The new iQOO Neo 9 Pro not only diverges from iQOO’s previous design language, but it also aims to redefine what value for money means in the smartphone market.
Packed with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and a flagship-grade camera sensor, it’s hitting the shelves at a surprisingly affordable ₹35,999.
That sure sounds promising on paper, but how does it stack up in the real world? Let’s dive in and see if it lives up to the hype.
iQOO Neo 9 Pro Design
Aesthetically, the Neo 9 Pro is a complete departure form the Neo 7 Pro. This is the first time iQOO has launched a dual tone colour in India, and boy, oh boy, is it impossible to miss!
This dual-tone look mixes red with what’s supposed to be off-white, but honestly, it feels more light grey to me, so let’s just go with that.
Plus, it’s got this textured vegan leather back which means you don’t have to worry about fingerprint smudges. And the texture isn’t the same for both colors, giving each a distinct vibe.
The red is quite vivid and it extends to the frame of the phone as well.
On the grey side, you'll find two large, vertically stacked camera lenses. Below that is some quirky text - a classic touch from iQOO and Vivo.
Given its lighter hue, the grey area is more susceptible to dirt and stains. So, it will need extra maintenance if you use this phone without a case.
A clear case, by the way, comes bundled.
If this flamboyant red colour is not a cup of your tea, then iQOO also offers a shimmery black that’s much easier on the eye.
The phone has a flat, plastic frame and maintains a slim profile at 7.99mm, even with its sizable battery, which we'll talk about later.
iQOO Neo 9 Pro Display & Utility
The iQOO Neo 9 Pro’s promise of flagship hardware at a reasonable price starts with its display.
This display is lifted off the iQOO 12, which means that what you get is a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED with a 144Hz refresh rate.
Keep in mind that the 144Hz refresh rate is limited to specific games and benchmarks. For everything else, it tops out at 120Hz, still offering a silky smooth scrolling experience.
Furthermore, screen has a resolution of 1.5K and a peak brightness of 3000 nits. This ensures that viewing HDR content on this smartphone is a great experience. And it is further aided by its loud stereo speaker setup.
Also, the Neo 9 Pro’s sunlight legibility is excellent.
Moving on, the optical fingerprint reader on this device worked flawlessly in my experience.
Like most BBK smartphones, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro also retains an IR blaster which some of you might find really useful for controlling your smart devices at home.
iQOO has also included a basic IP54 dust and water resistance on this smartphone, so it should easily handle the odd splashes of water.
iQOO Neo 9 Pro Performance & Software
As of now, the Neo 9 Pro is India’s most affordable smartphone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Even in 2024, this is one beast of a chipset, and its Antutu score is a testament to its excellent performance. Please watch the video to see the Antutu score.
In over 90% use cases, users will not notice any difference between the 8 Gen 2 and 8 Gen 3.
But iQOO takes it a notch higher by combining its proprietary Q1 gaming chip with this processor.
Q1 is the same chip that’s found on the flagship iQOO 12, and it helps with frame rate interpolation on popular games.
So, you can play Genshin Impact at 144fps as well as at a refresh rate of 144Hz simultaneously.
The iQOO "ultra game mode" also comes included, offering enhanced motion control features for popular games such as Call of Duty, providing more precise control when locating enemies.
The phone also boasts a hefty 6k vapor cooling system, featuring a 6043 mm² vapor chamber — the biggest in any iQOO phone to date.
During my gaming sessions, the back of the phone managed to stay cool for the most part, although the frame did start to get warm quite quickly.
Additionally, iQOO is providing up to 256GB of high-end UFS 4.0 storage and up to 12GB RAM on this smartphone, but there’s also a 8GB and 128GB version which will only be available to purchase from March 21st.
Moving on to the software, you get Vivo’s Funtouch OS 14 here that’s built on top of Android 14.
Funtouch OS is a fast and feature-rich software. However, it is not the cleanest software around. The bloatware and system app notifications, while lesser than before, are still aplenty.
While you can delete and disable most of these annoyances, you will have to dedicate some time to clean the software up.
iQOO is also promising 3 major Android updates and 4 years of security updates on this smartphone, which is the segment standard.
iQOO Neo 9 Pro Camera Review
The Neo 9 Pro has only two rear cameras while most phones offer three. But iQOO has only deleted the 2MP macro sensor, so that should not be an issue.
What you get here are two functional cameras: a 50MP main and an 8MP ultrawide.
My expectations were high from the main camera since it uses the same Sony IMX920 sensor as the flagship Vivo X100.
Please watch the video to see camera samples.
This camera impresses quite a lot. It takes contrasty photos with great detail and dynamic range. Even portrait mode photos have excellent edge detection and convincing bokeh.
Night mode is also quite good thanks to iQOO’s super night vision that brings out the detail and controls highlights pretty well.
You also get 3 colour profiles like other high-end Vivo and iQOO smartphones: Vivid, Textured, and Natural.
I found Vivid to be the best one because it gives a mild saturation boost without going overboard.
The camera also takes impressively stable videos, but I wish that the noise in these was better controlled.
You can also shoot 8K videos with the main camera which is a first on an upper midrange device.
The 8MP ultrawide is definitely less impressive than the main sensor, but as long as you give it enough light, it will yield good results.
The 16MP front camera on this smartphone produces accurate skin tones and should keep selfie takers happy.
iQOO Neo 9 Pro Battery Life
The 5,160mAh battery on the Neo 9 Pro, combined with its efficient chipset and LTPO display, ensures solid endurance.
I could easily average over 9 hours of screen time with mixed use which included taking calls, watching videos, and playing games.
As before, you get a super impressive 120W fast charger bundled with this smartphone. It can fully charge it in under half an hour.
Trust me, once you are used to such crazy charging speeds, there is no going back.
iQOO Neo 9 Pro Review
The iQOO Neo 9 Pro is my default recommendation to anyone looking for a smartphone in the sub-₹40,000 price segment.
It offers top-tier performance, a good main camera, and super-fast charging. On the flip side, Funtouch OS can definitely use some decluttering.
But still, the overall value proposition makes the Neo 9 Pro a standout choice in its price range.
Also watch: iQOO 12 review
