iQOO 11S debuts with flat 144Hz 2K AMOLED display, 200W charging and up to 1TB of internal storage

iQOO asserts that it has re-defined the standard for top-end Android gaming smartphones with its new 11S - which might be why it has the exact same "iron triangle" of LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 4.0 flash storage and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 silicon with the familiar top clock of 3.2GHz as in the 11 Pro.

The 11S also just about clings on to pace-setting status with its Pro sibling's 6.78-inch 2K, 144Hz, Samsung E6-enabled and up to 1,800 nit AMOLED display - which finally manages to drop the curved edges in this iteration. It also has a "Supercomputing" independent display chip to help keep gaming on the phone "professional" (i.e. at 144 fps as often as possible) for the first time in this generation.

The 11S also keeps its "Super Speed" theme going with the brand's top-end 200W charging, supported by a new "mini" power brick that apparently comes in the box. The battery is still 4,700mAh in capacity, although it has acquired new boron nitride cooling technology and has additional UFCS support for the first time.

This flagship remix' rear cameras have the same 50+13+8MP rear camera configuration as the 11 rather than the 11 Pro - then again, the main sensor is now the same VCS IMX866 as the new Vivo X90s.

All in all, the 11S comes off as more of a Fan Edition that risks being blown away by more sincere 2023 flagship refreshes, and sooner rather than later. Then again, iQOO might still be able to please some fans by doubling the maximum internal storage of the 11 Pro in this new version.

The resulting top-end SKU still has 16GB of RAM - yet goes for just 4,799 yuan (~US$665). Potential 11S buyers are set even more free from budget constraints with a price of 4,399 yuan (~US$610) for the smartphone's 16/512GB variant, dropping to 4,099 yuan (~US$568) for a 16/256GB SKU or even 3,799 yuan (~US$527) for the 12/256GB base model.

These options are available in a new, bluish-green Qiantang Tingchao colorway as well as iQOO's BMW-branded Legendary and Track colorways to pre-order in China from now. Furthermore, the relatively well-worn nature of the 11S' specs may mean it and its newly flattened screen might let it join its 11 sibling on sites such as Amazon.in soon.