iQOO Z9 Lite 5G vs Realme C65 5G: Which Device to Pick Under Rs 10,000?

iQOO Z9 Lite 5G vs Realme C65 5G: Design and Display

The iQOO Z9 Lite 5G is lighter than the Realme C65 5G, making it comfortable to use and hold for long durations. It comes in Aqua Flow and Mocha Brown colour options, with a matte finish offering a good grip and fingerprint-free panel. The smartphone has an IP64 rating for dust and splash-resistance, which is unique in the segment.

In contrast, the Realme C65 5G is thinner than the iQOO Z9 Lite 5G and has a feathered back finish. Realme has introduced the smartphone in Feather Green, Glowing Black, and Speedy Red shades with a textured finish. The smartphone also gets an IP54 rating, which can protect it from water splashes.

Even though the design is subjective, the iQOO Z9 Lite 5G has an advantage for its lighter design and better in-hand comfortability. Note that both smartphones have large bezels and chins on the display. But given these are budget devices, expecting slim bezels would be too much.

The iQOO Z9 Lite 5G has an old-school waterdrop-style notch to house the selfie camera, which looks dated. The 6.56-inch display has a 90Hz refresh rate, which works flawlessly. The LCD panel of the iQOO Z9 Lite 5G is more than enough in indoor situations but not in bright outdoors.

The device’s Widevine L1 certification allows users to enjoy HD playback on Netflix and other streaming apps, a unique feature in its segment. The iQOO Z9 Lite 5G has a single top-firing speaker with adequate output and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom.

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The Realme C65 5G has a larger 6.67-inch LCD display with similar resolution but comes with a faster 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone has a centred punchhole cutout, which looks modern and offers a premium look for the users.

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The smartphone’s brightness isn’t adequate for outdoor conditions. It offers a similar single bottom-firing speaker and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sadly, this smartphone does not come with Widevine L1 certification, which limits the playback of Netflix and other streaming apps to SD quality.

The iQOO Z9 Lite 5G performs slightly better outdoors, offering more visibility than the Realme C65 5G. Overall, it has an advantage in the display and audio segment.

iQOO Z9 Lite 5G vs Realme C65 5G: Performance

The iQOO Z9 Lite 5G and Realme C65 are powered by the newest MediaTek Dimensity 6300 5G SoC, which is fabricated on a 6nm process. The octa-core SoC has two Cortex A76 cores at 2.4GHz, six Cortex A55 cores at 2.0GHz, and a Mali G57 MP2 GPU.

The above table shows that the Realme C65 5G scores higher in the AnTuTu V10 benchmarking platform, giving it an edge. Still, both smartphones perform without any issues concerning day-to-day usage, which includes browsing, messaging, scrolling on social media, watching YouTube, and more.

The iQOO Z9 Lite 5G and Realme C65 5G can also handle smaller games like Temple Run, Subway Surf, and more without hassles. We also tested both smartphones with popular titles, including BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile.

Note that these are budget smartphones and not ideally designed for such resource-heavy games.

The BGMI gameplay on the iQOO Z9 Lite 5G supports Medium + High FPS as the maximum graphic quality. The device achieved a minimum and maximum frame rate of 53fps and 63fps, with many stutters during the session.

In comparison, the Realme C65 5G supports maximum graphics of HD+ High on BGMI with a minimum and maximum frame rate of 18fps and 40fps. The smartphone encountered major lags and stutters during gameplay, making it uncomfortable for heavy gaming.

Neither smartphone is ideal for such games, especially in higher settings. But then, for casual gaming, the phones should be enough.

As you can see from the above table, the Realme C65 5G scored slightly higher in the 3D Mark Tests. For those unaware, the 3D Mark Tests are conducted to get an idea about the 3D graphic rendering capabilities. Higher scores in 3D Mark Tests ideally indicate better gaming performance.

In contrast, the iQOO Z9 Lite 5G has scored slightly higher scores and fps in the Manhattan test of GFXBench. The Manhattan test evaluates the smartphone’s graphic performance with multiple render targets, geometry instancing, and transforming feedback.

Our tests show that both smartphones are equally good for day-to-day usage and casual gaming.

iQOO Z9 Lite 5G vs Realme C65 5G: Cameras

The smartphone’s primary camera captures photos in daylight with good overall quality. The photos might appear artificial due to the camera overexposing greens and browns. However, considering the price point, the image quality is satisfactory from the primary camera in daylight conditions.

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iQOO also captures good images during low-light conditions, a major advantage in the price segment. Yes, these photos have some level of noise, but the overall image quality will leave most users happy. However, the iQOO Z9 Lite 5G struggles to capture images with bright light sources, which does cause flare issues. For selfies, iQOO captures almost true-to-life skin tones by capturing each and every pore of the human subject.

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The Realme C65 5G also sports a dual camera setup with a 50MP Samsung JN1 primary camera, capturing excellent daylight shots. However, the Realme C65 5G also overexposes greens and browns. Apart from this, Realme also tends to overexpose some images in daylight, which increases the noise levels.

The Realme C65 5 G’s low-light performance isn’t satisfactory compared to its competition. Regarding selfies, Realme captures true-to-life images in daylight but struggles in poor lighting conditions.

iQOO Z9 Lite 5G vs Realme C65 5G: Software

The iQOO Z9 Lite 5G runs on Funtouch OS 14, based on Android 14. The phone has several pre-installed apps that can be removed without any hassles. Funtouch OS 14 has several features, including split-screen, window overlay, hidden photos, etc.

The Realme C65 5G comes with Realme UI 5, based on Android 14. And yes, this smartphone, too, comes with several pre-installed apps that can be removed. The smartphone also has other features, including AI Boost, to reduce lag and boost performance.

In our experience, the Realme UI 5 based on Android 14 is slightly more user-friendly than Funtouch OS 14. Ultimately, the user interface is also a strictly personal opinion that can differ from person to person, similar to the smartphone’s design. Both iQOO and Realme have a similar two-year OS and three-year security patch update policy.

iQOO Z9 Lite 5G vs Realme C65 5G: Battery and Charging

The iQOO Z9 Lite 5G and Realme C65 5G sport similar 5,000mAh batteries and 15W wired fast charging tech.

During the PCMark Battery Test, the iQOO Z9 Lite 5G lasted an impressive 19 hours and 56 minutes. In contrast, the Realme C65 5G only lasted for 8 hours and 22 minutes in our testing, which is not an ideal score for a smartphone with a large 5,000mAh battery.

However, when we tested the smartphone in practical conditions, the device easily lasted for an entire day of usage, making it a reliable device.

In our charging testing, the Realme C65 5G took 1 hour to charge from 0 to 50% and 2 hours and 17 minutes to complete a full charge. In contrast, the iQOO Z9 Lite 5G takes 1 hour to charge up to 45% and 2 hours and 15 minutes for a full charge. The iQOO Z9 Lite 5G easily lasted one and a half days with light to moderate usage.

Our testing showed that the iQOO Z9 Lite 5G has an advantage over the Realme C65 5G despite packing a similar-sized battery.

iQOO Z9 Lite 5G vs Realme C65 5G: Verdict

The iQOO Z9 Lite 5G and Realme C65 5G perform similarly owing to the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC, which powers both phones. Realme has a slight advantage in terms of performance due to better tuning, and AI features that help advance performance. Users who prefer a better software experience can opt for the Realme C65 5G, which is much more user-friendly.

However, the iQOO Z9 Lite 5G has a slightly better display and battery backup, making it an ideal choice for media consumption. The unique Widevine L1 certification on the iQOO smartphone also gives it an absolute advantage over the competition. The smartphone has a better camera setup with the low-light performance standing out in this segment.