iQoo unveils its cheapest smartphone - iQoo U1

(Image credit: iQoo (Weibo))

After a promising demonstration of super-fast 120W charging, iQOO is back with yet another launch, this time done subtly. It has quietly launched a mid-range iQOO U1 with Snapdragon 720G SoC at a price tag of CNY1,198.

The iQOO U1 boasts a 6.53-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels. It covers 90.2% of the screen-body ratio. There is a single punch-hole at the top left to house the selfie snapper.

There is a fingerprint sensor etched onto the power button and volume rockers to the right. We have a vertical stack of cameras and an iQOO branding at the bottom of the rear.

(Image credit: iQoo (Weibo))

Powering the device is Qualcomm’s 4G Snapdragon 720G SoC. The SoC built on 8nm process, is clocked at a max frequency of 2.3GHz. As for the optics, the triple-camera setup houses a 48MP main shooter, and two 2MP portrait and macro lenses.

The single punch-hole has an 8MP shooter for selfies. Powering all these is a 4,500mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging onboard. By the looks of it, the iQOO seems to have borrowed the U and Z naming from Vivo as the recently launched cheapest 5G smartphone Z1x has naming similar to the Vivo Z1x from last year.

Though the device is aimed to be in the budget segment, iQOO hasn’t skipped LPDDR4x and faster UFS 2.1 storage options. It has 6/8GB RAM and 64/128GB storage variants.

The iQOO U1 comes in three colours - Star Blue, Secret Black and Sunny Frost White. It starts at CNY1,198 (~$171) for the 6/64GB variant while the 6/128GB and 8/128GB variants are priced at CNY1,398 (~$200) and 1,598 (~$228) respectively.

While the pre-orders are already up in China, the device will be available for sale starting July 23rd. That being said, there is no info on whether it would make its way to markets like India. 

Abdul Q

Abdul Q is a Content editor at Techradar India. Formerly.