iQOO 12 vs iQOO 11: Who Deserves the Title of Value Flagship King More? Full Specs Compared

The iQOO 12 5G has officially been unveiled in India as the first smartphone to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. Given all the updates to the iQOO 12 5G, it begs the question, is it a better choice than the iQOO 11 5G.

The iQOO 12 5G price in India starts from Rs 52,999 for the base 12GB/256GB model and Rs 57,999 for the 16GB/512GB variant. To recall, the iQOO 11 5G is available from Rs 51,999 in India, which is just Rs 1,000 less than its successor, which should make the iQOO 12 the obvious choice. But let's find out how the iQOO 12 compares against the iQOO 11 5G.

iQOO 12 vs iQOO 11: Full Specs Compared

iQOO 12 5G vs iQOO 11: What's Different?

Design & Build

iQOO has switched up the design of its latest flagship smartphone. The iQOO 12 boasts a more streamlined design and finish, making it look more premium than its predecessor. The rectangular camera island is replaced by a square shaped module with rounded sides.

Both the iQOO 11 and iQOO 12 feature a metal frame and glass protection on the front and back. However, the iQOO 12 also features an IP64 rating for some protection against dust and splashes of water. Moreover, the screen also boasts "Wet Touch" technology to allow you to easily use it wet hands.

Display

In terms of the display, both phones feature LTPO OLED screens, although the iQOO 11 5G's screen features a surprisingly higher resolution and pixel density. On the flip side, the iQOO 12 5G boasts a higher peak brightness at 3,000 nits. The iQOO 12 also uses a newer LTPO OLED display.

Performance

When it comes to performance, the iQOO 12 is the clear winner, thanks to the chipset upgrade as well as the new and improved cooling system. The iQOO 12 uses a dedicated Q1 display chip for imaging and enhanced gaming, while the iQOO 11 uses an oleder V2 chip.

Cameras

The iQOO 11 features a 50 MP Samsung GN5 primary sensor with an f/1.88 aperture and OIS. The main camera is paired with an 8 MP ultrawide lens and a 13 MP telephoto unit with a 2x optical zoom and an f/1.98 aperture. Up front, the iQOO 11 5G boasts a 16 MP selfie camera with an f/2.5 aperture.

The iQOO 12, on the other hand, opts for a 50 MP custom VCS primary camera sensor with OIS support. It also gets an updated 50 MP ultrawide shooter and a 64 MP telephoto-periscope unit with an f/2.57 aperture, OIS, and an f/2.75 aperture. The iQOO 12 5G also boasts a 16 MP selfie camera with an f/2.5 aperture.

iQOO 12 vs iQOO 11: Our Conclusion

The iQOO 12 features a more premium design than its predecessor. However, it might not be the best display and could fall short when compared to the screen on the iQOO 11. But the biggest upgrades come in the camera and performance department with a versatile set of cameras and no gimmicky macro or depth sensor.

And then there's the Qualcomm chip and its improvement across the board, which all combine to make the iQOO 12 5G one heck of a premium smartphone. The new features and upgrades also make the iQOO 12 5G a worthy successor to the iQOO 11 in India.

Apart from the several hardware updates, the iQOO 12 5G also gets an extra year of software and security updates as well. And it is the combination of all these factors that make the iQOO 12 5G more-than worth the extra price. So if you were to choose between one or the other, we'd suggest upgrading to the iQOO 12.

Considering the iQOO 12's specifications and price tag, it is going to be hard to find a better value flagship in 2024. Moreover, it also debuted at a lower price than the iQOO 11 5G in India, making it the undisputed king of value flagships. Check out how the iQOO 12 fared versus the OnePlus 12 5G here.