iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G Review: The Flagship Killer?
iQOO, a sub-brand of Vivo, has made a name for itself in the Indian smartphone market by focusing on delivering top-notch performance at an affordable price. The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G is the perfect embodiment of this philosophy, offering flagship-grade performance, an excellent camera setup, and a battery that can last all day. But what really sets this phone apart is its gaming-focused features, making it the ultimate gaming smartphone in the market. In this review, we’ll dive deep into the iQOO Neo 7 Pro’s features and performance to determine if it’s worth buying for gamers.
Design and Build Quality
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G has a unique and bold design that sets it apart from other smartphones in the market. But saying that, it’s the same design as its processor, iQOO Neo 7. The large rectangular camera island on the back is a bold statement, and the bright orange vegan leather back in the Fearless Flame variant is sure to turn heads. The back panel is also curved from the sides, which helps with grip, but the phone is still quite boxy in hand. The front of the phone has a flat display with bezels that are not the narrowest, but they’re not too big either.
Display
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G has a large 6.78-inch AMOLED display with an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz. The display also has a Pro color profile option, which makes everything quite accurate, albeit a bit dull. The display has a peak brightness of 1300 nits, as well as all the essential certifications like Widevine L1 and HDR10+. The phone also features Game Display Enhancement which sharpens the display for gaming and reduces power consumption.
Performance
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 mobile platform, which adopts TSMC 4nm process and has superior flagship-grade performance with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. The phone plays demanding games without breaking a sweat. Moreover, the phone has an independent gaming chip that boosts FPS by game frame interpolation, making gaming a smooth experience. The phone also has commendable thermal efficiency as it does not heat up easily. It also features Motion Control, Gyroscope Enhancement, 4D Game Vibration, and Voice Changer to level up your gaming experience.
Camera Quality
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G comes with a flagship 50MP GN5 OIS ultra-sensing primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, and a 2MP macro camera. The primary camera produces contrasty photos that work quite well, and the night-time shots are also quite impressive. The video performance of the main sensor is great as well, thanks to OIS. The ultrawide camera produces decent photos that are usable for social media. The macro sensor is there to make up the numbers. The selfie camera is not great since the dynamic range in photos leaves a lot to be desired, but it’s still decent.
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Battery Life
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G has a 5000mAh battery that can last all day. But what’s really impressive is the 120W FlashCharge that takes only 8 minutes to charge from 1% to 50% in fast charging mode. It takes about 25 minutes to charge the phone fully.
Software
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G runs on Funtouch OS 13, based on Android 13. The software has its quirks, such as spammy notifications and hot games, and app folders, but these can be disabled. The user experience is generally very good after that. The phone also comes with two years of OS upgrades and three years of security patches.
Audio
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G has stereo speakers that are loud and balanced, making them perfect for watching movies or listening to music. The phone also has an IR blaster, but we would have preferred a headphone jack instead.
Day-to-day Use
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G is a great phone for day-to-day use. The 8GB or 12GB RAM ensures smooth everyday performance, and we didn’t experience any lag or slowdown, even during multitasking or running demanding apps. The phone also has an optical in-display fingerprint scanner that works great. iQOO has equipped the Neo 7 Pro with 8 5G bands, including n1, n3, n5, n8, n28A, n40, n77, and n78, ensuring comprehensive 5G coverage throughout India.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Performance Powerhouse
- Good display
- Stereo speakers
- Wow battery life
- Super-fast 120W charging – Full charge in just under 25 min
Cons
- Same old design
- FunTouch OS with Bloatware
- Missing 3.5mm audio jack
Price and Availability
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G is priced at Rs. 34,999/- for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant, and around Rs. 37,999/- for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. It’s available in two colors: Fearless Flame, which has a textured finish, and Dark Storm, which has a smooth finish for the rear panel. The phone is currently available for purchase on Flipkart and other major e-commerce platforms.
Worth Buying?
The iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G is the ultimate gaming smartphone in the market today. It offers flagship-grade performance, an excellent camera setup, and a battery that can last all day. The phone’s gaming-focused features, such as the independent gaming chip, Motion Control, Gyroscope Enhancement, 4D Game Vibration, and Voice Changer, make it perfect for gamers. The fast charging is also a huge plus. The only downside is the lack of a headphone jack, and the Funtouch OS 13 software can be a bit spammy. However, these are minor drawbacks when compared to the phone’s overall performance. If you’re a gamer looking for a smartphone that can handle your gaming needs, the iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G is definitely worth buying.
