOO 11. Nipun Marya said, “Whenever we launch a product, so much R&D goes into the product, and it’s not the first time we launch a flagship in India.Even for this phone there have been 8 months of intensive R&D efforts to make sure everything is perfect and we look forward to consumer feedback on iQOO 11.”
When asked about upcoming launches, Marya hinted that the company has a busy calendar and we can expect multiple products in the first 3-4 months of 2023. Shortly after the launch of the flagship iQOO 11, we expect the company to launch the new ones iQOO Neo 7 SE to India, that was announced for the Chinese market alongside the iQOO 11 series earlier this month.
Nipun also confirmed that the company is only bringing iQOO 11 to India, and as of now there are no plans to release the Pro model. But if you compare the Chinese prices of the iQOO 11 and 11 Pro, you realize that the Pro model could cost a lot more than the iQOO’s latest premium device, the iQOO 9T, in India. With the launch of iQOO 9T, the company has already tested the waters around the Rs 50,000-60,000 price range in India, and it may want to stay for a while before taking another leap. Rest time will tell us.
Next, we were curious to see if the semiconductor shortage has been resolved for phone manufacturers. Especially when you consider that the automotive industry is still struggling due to semiconductor shortages (apart from other component issues) with long waiting times for car delivery. “No, shortages, in terms of semiconductor requirement. I don’t think that’s a concern at this point. But will it be? It’s very hard to say when you know such an interconnected world and so many uncertainties. You know, the future is hard to predict, but it’s behind us now, so we can say we’re through that phase,” Nipun added.
When asked about ecosystem products, Marya emphasized that iQOO would focus on phones for now, as that’s where the strength of the brand lies.
When the iQOO sub-brand launched in India, it was mainly projected as a gaming-focused smartphone brand. Do you still follow that mindset to the market or your consumers? Marya quickly replied, “We don’t want to be categorized as just a smartphone gaming brand. Right now we are delivering top performance to consumers for tasks like gaming.”
“Currently, people equate performance with gaming. But maybe two years later, we’ll have a really fast AI algorithm that can run on a phone, which a normal phone might not be able to do, but we’ll still be able to use it because of our proven performance output,” he added.
“So the definition of performance may continue to change every year or every two years, but the fundamental promise of performance will not change. That’s why we don’t just offer gaming phones. We offer phones that can deliver great performance,” explains Marya.
When asked about Funtouch OS 13, which will run on top of iQOO 11, Marya said it’s more refined than ever, and we’ll be sure to check that out when we test the device.
iQOO 11: initial thoughts
iQOO 11 is the performance flagship smartphone made for India and the good news is that it will be launched early next year. Speaking of the overall package, the iQOO 11 is packed with specs or features. While the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will be the biggest highlight of the phone, we found the display to be the best we’ve seen on an iQOO device to date.
There’s a vapor chamber liquid cooling system for hardcore gamers, so iQOO hasn’t forgotten its roots. The design definitely stands out from the current range of phones, but in signature iQOO styling, it follows the same premium BMW-inspired design cues with organic silicone leather on the back adding more character to the overall package. A major factor will of course be the pricing of the iQOO 11, which is expected to be aggressive again.
In short, the year 2023 is already looking exciting from a smartphone offering point of view, with so many new launches coming early in the year.
What do you think of the upcoming iQOO 11? Let us know in the comments section.
