iQoo Neo 10 review: Mid-range gaming powerhouse

Time of India

12 hours ago

Rating: 3.5/5
For a brand that's still relatively little-known,
iQoo
has quickly carved out a niche for itself in the competitive smartphone market. Its strategy? Focus on power-hungry users who want powerful performance without spending a fortune. Over the years, iQoo's Neo series has built a reputation for bringing gaming-focused specs to the mid-range, and with the Neo 10, the company is trying to follow the same approach.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Undo
The
iQoo Neo 10
features Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, a 144Hz AMOLED display and a 5500mAh battery. The price starts at Rs 31,999 and tops out at Rs 40,999 for the high-end variant with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. Add to that a 50MP camera, IP65 dust and water resistance, and an Inferno Red colour, it certainly makes a strong first impression. But does it deliver where it counts? We spent some time with the top-end variant of the iQoo Neo 10 to find out.
Design and Display
The iQoo Neo 10 features a polycarbonate build that feels sturdy yet sleek and lightweight in hand. At 206g and just 8.09mm thick, it strikes a good balance between screen size and in-hand comfort, especially when held in landscape mode. The glossy rear panel avoided fingerprints but felt quite slippery. The dual-tone design and star-trail texture also give a gaming vibe.
With a tall stance, flat edges and well-distributed weight, the iQoo Neo 10 has a decent in-hand feeling when held horizontally as well. The square-shaped rear camera module protrudes slightly, as we noticed some wobble when placing the phone on a flat surface. However, it stops if used with the bundled cover.
The volume rockers and power button are located on the right spine, while the USB Type-C charging port, SIM slot, and speaker grille are all housed at the bottom. Additionally, the IP65 rating protects it from dust, splashes, and wet hands.
Coming to the display, the 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED panel is a standout feature of the phone. With a peak brightness of 5500 nits and a 144Hz refresh rate, the screen looks vibrant and fluid, especially during gaming sessions. We never encountered any issues with the screen's readability, even in bright sunlight.
Watching HDR content on Netflix and playing visually rich games like Asphalt or BGMI felt immersive, thanks to the screen's sharp resolution and deep contrast levels. With minimal bezels and a 93.4% screen-to-body ratio, the viewing experience is impressive. The 4320Hz PWM dimming also helps reduce eye strain during extended use.
On the other hand, the Schott Xensation Up glass and cushion structure offers durable protection as the phone survived a drop from table height without any scratches. The fingerprint sensor is also quite responsive, as we didn't face any lag while unlocking the phone with it.
Performance and Gaming
Powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, the iQoo Neo 10 comes with up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB UFS 4.1 storage. The top variant that we tested felt snappy in day-to-day usage, with fluid switching between apps. Even during heavy multitasking, we didn't experience any noticeable slowdowns.
Gaming is a core focus of this phone. We tested BGMI and Genshin Impact at maximum settings, and the phone, which also features a proprietary Q1 supercomputing chip, delivered consistent frame rates with minimal heat buildup.
The 144Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling made fast-paced action feel precise and responsive. The phone also supports features like Game Super Resolution and 144FPS gaming for supported titles. The screen responsiveness helped us during some critical action sequences in games.
The 7,000 mm square Vapour Chamber works effectively, as we didn't feel any heat or discomfort while holding the phone, even after long gaming sessions. This phone also features temperature sensors for improved heat dissipation and a Pyrolytic Graphite Sheet on components such as the front camera to maintain its coolness during extended video recording or live streaming.
With the Android 15-based Funtouch OS 15, we were able to customise performance modes and manage background apps without any hiccups. The Game Mode also helped route resources for smoother gameplay and better notification management during sessions.
The UI is clean and easy to navigate, but it comes with multiple pre-installed apps. iQoo has promised 3 years of OS and 4 years of security updates for this phone.
The smartphone also covers all the basic AI features required for work, such as photo editing and productivity enhancements. AI tools like Circle to Search, AI Erase, Note Assist and Live Call Translation are all available on the phone.
Now let's talk about the phone's default audio. It's loud and immersive. At night, while playing BGMI with surround sound enabled, enemy footsteps sounded remarkably clear, even without earbuds connected. The bass-heavy gunshots and spatial cues gave us a tactical edge and made every match more intense.
Cameras
The dual-camera setup on the rear includes a 50MP Sony IMX882 primary sensor with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide lens. Photos taken during the day had good dynamic range and colour reproduction. In low-light situations, Night Mode stepped in to retain clarity, with slight levels of noise visible.
Portrait mode offered decent edge detection, and the ultra-wide lens added versatility, though the details were slightly on the softer side. However, we missed a telephoto lens, which is now common in mid-range smartphones. Considering it is a gaming-focused device, this omission shouldn't be a deal-breaker. Here are some of the samples:
In front, the 32MP selfie camera captures sharp images with natural skin tones, making it ideal for video calls and HD recording.
Video recording with the rear cameras supports up to 4K at 60 FPS, and the stabilisation is good enough to keep footage relatively smooth, even during walking shots.
Battery and Charging
The massive 7000mAh battery is another headline feature of the iQoo Neo 10. During our usage, the phone easily lasted a full day and a half with mixed usage, and up to two days with light usage. Gaming, video streaming, and navigation barely made a dent in battery percentage, but longer sessions didn't allow the phone to run for nearly a day.
iQoo Neo 10 Review: Flagship-Like Gaming Experience at Just Rs 31,999!
The included 120W charger brings the phone to nearly 50% in under 15 minutes and to full charge in just 30 minutes. This phone's fast charging capability makes the Neo 10 ideal for competitive users who hate missing matches to charge their phones.
Verdict
The iQoo Neo 10 offers a good mix of performance, display quality, and battery life in the sub-Rs 40,000 range. With a capable chipset, sharp 144Hz AMOLED screen, and a massive battery backed by super-fast charging, this phone caters well to mobile gamers and power users.
The build may not be as premium as glass-backed competitors, and the camera setup could have benefited from a telephoto lens, but those are reasonable trade-offs for the power delivered at this price.
If you're looking for a gaming-centric smartphone that delivers consistent performance, a smooth display, and all-day battery life, the iQoo Neo 10 should be a worthy option to consider.
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