The gaming performance of a smartphone is primarily defined by its processor, and most flagship smartphones excel in gaming due to their high-end chip. Last year, I got a phone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC by paying over Rs 1,20,000, and now, in less than 12 months, we have the iQOO Neo 9 Pro with the same chip, available for less than half of that.
On paper, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro is currently one of the most powerful smartphones under Rs 40,000, and I have been testing the device for over three weeks as my primary device to check if that translates to real-world performance. Here are my findings.
A phone that doesn’t need a case
Wrapping up the newly bought phone with a case is the first thing that most of us do, and if you are buying the iQOO Neo 9 Pro, that won’t be necessary for two reasons. I have been testing the Fiery Red variant of the iQOO Neo 9 Pro, which has a dual-tone finish made out of vegan leather, which not only looks striking and unique but also offers plenty of grip to hold onto the device without leaving any smudges or fingerprints. If you still want to put a case, just to be on the safer side, iQOO is including one in the box to get going.
Other aspects like the colour, a matching flat frame (made of plastic), and an IR blaster (universal remote), make this an interesting proposition. I also like the placement of the power and volume buttons, which is similar to that of a Samsung smartphone. Despite packing a large 6.78-inch screen and a 5,160 mAh battery, the phone weighs well under 200 grams, and the device feels light to carry around. However, the USB-C data transfer rate is still limited to the 2.0 standard.
Excellent display for gaming and content consumption
The 6.78-inch display on the iQOO Neo 9 Pro comes with up to 144Hz refresh rate (gaming) and up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness. Gaming during midnight or under sunny daylight, the display shines with its excellent brightness control, where it can not only get really bright, but it can also get really dull, which helps reduce eye strain during night. The Schott Xensation Up protection also does a good job, as I am yet to notice any scratches on the screen, despite not using any screen protector.
While most phones of this class now opt for a curved display, iQOO has gone for a flat panel, similar to iQOO 12, and this also caters to its gaming spirits. Unlike a curved display phone, there is no image distortion, especially around the corners, and the thin and almost uniform bezels also make the phone look aesthetic. This is also an LTPO panel, which makes it power efficient, as it can scale down the refresh rate to just 1Hz to 144Hz, and it is also much easier to find and install a screen protected for a phone like the Neo 9 Pro, thanks to its flat design.
If your fingers happen to get sweaty during extended gaming sessions, then iQOO got you covered with its wet hand touch technology, and it really makes a difference by enabling accurate touch control.
Good primary camera
I started testing this phone knowing its computing prowess, however, the primary camera sensor on the phone also makes a great phone for casual shutterbugs, which takes excellent photos in almost any lighting condition. iQOO has also cut down on the camera sensors compared to its predecessor and has only included two cameras — a 50 MP Sony IMX 920 primary shooter and an 8 MP ultra-wide angle lens. The phone can take portrait shots, shoot 4K videos (only on the primary camera), and it also offers 2x lossless zoom pictures.
Here are some camera samples from the iQOO Neo 9 Pro:
Fantastic gaming phone
iQOO Neo 9 Pro is a testament that you don’t have to spend close to a lakh to get a great Android gaming phone. The combination of a 144Hz display, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 makes it an excellent gaming device. It’s been a while since I played Clash of Clans, and I downloaded it on the Neo 9 Pro and loaded my fully upgraded level 9 town hall, as this is one of the games that officially supports 144Hz mode. This is the smoothest experience that I have ever experienced on a phone.
I also played Asphalt 9 Legend, and I was able to play that game at the higher graphics settings without any issues. Zombie Fire 3D is another game that I played on the Neo 9 Pro, and the performance was nothing short of fantastic. Other popular games like BGMI, COD, and Genshin Impact are also optimised to run at a 144Hz refresh rate. It also has a faster UFS 4.0-based storage on both variants, enabling faster app opening and higher read and write speeds.
On AnTuTu, the phone scored over 1.6 million points and on the CPU throttle test, it offered a stability score of 89 per cent, which indicates, that the Neo 9 Pro can continue to play heavy games without throttling the performance. On top of that, even with extended gaming of over an hour, the smartphone just got slightly warm with very minimal heating.
All this is backed by a 5,160 mAh battery with support for 120W fast charging, where, on most days, I easily got over 7 hours of screen-on-time, and it is also one of the fastest charging smartphones, period, thanks to 120W fast charging and even the fast charger is included in the box, which takes under 30 minutes to fully charge.
Verdict: You don’t have to spend a fortune for a good gaming phone
In terms of performance, iQOO has never disappointed with any of its latest offerings, and the same now applies to the Neo 9 Pro, a phone that just has the right set of features, which makes it a practical daily driver, which can handle any game that you throw at it.
When compared to devices like the OnePlus 12R (review), it does miss out on features like a metal frame and slightly cleaner software, however, what makes the iQOO Neo 9 Pro special is the fact that, doesn’t miss out on anything that makes a difference in the real world. If you are looking for a performance-first smartphone that also delivers on the other front under Rs 40,000, go for the iQOO Neo 9 Pro.
