Last year, iQOO entered India with a single smartphone called iQOO 3. Despite being powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, the handset was announced in both 4G and 5G versions. It has been a year since this device’s debut in the country but the brand has not announced any other model so far. However, it has dropped the price of the iQOO 3 several times. In fact, the phone now starts at only ₹24,990 ($340).

For those unaware, iQOO is an independent brand, which was formerly a series of performance-focused smartphones by vivo. Hence, just like POCO and Xiaomi, vivo shares its resources with iQOO.

The brand entered India without any ties with vivo India, which has been operating in the country for years. Hence, iQOO India being a new player could not market its device well enough on its own.

Additionally, the phone is plagued by poor software, as per critics and users. Also, though it was part of the Android 11 Beta program, it is yet to receive the stable update.

Further, as most of the smartphone sales in India happen under the $250 segment, it was hard for a newcomer like iQOO to sell a $500+ handset. As a result, it had to cut down the price many times. 

Hence, the device is currently selling for the below-listed prices on its official online retail partner Flipkart.

We don’t know how long the phone will be selling for these price tags. Hence, if you are interested in getting this handset, make sure to place an order as quickly as possible. Also, make use of bank offers to further lower the cost.

RELATED:

• iQOO Neo5 launch date is March 16
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• Rumor: iQOO may launch two or more devices in India starting March
• Alleged iQOO Neo5 India variant with Snapdragon 870 spotted at Geekbench

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Like fellow Chinese OEMs, vivo was also part of Android 11 Beta program. The company delivered two builds each for two of its smartphones – vivo NEX 3S 5G and iQOO 3 4G/5G. Now, the firm has released the third beta build with Funtouch OS 11 based on Android 11 stable codebase.

Chinese smartphone makers like OnePlus, OPPO, and Xiaomi have already released the 2020 version of their mobile operating system. These companies have also begun to roll out beta builds to a large number of users.

On the other hand, vivo is yet to announce its latest Android skin Funtouch OS 11. However, the company did tease it at the vivo V20 series launch event in Thailand. Interestingly, the company had also quietly released a beta build of the same for vivo NEX 3S 5G and iQOO 3 4G/5G on September 20 going by their build numbers.

The first-ever Funtouch OS 11 beta build based on Android 11 stable codebase for the above-mentioned vivo smartphones comes after Android 11 Beta 1 in June and Android 11 Beta 2 in July.

Just like the previous two builds, the latest one is also only meant for developers. But anyone can try it, however, we would recommend not to.

That said, we expect vivo to soon announce Funtouch OS 11 officially in the coming days.

UP NEXT: Vivo Watch with a premium design, 18 days battery life launched for ¥1299 (~$191)

(Source / Via)

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Vivo is one of the few OEMs to partner with Google to offer its users the latest version of Android before release. Though it is primarily meant for developers to test their app, any user can install it if they want to. The company released Android 11 Beta 1 for iQOO 3 4G/5G and Vivo Nex 3S in June. Now, after two months, the company releases Beta 2 for these devices.

Going by the build number of the update files, the Android 11 Beta 2 for the supported Vivo handsets were released in late July after OnePlus 8/8 Pro got them. Since Vivo is not popular among tech enthusiasts, the update remained under the hill until PiunikaWeb spotted it.

The installation procedure is simple as users don’t need PC or any knowledge of flash tools. All they have to do is download the update package from the link provided from the below on their phone.

Then, simply open any file manager app and tap on the downloaded file to initiate the installation procedure. This will factory reset the phone and therefore, make sure to create a backup of important files beforehand.

In a similar manner, users can return back to the stable Android 10 build by downloading and installing the rollback package provided below.

As for bugs, the company says that the battery level indicator is blocked by the punch hole camera on iQOO 3. Whereas, on Nex 3S, users cannot use Vivo Wallet feature.

Download Android 11 Beta 2 for Vivo iQOO 3 4G/5G and Nex 3S

UP NEXT: Samsung announces Android 11-based One UI 3 Developer Beta for Galaxy S20 series

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Google officially released Android 11 Beta 1 for Pixels a couple of days back. As expected, some of the partner OEMs also announced their involvement in the program. Oppo was the first company to reveal, followed by OnePlus, Xiaomi, Poco, and Realme. Now, Vivo and iQOO have also declared their association in the beta program with their Nex 3S and iQOO 3 handsets.

Google began to involve partner OEMs in the Android Beta program from Android Pie. Most of the companies released AOSP build for its users. But from last year, almost all of them delivered builds with their own skin like MIUI, OxygenOS, etc. The trend continues this year as well.

Hence, the Android 11 Beta 1 for Vivo Nex 3S and iQOO 3 is available as FuntouchOS and iQOO UI. Also, the update is available for both 4G and 5G variants of iQOO 3 that are sold in India.

Vivo says it will be releasing the second build in late July, which will be soon followed by stable release once Google officially launches Android 11 in August.

The currently available builds are not suitable for all users as they have some major bugs like the in-display fingerprint sensor. Anyway, if you are still interested, you can download them from the link provided below.

Once downloaded, copy the file to your device and navigate to Settings > System Update > Local Update. Do note that this will reset your phone and hence make sure to create a backup of your data before proceeding.

Download Android 11 Beta 1 for Vivo Nex 3S and iQOO 3 4G/5G

UP NEXT: Vivo’s upcoming smartwatch passes through 3C certification process

(Via)

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The Vivo sub-brand iQOO launched its iQOO 3 smartphone a couple of months back in India. The phone comes in both 4G and 5G variants though they are powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC. The handset started at ₹36,990 but it was increased to ₹38,990 earlier this month due to new GST (Goods & Services Tax) by the Indian government. And now, the company has announced a permanent price cut of ₹4,000 and ₹2,000 on the 4G and 5G versions of the device respectively.

The price cut for iQOO 3 in India was already teased by the company on Twitter. It is a bold move by the new player in one of the most competitive smartphone markets in the world. We are uncertain how the brand is pulling this off as it was only able to sell the phone in March before the country went on lockdown last month and the scenario is still the same due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

At the moment, e-commerce companies in India are only allowed to sell essential goods and since phones are non-essential goods as per the government, their sales are expected to begin only after lockdown. And thus, the price cut of iQOO 3 will be effective from then.

Anyway, here’s the new revised price of iQOO 3 in India after the permanent price cut.

UP NEXT: iQOO Neo3 launched with Snapdragon 865 & 144Hz display

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Vivo had launched its iQOO (which stands for I Quest On and On) sub-brand in China last year April. The brand sells performance driven smartphones with impressive price tags. At the beginning of this year, iQOO confirmed that it will be arriving in India by launching its first phone in February. Today, the company took off covers from the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform powered iQOO 3 smartphone. After the Realme X50 Pro 5G that debuted yesterday, it is the second smartphone to arrive with 5G support in India even though 5G connections haven’t started in the country. The iQOO 3 phone that is packed with some exciting features like punch-hole display, 48-megapixel triple cameras and 55W fast charging for its large-sized battery can be bought in 4G and 5G flavors.

iQOO 3 specifications and features

The iQOO 3 smartphone measures 158.51 x 74.88 x 9.16mm and it weighs 214.5 grams. The smartphone flaunts an HDR10+ complaint S-AMOLED display of 6.44 inches that features a punch-hole at the top-right corner. The 20:9 aspect ratio supporting display produces full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, 800nits of full screen brightness and 100 percent P3 color gamut. The screen of the iQOO 3 is integrated with an in-display fingerprint reader that unlock in just 0.31 seconds. The glass rear of the phone curves towards the edges.

The Snapdragon 865 mobile platform which is a 5G-ready SoC is present at the helm of the iQOO 3. The chipset of the iQOO 3 is coupled with up to 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. It is the world’s first smartphone to ship with UFS 3.1 storage that promises transfer speeds of 1.2Gbps. It can be bought in 128 GB and 256 GB storage versions. The iQOO 3 smartphone is fueled by a 4,400mAh battery that supports 55W Super FlashCharge technology.  It takes only 15 minutes the phone to reach 50 percent battery juice from scratch.

For gamers, there are shoulder buttons dubbed as Monster Touch buttons on the left edge of the device. These buttons can be used to map gaming functions such as shoot, jump, fly, etc. It also offers other gaming friendly features such as 180Hz touch response rate, 4D in-game vibrations and Ultra Game Mode. There is carbon fiber VC liquid cooling technology onboard that can effectively reduce surface temperature by 3.5-degree Celsius and CPU temperature by 12-degree Celsius.

iQOO offers an L-shape capsule data cable for conveniently charging the iQOO 3 while playing games. The Android 10 OS is preloaded on the device along with iQOO UI 1.0 custom skin.  There is Multi-Turbo technology for boosting the phone’s performance while gaming. According to the company, the iQOO 3 recorded an impressive AnTuTu score of 610,576.

The punch-hole on the iQOO 3 has a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The rear side of the device has a rectangular camera module at the upper-left corner. It consists of an f/1.79 aperture 48-megapixel main shooter, an f/2.2 aperture 13-megapixel ultrawide lens, an f/2.46 aperture 13-megapixel telephoto sensor with 20x digital zoom and an f/2.4 aperture 2-megapixel portrait lens. The quad cameras are blessed with features like 2.5cm Super Macro Mode, Super Night Mode, Super Anti-Shake and 4K video recording at 30fps. For enhanced audio experience, the iQOO 3 is equipped with AK4377A Hi-Fi audio chipset. The device comes with Hi-Res audio certification.

iQOO 3 5G price and release date

The iQOO 3 will be exclusively available through Flipkart in India starting from March 4 at 12 PM. The smartphone will be also available for purchase through iQOO India website. The iQOO 3 with 4G connectivity comes in two models such as 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. They are priced at Rs. 36,990 (~$515) and Rs. 39,990 (~$557). The 5G edition of the iQOO 3 comes with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB storage and it costs Rs. 44,990 (~$626).

Buyers of the iQOO 3 in India with ICICI credit cards can take advantage of flat Rs. 3,000 (~$42) discount. The phone can be availed in color variants such as Volcano Orange, Quantum Silver and Tornado Black. Other launch offers include no cost EMI options of up to 12 months and Rs. 12,000 (~$167) benefits from Jio.

In China, the iQOO 3 comes in four variants such as 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, 12 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. These models are priced at 3,598 Yuan (~$515), 3,798 Yuan (~$539), 3,998 Yuan (~$568) and 4,398 Yuan (~$625). The pre-sales of the phone begin today in China through online retailer sites. The first sale of the iQOO 3 5G will be held in the home market through online and offline stores from March 2.

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iQOO has announced that its upcoming phone, the iQOO 3 will launch in 4G and 5G models. Earlier today, the manufacturer had an “immersion event” where it invited members of the press to come and have a hands-on experience of the device.

Some invited guests that got review units of the phone have been sharing photos on social media. While some got the 5G version others got the 4G version. We are sure a lot of our readers have been wondering what chipset powers the 4G version just like we have. It turns out the iQOO 3 4G is also powered by the Snapdragon 865 processor. Yes, you read that right.

The info was revealed by the Director of iQOO India, Gagan Arora, on Twitter.

It's the latest only. iQOO 3 will in 2 variants -4G and 5G and you have received the 4G variant. By the way, both variants have Snapdragon 865!

— Gagan Arora (@gagan_arora1) February 19, 2020

We are pretty surprised too since Qualcomm is only selling the Snapdragon 865 to manufacturers along with the Snapdragon X55 5G modem. So how is iQOO able to sell a 4G version of the phone with the SD865 processor?

The plausible explanation is that 5G support is deactivated on the device and since the modem supports multiple network types including 4G and 3G, everything is fine. That makes sense since manufacturers do this all the time especially with band support for phones launched in different regions.

Based on this info we want to know if you will purchase the 4G version or the 5G version of the phone.

UP NEXT: Rumor: Snapdragon 865 Plus coming in Q3 2020

(Source)

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