Last week, Xiaomi subsidiary POCO introduced two new smartphones, of which the POCO X4 GT was reserved for global markets. However, the brand’s followers in India got a new device to look forward to as well, with the introduction of the POCO F4 5G. The smartphone entered India’s smartphone market with a mid-premium range price tag, and specifications that clearly seek to offer its users a flagship smartphone experience, without splurging on a flagship price tag. On this note, the POCO F4 5G goes head to head against a very similar offering from BBK Electronics’ newest brand in India, iQOO.
The latter, in May this year, launched the iQOO Neo 6 5G – bringing a similar mid-premium range smartphone with near-flagship specifications to appeal to its own follower base. Which one, however, should you buy? Let’s find out.
POCO F4 5G vs iQOO Neo 6 5G: Price in India
The POCO F4 5G (review) has already had its first sale on Monday, June 27th, and is now officially available for smartphone buyers in India only through e-commerce platform, Flipkart. The device’s launch price was pegged at Rs 27,999 for the 6GB + 128GB version, Rs 29,999 for the 8GB + 128GB version, and Rs 33,999 for the 12GB + 256GB version. The device is available in three colour variants – Night Black, Nebula Green and Moonlight Silver.
However, POCO’s introductory pricing offered a Rs 1,000 limited period one-time discount, and an additional discount of Rs 3,000 with SBI, ICICI and HDFC Bank credit and debit cards. This means that buyers can get their hands on the POCO F4 5G at up to Rs 4,000 off if they are among the first to buy it in India.
In comparison, the iQOO Neo 6 5G is available only on Amazon India, and has been available since June 1st. Buyers can get it at Rs 29,999 for the 8GB + 128GB version, and Rs 33,999 for the 12GB + 256GB version – hence being priced at exactly the same point as the POCO F4 5G. Like the latter, the iQOO Neo 6 5G also gets up to Rs 4,000 off via Amazon and bank offers, hence being available at exactly the same price as the POCO F4 5G. The device has two colour options – Dark Nova (for a dark shade of blue) and Cyber Rage (for a bright shade of orange).
POCO F4 5G vs iQOO Neo 6 5G: Design, specs, features
Design
The POCO F4 5G brings a sleek design language to the table, offering flat side edges in a well-proportioned smartphone body. The device is 7.7mm thin, and weighs 195 grams. The rear looks simple, without any embellishments or design flourishes. The triple rear camera module to the top-left also looks proportionate, and not ungainly. There are three colours to pick from – Moonlight Silver, Nebula Green and Night Black. To the front, the bezels are quite thin, but the chin is noticeable. The single front camera has a minimal drill-hole slot, which is all fairly standardised.
The iQOO Neo 6 (review) has nearly identical dimensions to the POCO F4 5G, so from the front, the two phones look almost the same – including the pronounced chin. The bezels on this one is perhaps a whisker thicker than the POCO F4, but there’s not much in it. However, while the Neo 6 is thicker than the POCO F4 at 8.5mm, it is also lighter, at 190 grams. That said, the rear camera here looks a bit ungainly – and almost too large for what it offers. The square shape doesn’t look in sync with the rest of the phone, which is awkward. The side edges aren’t flat, and has a rim around it – which is a nice touch.
Processor, storage and RAM
The POCO F4 5G features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC, which is a sub-flagship range chipset that sits just below the yesteryear flagship, the Snapdragon 888. Along with this, you get up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 256GB UFS 3.1 standard storage. The latter cannot be expanded, and the POCO F4 5G does not get a memory card slot on the phone.
The iQOO Neo 6 has the exact same specifications as the POCO F4, and there are no differences here, at all. Both phones run on Android 12, on their respective custom software interface – Funtouch OS 12 for iQOO, and MIUI 13 for POCO.
Display
The POCO F4 5G gets a 6.67-inch full HD+ display with 20:9 aspect ratio. It uses an E4 AMOLED panel, and comes with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ certification. You also get 120Hz refresh rate here, along with up to 1,300 nits peak brightness.
In comparison, the iQOO Neo 6 is almost identical here too – albeit slightly smaller. The display measures 6.62 inches, and has the same resolution, aspect ratio, screen panel type, refresh rate and peak brightness level. However, it does miss out on the Dolby Vision certification for visual enhancements.
Cameras
POCO’s triple rear camera setup brings in a 64MP primary rear camera with f/1.8 lens and optical image stabilisation. You also get an 8MP ultra-wide camera with 119-degree field of view and f/2.2 lens, and a 2MP macro unit with an f/2.4 lens. The setup can capture both 4K and full HD videos at 60fps. To the front, it gets a 20MP camera with an f/2.5 lens, capable of offering full HD selfie videos and video calls at 30fps.
The iQOO Neo 6 has the exact same rear camera offering, but with an f/1.9 lens on the primary camera. Its front camera is 16MP in resolution, instead of POCO’s 20MP – but other parameters remain the same.
Battery
The POCO F4 5G features a 4,500mAh battery, paired with 67W fast charging – which is quite fast by mid-range standards. The company claims that this can offer a full charge in 38 minutes.
In comparison, the iQOO Neo 6 5G has a slightly larger 4,700mAh battery paired with faster 80W fast charging. iQOO claims that the latter can offer 50 percent power in 12 minutes, and 100 percent in 32 minutes – slightly quicker than what POCO offers.
Connectivity
The POCO F4 features Wi-Fi 6 gigabit-class internet connectivity, along with Bluetooth 5.2. It also offers NavIC support for geolocation services. It also comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, NFC and a USB-C for charging. There is no 3.5mm audio port present here.
The iQOO Neo 6 has an under-display optical fingerprint sensor, but misses out on Wi-Fi 6 with the older Wi-Fi 5 multi-band internet support. It does get Bluetooth 5.2, but doesn’t feature NavIC support for GPS services. It has USB-C, but lacks NFC connectivity. There is no 3.5mm port here, either.
POCO F4 5G vs iQOO Neo 6 5G: Verdict
The two phones are highly identical offerings, but there are key differences to consider. The POCO F4 5G is the better looking of the two, according to us. Its display is Dolby Vision certified, and is slightly bigger as well. While performance is the same, the camera and connectivity chops are marginally better than iQOO’s offering.
iQOO, on the other hand, offers a slightly bigger battery and faster fast charging. However, the difference is likely not enough to make a massive difference between the two. With this in mind, the POCO F4 5G out-muscles the iQOO Neo 6 5G by a thin margin as the better smartphone of the two, and vies for a place among the best smartphones to buy under Rs 30,000 in India.
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