Vivo X100 is very nice, and iQOO 12 is also great. But we all just passed Christmas and New Year, you probably don’t have much money in your pockets to buy such an expensive cell phone. So iQOO took some parts off the X100 and turned it into the iQOO Neo9 Pro, which has the same flagship chip, and the same main camera sensor, but is $140 cheaper. It’s not destined to be a “flagship killer”, but it will be one of the best phones to buy in 2024.
Design
When I got this phone, I marveled at how it can be so light and thin. Technically, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro isn’t particularly thin and light, I feel that way because all phones released recently are over 200g and over 8mm thick, so it’s still quite comfortable having the iQOO Neo 9 Pro in the hand.
Why are all the other phones so heavy? Because they all use metal frames and glass backs. Then why is the Neo9 Pro so light? Because its frame and back cover are plastic, the USB is still 2.0, and the fingerprints are positioned further down. I mean, yeah, it’s cheap, but I’m totally fine with it.
Benchmark & Gaming
The processor used in the iQOO Neo9 Pro is the MediaTek Dimensity 9300, which is the same chip as the Vivo X100 series. As you can see, the CPU will be a bit stronger than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, while the GPU will be slightly weaker. Although MediaTek says they are the best in the world, I would put the Dimensity 9300 in the same league as the 8 Gen 3, after all, the difference doesn’t look that big.
Let’s start with an appetizer, the PUBG Mobile gaming test. you can see that under light loads they are really in the same league as well. Even the 8 Gen 3 consumes slightly less power and has a smoother frame rate curve, when it comes to heavy-load gaming, the Dimensity 9300 reverses the situation. Temperatures and power consumption are both lower with about the same frame rate.
Combined with Game Super Resolution and Frame interpolation, the iQOO Neo9 Pro’s gaming experience is very good, at least in Genshin Impact. Of course, these two features still only support a few Chinese games. This is something the Vivo family phones regret for.
Camera
Looking back at the Redmi K70 Pro’s Reviews, the camera is really bad. So we all know that phones that focus on performance usually have poor cameras. But we are wrong about the iQOO Neo9 Pro, which has a superb camera.
As I said at the beginning, the Neo9 Pro is a revamped version of the Vivo X100. It has the same sensor in both the main and ultra-wide cameras and the same image algorithm. That’s why it’s one of the best phones I’ve seen with the best camera at the $400 price point. It does almost everything a flagship phone does, such as the ultra-wide camera supporting autofocus so it can take macro photos.
And the main camera is good enough, photos after zooming in twice are still very clear and sharp, and the white balance is very accurate. Even in night scenes, this main camera gives great picture quality. The Ultra-wide camera is just as great, especially in night mode, which in addition to boosting the dynamic range, also makes the sky bluer.
I also have to brag about the Neo9 Pro, instead of choosing to put down a crap macro camera, or a 2x telephoto with no OIS, it pulled all the money into the ultra-wide camera. The better ultra-wide camera allows it to record up to 4K 60fps video, and also the freedom to switch between cameras at 4K 30fps. I think it’s a smart choice, one great camera is much better than two crap ones. Every phone brand should learn from iQOO. For samples, see the video at the beginning.
And then there’s the thing about color. While it defaults to that very saturated color style, you can also choose a less saturated, higher contrast color style. Plus the vignetting makes it no less than a photo from a co-branded phone like Leica or Hasselblad. So if you give the Neo9 Pro a telephoto camera, it’s definitely a camera system at the flagship level.
Display
The screen on the iQOO Neo9 Pro should be the biggest shortcoming. While the resolution and refresh rate are unchanged compared to the Neo8 Pro, the pressure sensitivity feature is gone though. And when you look at it from the side, you’ll see more obvious rainbow lines. The only good news is the new LTPO, which saves some power. To be honest, all the other specs are pretty good, it just lacks some surprises. For a better screen, check out the Redmi K70.
Battery & Charging
The Neo9 Pro charges at the same 120W as the K70 Pro, but why it takes six minutes more than the K70 for a full charge? Probably because of the slightly larger battery. While the battery capacity isn’t super large, it’s not small either. Combined with excellent power consumption control under heavy loads, it has a slightly better battery life than the K70 Pro in the same price range. By the way, it doesn’t have wireless charging either.
Conclusion
As the cheapest phone with a flagship chip, the Neo 9 Pro has done its mission well: Kill the Redmi K70 Pro. In particular, I’m impressed with its awesome camera system. If the OnePlus Ace 3 doesn’t surprise me when I have my hand on it, then the iQOO Neo9 Pro will be the best phone to buy these days.
