This year there are already several flagship killers in the scene and it is very hard to choose the best one. And currently, the flagship killers are even closer to the top-tier ones, which is the reason why they are even more interesting than last year. Xiaomi 12 Pro debuted at the end of 2021 with an almost perfect specs sheet, followed by the iQOO 9 Pro earlier this month and by the OnePlus 10 Pro. After comparing the Xiaomi 12 Pro to the OnePlus 10 Pro and to the Realme GT 2 Pro, now it is time to compare it to the iQOO 9 Pro in another outstanding Chinese flagship comparison.

Xiaomi 12 Pro vs Vivo iQOO 9 Pro

Xiaomi 12 Pro Vivo iQOO 9 Pro
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 163.6 x 74.6 x 8.2 mm,
204 g		 164.8 x 75.2 x 8.8 mm,
204 g
DISPLAY 6.73 inches, 1440 x 3200 pixels (Quad HD+), LTPO AMOLED 6.78 inches, 1440 x 3200 pixels (Quad HD+), LTPO AMOLED
PROCESSOR Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, octa-core 3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, octa-core 3 GHz
MEMORY 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 512 GB 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 512 GB
SOFTWARE Android 12, MIUI Android 12, Origin OS Ocean
CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS
CAMERA Triple 50 + 50 + 50 MP, f/1.9 + f/1.9 + f/2.2
32 MP front camera		 Triple 50 + 16 + 50 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.2 + f/2.3
16 MP f/2.5 front camera
BATTERY 4600 mAh, fast charging 120W, fast wireless charging 50W 4700 mAh, Fast Charging 120W, fast wireless charging 50W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES 5G, dual SIM, reverse wireless charging 5G, dual SIM, reverse wireless charging

Design

It is very hard to choose the best design between the Xiaomi 12 Pro and the iQOO 9 Pro. I personally think the former is more suitable for casual users who need an elegant device, thanks to its compact dimension and its minimalistic camera module sporting the same color as the rear side. On the other hand, the iQOO 9 Pro is better for gamers and for all of those who are searching for an original phone, especially when it comes to the special BMW M Motorsport Edition with that amazing stripe showing the BMW colors. Both these devices come with a curved screen and a very high screen to body ratio, but the Xiaomi 12 Pro is slightly more compact because it has a smaller display.

 

Display

Coming to the displays, these devices are very close to each other. The specifications of these displays are almost the same. They are AMOLED panels with the LTPO technology showing up to one billion colors. They have an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, the Dolby Vision support, the HDR10+ certification, a peak brightness of up to 1500 nits, an in-display fingerprint reader for authentication, and a great Quad HD+ resolution of 1440 x 3200 pixels. The only real difference between these two panels is the diagonal: 6.73 inches for the Xiaomi 12 Pro and 6.78 inches for the iQOO 9 Pro. They will not be the best displays of 2022, but they are very close to the best panels out there thanks to their amazing specifications.

 

Specs & Software

It is essentially a draw even when it comes to the performance. The Xiaomi 12 Pro and the iQOO 9 Pro are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform built at 4 nm and running at a 3 GHz frequency: it is the best Qualcomm chipset to date and it is paired with up to 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The iQOO 9 Pro offers more internal storage in the most expensive configuration: up to 512 GB of UFS 3.1 native storage instead of just 256 GB. Both the phones run Android 12 but with different user interfaces: MIUI 13 for the former and Origin OS Ocean for the latter.

 

Camera

It is very hard to understand which of these devices will offer the best camera quality if we only look at the specs on the paper. Both the phones are equipped with a 50 MP main camera including OIS, but the iQOO 9 Pro has a brighter f/1.8 focal aperture and the gimbal OIS technology which is more effective than classic OIS systems. The Xiaomi 12 Pro has a telephoto sensor with 2x optical zoom and a higher 50 MP resolution, while the iQOO 9 Pro has a 16 MP telephoto sensor but with a stronger 2.5x optical zoom and OIS. Both the phones feature a 50 MP ultrawide camera, but the iQOO 9 Pro has a wider 150° FOV. On the other hand, Xiaomi 12 Pro has a better 32 MP selfie camera.

 

Battery

The battery of the iQOO 9 Pro is slightly bigger with a capacity of 4700 mAh against just 4600 mAh provided by the Xiaomi flagship. However, given the small difference, the software optimization will decide which device will offer the longest battery life. The charging speeds are more or less the same with 120W fast wired charging and 50W fast wireless charging.

 

Price

The starting price of the Xiaomi 12 Pro and the iQOO 9 Pro in China roughly translates into €795/$899. These devices come with almost the same specs sheet: which one would you pick?

 

Xiaomi 12 Pro vs Vivo iQOO 9 Pro: PRO and CONS

Xiaomi 12 Pro

PRO

  • More compact
  • Great rear cameras
  • Better front camera
  • IR blaster
  • Wider availability

CONS

  • Nothing particular

 

Vivo iQOO 9 Pro

PRO

  • Wider display
  • Gimbal OIS
  • Bigger battery
  • Up to 512 GB of storage

CONS

  • Inferior front camera

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