iQOO Z5 vs Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G: Lower price or more style?

The Xiaomi 11 Lite NE is the new popular phone in the sub- ₹30,000 space but can it make sense against the much cheaper iQOO Z5?

iQOO Z5 vs Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G: Should you spend the extra for a better experience? Find out below. (Amritanshu Mukherjee / HT Tech)

The Xiaomi 11 Lite NE is the newest favourite in the sub- ₹30,000 catgeory. It's got a very fast Snapdragon 778G chip, a smooth 90Hz display, a nice set of cameras, and an overall pretty design. However, the iQOO Z5 has almost the same kind of features (better in some aspects) and is way more affordable than the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE.

Hence, if you are in the market for a phone in the sub- ₹30,000 space, which of these phones should you pick up? Is the cheaper iQOO Z5 a better bet over the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G? Or should you spend the extra for a better experience?

iQOO Z5 vs Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G: The differences

iQOO Z5 vs Xiaomi 11 Lite NE (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

iQOO Z5 vs Xiaomi 11 Lite NE (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Design

No arguments here, -- it is the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE that takes the prize with its slim body and a glass rear. The iQOO Z5 looks handsome with its matte plastic unibody construction but it pales out in comparison here.

Display

This is tricky. The Xiaomi 11 Lite NE has more popular AMOLED display technology here with vibrant colours but only a refresh rate of 90Hz. The iQOO Z5 uses an LCD display which isn't as lively as the Xiaomi device but brings a smoother 120Hz refresh rate. Gamers may prefer the iQOO Z5 for its smoother experience while movie lovers should take the Xiaomi.

Performance

Both phones are running on the Snapdragon 778G chipset and as a result, offer similar levels of performance. However, in our personal experience, gaming was much better on the iQOO Z5 with its Monster mode, and so was the day-to-day usage.

OS

Xiaomi's MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11 is the more pleasant experience here, with no bloatware or ads in the system. Plus, you get umpteen number of customisation options to tinker. iQOO uses the FunTouchOS 12 based on Android 11 and while it is cleaner than before, the interface pales out with its aesthetics and bloatware.

Cameras

iQOO Z5 vs Xiaomi 11 Lite NE (Amritanshu / HT tech)

iQOO Z5 vs Xiaomi 11 Lite NE (Amritanshu / HT tech)

Again, both phones have equally good cameras. The iQOO Z5 goes for natural colour tones while Xiaomi's camera tuning leans towards more saturated tones. We liked the output from both of these. The iQOO Z5 does a better job with its selfie camera while the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE has a superior macro camera.

Battery

The iQOO Z5 has a massive advanced here with its larger 5000mAh battery and a faster 44W charging system. It easily lasts for over a day with some juice to spare. The Xiaomi 11 Lite NE is strictly a single day phone and its 33W charging takes almost an hour to fully recharge.

Price

The iQOO Z5 has an advantage here with a starting price of ₹23,990 for the base 8GB+128GB variant. The Xiaomi 11 Lite NE starts at ₹26,999 and you only get 6GB RAM in the base version. In fact, you can get the 12GB RAM variant of the iQOO Z5 for the base price of the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE.

iQOO Z5 vs Xiaomi 11 Lite NE (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

iQOO Z5 vs Xiaomi 11 Lite NE (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Our take: The Xiaomi 11 Lite NE has an advantage with its design and a cleaner OS but the iQOO Z5 becomes an easy recommendation with superior tuned performance, better battery life, faster display, and most importantly, a much lower starting price.