iQOO Neo 10R review: built for gamers

In the last few years, iQOO has built a reputation for delivering high-performance smartphones at incredibly aggressive prices. Following the launch of the Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered iQOO 13 (review) earlier this year at Rs 59,999, the brand is now offering a more budget-friendly option – the iQOO Neo 10R (Rs 26,999 onwards) with Qualcomm’s flagship-grade Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC.

With the latest model, iQOO’s focus is clear again – delivering top-notch performance without a high sticker price. Additionally, the Neo 10R packs a sizable 6,400mAh battery in a surprisingly slim form.

The iQOO Neo 10R’s key strengths also lie in several other areas, like 80W charging support (charger included in the box) and a 50MP OIS-enabled primary camera. Do all these features make it a total package? Let’s find out.

Verdict

The iQOO Neo 10R testifies that reliable and powerful smartphones don’t need to be overly expensive. With the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC onboard, users can expect a snappy performance, be it for daily productivity or gaming. The phone also packs reliable cameras, particularly for video recording. However, the build quality could have been better. Additionally, the lack of NFC support in this segment might be a drawback for some users in the long run.

Design and display

The new iQOO Neo 10R embodies the same ethos as the iQOO 13 with a square rear camera casing and curved edges. However, there’s a significant difference in the build quality, which explains its affordability.

The phone has a plastic build that feels somewhat sub-standard without a case. Its limited colour options don’t add much appeal, either. The Raging Blue variant has a sporty look, but the bold dual-tone finish can feel overwhelming. Meanwhile, the MoonKnight Titanium version is more understated, though it might start to look dull over time.

On the other hand, the iQOO Neo 10R offers respectable durability with IP65 certification and SCHOTT Xensation Up protection for the screen. I also found the button placement ergonomic for my grip.

Another area where you will notice a considerable difference between the iQOO 13 and iQOO Neo 10R is the display. The latter features a relatively smaller 6.68-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1.5K resolution (2,800 x 1,260 pixels). Last year’s iQOO Neo 9 Pro (review) offered more viewing areas with slimmer bezels and higher refresh rates.

Overall, the display experience on the iQOO Neo 10R is decent, if not the best. You can expect punchy colours and HDR support on OTT platforms, but the native brightness could’ve been improved. Even in our lab test, the new iQOO smartphone achieved respectable scores, though rivals like the Nothing Phone 3a Pro (review) and Vivo V50 (review) have a slight edge. The phone also features dual speakers, which offer loud audio output.

Cameras

Unlike some of the new smartphones in the segment, the iQOO Neo 10R skips a dedicated telephoto camera. It houses a 50MP f/1.95 primary camera with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide lens. The front includes a 32MP snapper inside the hole-punch cutout.

iQOO smartphones typically favour natural colours with boosted contrast and shadows in still photos. Thanks to the brand’s close ties with Vivo, camera performance has been solid, as seen in devices like the iQOO Neo 9 Pro and even the budget-friendly iQOO Z9 series. While colours generally appear accurate, the camera struggles slightly with capturing finer details. However, software processing helps smooth out noise, making details look acceptable in most cases. The same applies to ultra-wide shots, where you’ll find well-balanced colours, high contrast, and average detail retention. Surprisingly, iQOO does a good job of minimising distortion around the edges.

Portrait shots with human subjects turn out well, with the phone occasionally enhancing skin tones without making them look unnatural. However, facial details aren’t always accurately captured. The same colour tuning applies to the selfie camera, though the final output tends to soften the skin and hide some details – something select users might prefer.

I was quite surprised by the video performance, considering its price. The primary rear camera supports video recording at 4K60fps, while the front snapper has 4K30fps support. I mostly record videos at 4K60fps, and there’s not much to complain about the performance. The iQOO Neo 10R offers impressive stability, and the colours also look balanced for videos. There’s a Pro video mode to let users tweak the ISO and shutter speed, which could be highly useful for indoor shoots.

Meanwhile, we also compared iQOO Neo 10R’s shots against Nothing Phone 3a Pro and POCO X7 Pro (review).

Daylight

iQOO Neo 10R vs Nothing Phone 3a Pro

There’s an evident difference between the two smartphones’ daylight shots with the primary camera. The iQOO Neo 10R’s image preserves colours despite being in a tricky lighting condition. On the other hand, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro produces washed-out colours. Notably, the iQOO phone also captures more readable signs in the background.

iQOO Neo 10R vs POCO X7 Pro

The POCO X7 Pro performs better than the Nothing Phone 3a Pro and offers the best dynamic range. However, iQOO evidently boasts high contrast and shadows for a dramatic effect. It also captures better details than the X7 Pro.

Ultra-wide

iQOO Neo 10R vs Nothing Phone 3a Pro

There’s a slight inconsistency between iQOO’s shots with primary and ultra-wide cameras. The latter boasts more brightness, but its details are sketchy.

Nothing’s images appear flat with washed-out colours. However, its ultra-wide shot has the least distortion around the edges.

iQOO Neo 10R vs POCO X7 Pro

POCO’s primary and ultra-wide shots retain the maximum consistency in colour science. However, its details are average, plus there’s a lot of distortion around the edges.

Overall, the iQOO Neo 10R’s ultra-wide shot looks the most social media-ready.

Portraits

iQOO Neo 10R vs Nothing Phone 3a Pro

Both shots look more or less similar, but the Phone 3a Pro’s image boasts better details and edge detection. Nothing also captures finer facial details.

I prefer iQOO Neo 10 Pro’s bokeh effect, despite capturing both shots with aperture setting f/2.0.

iQOO Neo 10R vs POCO X7 Pro

Both smartphones capture crisp portrait shots with the primary camera. iQOO’s image features high brightness, which may look more appealing than X7 Pro’s portrait shot. However, the latter offers clearer facial details.

Both smartphones struggle with edge detection, but in this case, the iQOO Neo 10R has a slight edge.

Selfie

iQOO Neo 10R vs Nothing Phone 3a Pro

Nothing continues to capture the most accurate skin tones, but it struggles with background exposure, occasionally leading to overexposed areas.

The iQOO Neo 10R delivers a well-balanced image overall. However, zooming in reveals a watercolor-like effect due to noise reduction.

iQOO Neo 10R vs POCO X7 Pro

With plain point-and-shoot, the POCO X7 Pro struggles with the focus on the subject.

iQOO’s image, on the other hand, is more aesthetically appealing with better focus, balanced colours, and better brightness.

Low-light (with night mode)

iQOO Neo 10R vs Nothing Phone 3a Pro

With night mode enabled, the Phone 3a Pro does a great job of brightening up a dimly lit scene. While the iQOO Neo 10R comes close, Nothing’s image appears more visually appealing.

Additionally, the Phone 3a Pro captures sharper details compared to the Neo 10R.

iQOO Neo 10R vs POCO X7 Pro

The iQOO Neo 10R’s low-light shot with night mode offers better visibility than the POCO X7 Pro. However, neither smartphone captures significant details in darker areas.

Performance and software

As mentioned, the iQOO Neo 10R, like all the other iQOO smartphones, targets performance-focused users, especially gamers. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, combined with 12GB RAM and 256GB UFS 4.1 storage, offers one of the best scores in synthetic benchmarks (AnTuTu, Geekbench, and GFX Bench Manhattan), only slightly behind the POCO X7 Pro with Dimensity 8400 Ultra SoC. However, it delivered an average performance in the CPU Throttle test via the Burnout app, suggesting the phone may stutter during intense workloads.

Beyond numbers, its real-life performance was impressive, and I barely faced lags in my brief usage. The phone may feel warm after intense gaming, but that didn’t impact the performance. iQOO has also improved its software policy, and the iQOO Neo 10R is eligible for three major Android updates and four years’ worth of security patches.

The overall software is also decent, but the phone has loads of pre-installed apps. As a part of the Android 15-based Funtouch OS 15 update, the iQOO Neo 10R introduces AI-backed Circle to Search and Live Cutout (to let users take PNG-style cutouts to create instant stickers). Rests are mostly basic additions, like AI Translation, Note Assistant, and Transcript. To improve the camera experience, users can enjoy AI Erase, though the results can be a hit-and-miss. The brand can consider AI Write and Edit directly into the keyboard to let users proofread or generate texts on any messaging or email app.

The gaming experience on the iQOO Neo 10R is sure to impress. Compared to the POCO X7 Pro, another gamer-focused phone in the sub-Rs 30K, iQOO handles battery consumption relatively better. Otherwise, both smartphones delivered similar FPS in BGMI and COD: Mobile, and you can expect smooth gameplay.

I also played GTA San Andreas with a Netflix subscription, and the gaming experience was fantastic. Even with the highest settings enabled, the phone handled the heavy title seamlessly.

As mentioned, the phone can feel slightly warm after extended gaming sessions, but our lab tests show that the iQOO Neo 10R handles thermals well. This suggests that while the build material may not dissipate heat as quickly, the overall thermal management remains effective. iQOO skips NFC support on the Neo 10R, which I feel is critical for smartphones in 2025, as it enables seamless digital payments and information sharing.

Battery and charging

The iQOO Neo 10R houses a massive 6,400mAh battery with 80W charging support. iQOO deserves credit for maintaining the phone’s sleek form and portability. As you can expect, the phone easily lasts for over a day, even with intense workloads. With the highest settings enabled, heavy gaming, and photography, the iQOO Neo 10R still had nearly 20 percent at the end of the day.

Even in the PCMark battery test, the iQOO Neo 10R lasted over 16 hours – a respectable benchmark against its rivals.

With the bundled charger, the phone takes roughly 40 minutes to go from 20 to 100 percent, which is highly impressive considering the massive battery capacity.

Final verdict

The iQOO Neo 10R is an easy recommendation for users who prioritise performance and battery life. The phone also packs reliable cameras, especially for video recording. However, its limited colour options and subpar build quality are setbacks, which might draw customers towards options like Nothing Phone 3a Pro and OnePlus Nord 4 (review). For those who want a more durable device, the POCO X7 Pro is a terrific option.

If aesthetics aren’t a top priority, the iQOO Neo 10R is a great choice for power-hungry users. Its flat display, subtle curves, and responsive touch make it particularly appealing for gamers.

Editor’s rating: 8 / 10

Reasons to buy

• The iQOO Neo 10R offers a highly responsive display for gaming.
• The phone packs reliable cameras.
• With Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, users can expect smooth performance.
• The battery life and charging speed are impressive.

Reasons not to buy

• The iQOO Neo 10R design might not appeal to everyone. The build quality could’ve been improved.
• There’s no NFC support.