iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: Formidable smartphone at modest price

iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: There are several recently launched flagship smartphones in the market that are powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. This is undoubtedly a very capable processor and has been available in smartphones that cost close to, or over, Rs 1 lakh. But now it is available in a smartphone that is priced at around Rs 35,000. Yes, we are talking about iQOO Neo9 Pro. But what makes this smartphone one of the most powerful smartphones in this price range is that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip is complemented by iQOO's proprietary SuperComputing Chip Q1. But how well does this translate to real-world performance? Find out in a full review of the iQOO Neo9 Pro smartphone here.

iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: Variants and Price

The iQOO Neo9 Pro is available in three RAM and storage options - 8GB + 128GB, 8GB+256GB and 12GB + 256GB. The retail prices of these smartphones are - Rs 35,999, Rs 37,999 and Rs 39,999 respectively.

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Also, the smartphone is available in two colour options - Fiery Red and Conqueror Black. Here I am using the Fiery Red colour smartphone in 12GB + 256GB variant.

iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: In Box

The retail box contains iQOO Neo9 Pro, 120W fast charger, USB Type-C to C cable, SIM ejector tool, transparent protective case, user manual and warranty information.

iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: Design

The striking dual-tone design of the iQOO Neo9 Pro with a matching flat frame - made of plastic, which explains the aggressive pricing - helps the smartphone stand out of the crowd. The leather finish design not only looks premium but also provides a good grip. At the rear, the smartphone has a squircle dual camera design with metallic rings around the camera glass and a similar-looking iQOO logo at the bottom left side. The smartphone is 8.34mm thick and weighs around 190 grams.

iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: Display

The iQOO Neo9 Pro has a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with 1.5K resolutions (2800 x 1260). It offers a peak brightness of 3000nits and a refresh rate of 144Hz during gaming. As this is a gaming-centric smartphone, the touch sampling rate offered on the smartphone is 300Hz.

Also, the flat display has symmetric bezels with a screen-to-body ratio of 93.43 per cent.  It offers a good viewing experience and dual stereo speakers offer balanced audio output for an immersive experience.

iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: Performance and Software

The iQOO Neo9 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform and is complemented by iQOO's proprietary SuperComputing Chip Q1. This combination makes it one of the fantastic gaming smartphones that will not burn a hole in your pocket.

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You can easily play games like Asphalt 9 at the highest graphics setting for an extended duration without noticing a lag or stutter. Also, the device manages heat dissipation very well, thanks to its large liquid cooling vapour chamber. According to the company, it has the largest vapour chamber in iQOO's history and covers almost half of the device.

Also, the device I am testing has 12GB of RAM with UFS 4.0-based inbuilt storage, which enables faster app opening and multitasking. Wet hand touch technology is another useful thing of this smartphone. It allows you to operate the device even with a wet hand. It let me open the device and make a phone call right after the shower. Also, the smartphone comes with an IP54 rating.  

The iQOO Neo 9 Pro runs on Android 14-based Funtouch OS 14 out-of-the-box. While it offers a lot of customisation options, the good thing is that the device has no pre-installed hot apps and games.

iQOO is offering three years of Android and four years of security updates, which are decent.

iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: Camera

The iQOO Neo9 Pro comes with a dual camera setup at the rear that includes a 50-megapixel primary camera Sony IMX920 sensor along with an 8MP ultra wide-angle camera with an OmniVision OV08D10 sensor. On the front, there's a 16MP camera for selfies.

The primary camera clicks decent images with a lot of details both in daylight and low light conditions. Portrait mode works well and offers a good bokeh effect and decent edge detection. Ultrawide camera too will not disappoint you.

The selfie camera performs well in daylight but images look saturated in lowlight conditions. However, they are good enough to share on social media.

iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: Battery and Charging

The iQOO Neo9 Pro is equipped with a 5,160mAh battery and supports 120W fast charging. On regular usage, it can easily last for an entire day. One out of juice, it will take you around 40 minutes to charge the device from zero to 100 per cent.

iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: Verdict

If you are on the lookout for a good-looking performance-centric smartphone that is capable of handling each and everything you throw at it along with decent camera capabilities, iQOO Neo 9 Pro is one made for you.