iQOO Neo 9 Pro Review with Pros and Cons

iQOO, initially created as a sub-brand of Vivo, has made significant progress among the performance-oriented consumer population in recent years. The iQOO Neo 7 Pro, the latest addition to its product line, achieved notable success in the previous year, especially during the 2023 holiday season, thereby strengthening the brand's position in the market. To build on this success, iQOO launched the iQOO Neo 9 Pro in India. The phone has received several upgrades, starting with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, to the Android 14 operating system. Will the iQOO Neo 9 Pro measure up? Let's find out in our iQOO Neo 9 Pro review.

iQOO NEO 9 Pro Review: Design

This year brings a significant design overhaul to the iQOO Neo series. The Fiery Red variant of the iQOO Neo 9 Pro features a sporty aesthetic with its dual-tone rear panel. Featuring a vegan leather finish, approximately 60 to 65 percent of the back panel is covered in a vibrant red, while the remaining 35 to 40 percent features an off-white hue.

Both colors offer distinct textures, enhancing the overall visual appeal. However, over time the flashy design lost its charm for me. For those who prefer a more sober look, the black color variant is also available, offering a sleek and attractive design.

Moving towards the back, you'll notice a prominent dual-camera setup positioned at the top-left corner, surrounded by a shiny metallic ring. Subtle branding elements, such as “Neo” and “Power to Win“, are delicately engraved on the white vegan leather below the rear camera, accompanied by the iQOO logo. At the top of the screen, the selfie camera is discreetly housed in a punch-hole cutout. The display features slim 1.54mm side bezels and comes with a thin plastic scratch guard pre-applied for added protection.

The phone's outer shell is primarily constructed of plastic, ensuring a lightweight feel despite a large battery. This lightweight design is particularly appealing to gamers, as it allows for extended gaming sessions without causing strain on the wrists.

IQOO Neo 9 Pro review: Display

iQOO Neo9 Pro packs a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate. iQOO really ups the ante here, as they've found a 1.5K LTPO panel that dynamically adjusts the refresh rate based on of what you do on screen. The screen is as responsive as it gets on a phone under Rs 50,000. This means that every swipe or scroll feels incredibly smooth.

When it comes to color accuracy and brightness, the iQOO Neo9 Pro does not disappoint. The colors are there, even if they may appear slightly more vibrant than those of the OnePlus 12R. Nonetheless, the iQOO Neo9 Pro offers a satisfying viewing experience. Although iQOO claims a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits, we cannot attest to this claim; however, we can confidently say that the screen remains visible in most outdoor conditions. Apps, including Netflix, are carefully optimized, enabling HDR playback. Additionally, both of these speakers pump out loud, balanced sound, although the bass could use a little boost.

And if you're a gamer, the Neo9 Pro's flat screen gives you better touch response compared to the OnePlus 12R's curved screen.

The in-display fingerprint sensor works smoothly and the inclusion of Wet Display Touch technology ensures responsive screen functionality even when the user's hands are wet or sweaty.

iQOO NEo 9 Pro review: Performance

Performance is another area where the iQOO Neo 9 Pro shines. It packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, connected to up to 12GB of RAM. And get this, there's even a second chip called the “Q1 Supercomputing Chip” that steps in to help the main Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 whenever there's a CPU-intensive task or the system requires additional resources to ensure performance supported. It also packs the largest vapor cooling setup ever seen in the iQOO Neo lineup, meaning less CPU or GPU throttling while gaming.

Out of the box, the Neo 9 Pro runs on vivo's Funtouch OS 14, based on Android 14. Besides system apps, there is Netflix, Spotify, Snapchat, Facebook, and PhonePe, which can be categorized as bloatware or useful apps depending on your use case. iQOO has finally removed the Hot Apps and Hot Games folders, providing some relief from the clutter.

There is still V-store and Vivo browsers, which tend to fill your phone with unwanted notifications, which can be quite annoying. I suggest you disable them or remove all system permissions for these apps. iQOO promises three years of operating system updates as well as an additional year of security updates for this phone.

When it comes to everyday performance, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro handles a wide range of tasks with ease. Whether managing work emails, chatting on WhatsApp or editing and exporting high-resolution videos, this phone is up to the challenge.

In terms of gaming, I put it to the test with Fortnite, running smoothly on the “Epic” graphics preset without any lag or stuttering, even after extended gaming sessions of around 30 minutes. Additionally, the demanding Genshin Impact performed admirably on the “High” setting, with minimal impact on overall performance.

When it comes to synthetic benchmark scores, the iQOO Neo9 Pro outperforms its toughest competitor, the OnePlus 12R, as well as smartphones priced almost twice as much. With an impressive score of 16,14,674 points, the Neo9 Pro leaves rivals like the OnePlus 12R, OnePlus 11 and Galaxy S23 Ultra in the dust. Additionally, in Geekbench 6 testing, iQOO's latest offering achieves remarkable single-core and multi-core scores of 2,081 and 5,780 points, respectively, once again outperforming the competition.

iQOO NEo 9 Pro Camera Review

When it comes to the camera setup, iQOO has made some significant changes compared to the iQOO Neo7 Pro. Unlike the previous model, the iQOO Neo9 Pro features a dual rear camera setup, omitting the unnecessary 2MP macro camera.

The main camera sensor has been upgraded and now houses a 50-megapixel Sony IMX920 sensor, the same as the one on the Vivo X100. The primary rear camera has an f/1.88 aperture and supports optical image stabilization (OIS). Additionally, the setup includes an 8-megapixel OV08D10 sensor with f/2.2 aperture, providing versatile shooting capabilities.

Images taken with the 50-megapixel main camera show exceptional detail. Outdoors, details are abundant and colors appear balanced on screen. Users have the option to choose from three effects: vivid, textured and natural. Opting for Vivid results in vibrant images, while Textured mode produces sharper images with a slightly muted tone. In my tests, Natural mode consistently produced the most satisfying results. The 2x zoom built into the sensor is also effective, as there is minimal loss of detail or sharpness and no perceptible color shift.

The low-light performance of this camera works well in providing well-balanced images with good color reproduction and detail. That said, it's not perfect, as there is a slight loss of detail and curvature of colors towards the edges.

Overall, the camera is no longer a weak point of Neo phones. It can easily beat the Oppo Reno11 Pro and challenge the OnePlus 12r in a camera shootout.

iQOO NEo 9 Pro review: Battery and charging

When it comes to battery life, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro ranks among the best in its class. It packs a 5,160mAh battery. While a bigger battery doesn't always translate into better backup, in the case of the Neo9 Pro, it certainly does. With my moderate daily usage, the phone lasted over 24 hours on a single charge. That's not all; With the included 120W SuperVOOC charger, you can fully charge the phone in just 26 minutes. While wireless charging isn't available on this handset, it's a common omission among smartphones in this price range.

iQOO NEo 9 Pro review verdict: Should you buy it?

The iQOO Neo 9 Pro stands out in the sub-Rs 40k segment, especially if gaming and performance are your main priorities. Featuring a powerful processor in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and a reliable main camera, it easily covers most usage scenarios. Further adding to its appeal is the inclusion of 120W fast charging, with the charger included in the box.

The OnePlus 12R is the main challenger to the iQOO Neo 9 Pro in the sub-40K segment. While the former has the advantage in terms of clean experience, the Neo 9 Pro is ahead with its better performance and 120W charging capability. Overall, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro seems like a package better value for money than the OnePlus 12R. That said, I invite you to consult our review of the OnePlus 12R before you decide.