Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G vs iQOO Z5 5G comparison

Xiaomi unveiled its first non-Mi branded smartphone in India, the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G, last week. This phone is a mid-ranger that’s equipped with the Snapdragon 778G 5G SoC, which is a chipset used by several other newly-launched smartphones. One such phone that comes to our mind is the iQOO Z5 5G, which also went official in India last week. The two phones are similarly equipped in terms of hardware. Therefore, we’ve decided to compare the two phones and find out which one of them offer more value for money. 

Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G vs iQOO Z5 5G: price in India

Starting with the price, the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G starts at Rs 26,999 in India for the variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. For Rs 28,999, you can have the model with 8GB RAM. 

The iQOO Z5 5G is cheaper than the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G and starts at Rs 23,990 for the base model with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage is priced at Rs 26,990. 

Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G vs iQOO Z5 5G: design and display

In terms of design, Xiaomi’s smartphone is a clear winner. It offers a super slim body, a punch-hole display, and a rear camera module that almost sits flush with the rear panel. The phone also weighs only 158 grams, which makes it light and easy to handle. It’s available in four beautifully minimal color options called Tuscany Coral, Jazz Blue, Vinyl Black, and Diamond Dazzle. Coming to the display, the phone gets a 6.55-inch AMOLED panel with FHD+ resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, 240Hz sampling rate, DCI-P3 color gamut, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ support. It also features an in-display fingerprint scanner. 

Meanwhile, the iQOO Z5 5G has a large rectangular rear camera module and is available in two colors. The phone gets a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and a 3.5mm headphone jack. At the front, it gets a punch-hole cutout display with the front camera placed at the top centre. The Z5 5G comes with a 6.67-inch FHD+ display that offers a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate.

Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G vs iQOO Z5 5G: specifications

As mentioned in the beginning, the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G, and the iQOO Z5 5G, are both powered by the Snapdragon 778G processor. However, the iQOO gets a higher 12GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage option. The Xiaomi smartphone comes with a triple rear camera setup that consists of a 64-megapixel main sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 5-megapixel tele-macro sensor. At the front, you’ll find a 20-megapixel camera for selfies and video calling. It packs a 4,250mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging and features Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, dual speakers, USB Type-C port, and NFC. 

The iQOO Z5 5G also gets a triple rear camera setup with a primary 64-megapixel sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. For selfies and video calls, there’s a 16-megapixel camera at the front. The phone houses a 5,000mAh battery that offers 44W fast charging support. It also gets features such as 4GB extended RAM, VC liquid cooling system, a linear vibration motor, dual speakers, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

Both smartphones ship with Android 11 software out of the box, but with their respective skins/UI on top. Xiaomi has promised 3 years of software, and 4 years of security updates on the 11 Lite NE 5G. 

Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G vs iQOO Z5 5G: verdict

Our verdict is that the iQOO Z5 5G is a better value for money. The phone comes with a larger and higher refresh rate display, has a bigger battery that supports faster charging, and is also much cheaper with better RAM and storage options. Overall, it’s an excellent mid-range phone, and a better deal compared to the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G. However, if you’re looking for a slim phone with good features, then the Xiaomi is a great choice.