Review Summary
Expert Rating
iQOO’s premium smartphones are generally perceived as performance-oriented devices, while cameras may not be its biggest strength. At least, that was the case with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC-powered iQOO Neo 7 Pro (review) of last year, which also won 91mobile’s Phone of the Year (under Rs 35,000). However, iQOO is seriously revamping its position in the market. The recently launched iQOO 12 (review) proved to be a formidable player when it comes to cameras. Now, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro aims to keep up the legacy by focusing on performance and cameras. Mind you, this is all while maintaining affordability.
Some of iQOO Neo 9 Pro’s key features include a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, 50MP primary camera (IMX920 sensor) with 8K video recording, 5G, Android 14, and 120W charging (charger included).
But iQOO Neo 9 Pro’s biggest challenge is that it sits in India’s most competitive smartphone segment. The same category includes smartphones, such as the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ (review), which boasts a stylish design and better durability. There’s the OnePlus 12R (review) as well, rocking the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC.
Table of Contents
Verdict
The iQOO Neo 9 Pro keeps up the iQOO Neo 7 Pro’s legacy as a reliable performance-oriented smartphone with a not-so-high sticker price. The upgraded 50MP primary camera works well in both daylight and low-light conditions, though the ultra-wide camera can use some improvements. If a good battery and fast charging matter to you, the Neo 9 Pro won’t disappoint again. But for a clean Android experience and immersive Android ecosystem, the OnePlus 12R, which also rocks Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, will be a better bet.
Design and display
While the iQOO Neo 9 Pro does not reuse the iQOO Neo 7 Pro’s boxy design, the finish on the Black variant, which I am reviewing, remains similar to the predecessor. The build is mostly plastic, which explains the aggressive pricing. The rear panel leaves a satin-like finish and does a reliable job of hiding fingerprint smudges and scratches. Also, there’s no headphone jack.
If you prefer a sporty appearance, iQOO offers a Red-White option that the company calls Fiery Red colour. It incorporates vegan leather patches, aligning this variant with competitors such as the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ and Motorola Edge 40. I find the Red-White colour scheme a bit too loud for my taste, but then the design can be subjective.
Overall, both variants look bland to my taste. In that case, I might go with the OnePlus 12R or Redmi Note 13 Pro+ purely in terms of design. It’s worth mentioning that the iQOO Neo 9 Pro boasts a slimmer profile compared to its counterparts, measuring just 7.99mm in thickness.
iQOO Neo 9 Pro’s display now offers 1.5K resolutions (2,400 x 1,260 pixels) instead of Full-HD+ resolution (2,800 x 1080 pixels). The phone still boasts a flat 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. While the viewing experience is slightly punchier on the OnePlus 12R, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro won’t disappoint either. Apps, including Netflix, are well-optimised and offer HDR playback. Its dual speakers also provide a loud and balanced output, but the audio lacks bass.
Even for gaming, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro’s flat screen offers a better touch response than the OnePlus 12R’s curved display.
Cameras
The iQOO Neo 9 Pro focuses on a basic yet refined camera experience. The rear camera module includes a 50MP primary and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. There’s no periscope-style telephoto camera, which remains limited to the flagship iQOO 12.
Photos captured during my review include a mild sepia-like effect, which can look pleasing but at the cost of accurate colours. The primary camera captures crisp details without increasing the noise in the image. I compared the primary camera’s results with the OnePlus 12R, and iQOO Neo 9 Pro exhibited better performance in both day and low light. The 50MP camera also excels at capturing portrait shots, delivering a rich bokeh effect. However, portrait shots may exhibit excessive saturation, which can be cumbersome to fix during editing.
Photos with the 8MP ultra-wide camera are average at best. There’s a degree of consistency between photos with wide and ultra-wide lenses, which is a good feature. But ultra-wide images can often lack sharpness.
The iQOO Neo 9 Pro still utilises a 16MP front camera, capable of capturing fantastic selfies in daylight. The front camera may occasionally oversaturate skin tones, although details remain crisp. Portrait shots with the front camera also exhibit clarity, but edge detection can be inconsistent. While the overall performance of the selfie camera in daylight is reliable, images taken at night may lack consistency in both accurate skin tone detection and details.
As mentioned, the phone can record 8K videos, which can be tricky to use. While colours in controlled lighting may look good and balanced, the file size may be difficult to manage. For instance, a 20-second 8K footage is around 135MB, while the same file in 4K would be around 60MB. The phone also tends to heat up faster in 8K than in 4K, and there’s very poor stabilisation. I advise you to take videos in ultra stabilisation mode (Full-HD, 60fps) as the results will be more than satisfactory.
The front camera sadly still gets full-HD recording at 30fps.
Performance and software
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC on the iQOO Neo 9 Pro offers a big performance leap over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC-powered iQOO Neo 7 Pro. The variant I am testing includes 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4 storage.
In the Geekbench single-core and multi-core tests, iQOO Neo 9 Pro showed roughly 20 and 28 percent gains, respectively. Even the AnTuTu score improved by approximately 24 percent. The CPU Throttling test also showcased impressive stability, though the result seemed too good to be true. One explanation could be iQOO Neo 9 Pro’s larger 6,043mm sq vapour chamber cooling. Better stability could also be due to the dedicated Q1 performance chip. It could also be due to a bug in the app.
At least the phone ran without stutters and lags in real life. Even the gaming experience is refined, thanks to 4D haptics (via gaming mode) and flat display. I compared the gaming experience by playing BGMI and Call of Duty on iQOO Neo 9 Pro and the OnePlus 12R, and the former provided a relatively more refined experience.
But when it comes to a clean Android experience, the OnePlus 12R is a step ahead. The iQOO Neo 9 Pro is eligible for three years of major Android OS, which is decent, though this could be better to compete with the likes of Samsung and Google.
Battery and charging
The iQOO Neo 9 Pro now houses a relatively bigger 5,160mAh battery, which can provide all-day battery with standard usage. With performance mode enabled, I was getting around 8.5 hours of screen time, which is quite good. Unfortunately, we were unable to conduct the backup test on PCMark’s battery test due to a bug in the app. We will update this section later.
With the bundled 120W charger, the iQOO 9 Pro attained full charge in around 35 minutes.
Final verdict
Similar to its predecessor, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro remains your best bet in the sub-Rs 40k segment if gaming and performance matter to you. The upgraded 50MP primary camera delivers reliable performance, although the inclusion of a telephoto camera or an improved ultra-wide camera could have given it an edge.
Alternatively, if you seek a clean Android experience and an immersive Android ecosystem, the OnePlus 12R may be the ideal choice. However, for stutter-free performance and ample 256GB storage at a comparatively lower budget, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro proves to be a compelling option that won’t disappoint.
Editor’s rating: 8 / 10
Reasons to buy
- Smooth and lag-free performance. Plus, Android 14 out-of-the-box.
- Offers a better gaming experience, thanks to a tall and flat display.
- The primary camera offers good performance in ideal lighting conditions.
- Long battery backup with reliable charging speeds.
Reasons not to buy
- The overall design can be a bit bland.
- The ultra-wide camera needs improvements.
 | Rs. 36,999.00 | Go To Store |
 iQOO Neo 9 Pro | vs |  Nothing Phone 2 |
| iQOO Neo 9 Pro | vs |  Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G |
