iQOO Neo 7 Review: Better and faster than most competitors in the Rs 30,000 segment
The new iQOO Neo 7 comes with support for ultra-fast charging, a display with high refresh rate and a powerful processor. But it also competes with the highly reliable Pixel 6a and Nothing Phone 1. Is it worth buying in that case?
iQOO Neo 7 Review: Better and faster than most competitors in the Rs 30,000 segment
iQOO Neo 7 review8/10
PROS
Clean design
Fast charging
Suitable for taking photos
Good display
DISADVANTAGES
Bloatware
Average for videos
In a nutshell
The iQOO Neo 7 comes in two storage and color variants.
The price of the base model starts at Rs 29,999.
The phone supports 5G and 120W fast charging.
Abhik Sengupta: It is said that the number 7 is often considered lucky. When Apple launched the iPhone 7 without a 3.5mm audio jack in 2016, it sent waves across the smartphone industry. In 2019, OnePlus also changed the game for Android smartphones after bringing high-refresh displays to the mainstream with the OnePlus 7 series. Samsung also tried its luck with the Note 7, but later changed the game with the Galaxy Z Fold series.
Going by the numbers game, iQOO has just launched its iQOO Neo 7 series in India at a starting price of Rs 29,999. Their new phone is fully loaded with features and the company hopes to set a new benchmark like its rivals. The iQOO 7 (2021) is already on the market, which was a great buy for the price. However, the phone was overshadowed by the Xiaomi Mi 11X and the OnePlus 9R.
iQOO Neo 7 Review: Better and faster than most competitors in the Rs 30,000 segment
On the other hand, the new iQOO Neo 7 is a significantly improved version of last year’s iQOO 7 and Neo 6. First, the supported charging speed has been increased from 80W to 120W. The phone also carries a larger camera sensor for better photos and videos. More importantly, it packs the relatively more powerful MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC.
On the other hand, there are a few areas where iQOO hasn’t made major changes, such as the design. But luckily, the price of the new generation model remains more or less the same compared to its predecessors.
In that case, should you consider buying the iQOO Neo 7, especially when the segment includes the Google Pixel 6a and the Nothing Phone 1? Additionally, will it be able to make similar statements to the OnePlus 7 and iPhone 7 series? We will find out in this review.
iQoo Neo 7 5G Price in India
The iQoo Neo 7 5G has been launched in India in two storage variants. The base variant of this phone has 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage. This variant is priced at Rs. 29,999. The variant sent to us by iQoo has 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. It is priced at Rs. 33,999 in India.
iQoo Neo 7 5G design and display
In this era where many smartphones have a flat frame design, the iQoo Neo 7 5G continues to offer a curved back panel and frame. The phone has a polycarbonate body, but by no means does it look cheap. The color we have is called Frost Blue and has a matte finish that helps keep fingerprints and smudges away. At first, I liked the Interstellar Black color variant better, but the Frost Blue color somehow grew on me. Moreover, the gradient that is visible when the light hits the back panel gives this phone a premium look.
iQOO Neo 7 Review: Better and faster than most competitors in the Rs 30,000 segment
iQoo Neo 7 5G WM iQoo Neo 7 5G
The iQoo Neo 7 5G has a plastic back panel and frame
The weight is also well distributed. For those wondering, the iQoo Neo 7 5G weighs 193g and is 8.58mm thick. On the front, the iQoo Neo 7 5G has a tall 6.78-inch display. The screen size is the same as what you’d get with the flagship iQoo 11 5G ( review ), but the iQoo Neo 7 5G has a full-HD+ resolution with 120Hz refresh rate support. The display is flat and has relatively thin bezels. The chin is the thickest at 2.65mm and overall the iQoo Neo 7 5G offers a screen-to-body ratio of 93.11 percent.
The screen supports HDR10+, and you also get WideVine L1 support, which Netflix discovered. The colors are vivid and you get a good multimedia experience thanks to the fairly loud speakers. There is some channel imbalance, as the earpiece, which serves as a secondary output for audio, is not as loud as the primary speaker at the bottom. I didn’t encounter any problems while using the iQoo Neo 7 5G outdoors in direct sunlight. The display offers 1300 nits at maximum brightness, but only achieves this when playing HDR content.
iQoo Neo 7 5G Specifications and Software
The iQoo Neo 7 5G has a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC, which is manufactured based on the 4nm process. The SoC has a maximum clock speed of 3.1GHz and comes with a Mali G610 GPU. Eight 5G bands are supported in India. The device also allows you to assign 8GB of storage as Extended RAM. There is dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3. Under the hood is a 5000mAh battery and this phone supports 120W fast charging with the included charger.
iQoo Neo 7 5G WM 8 iQoo Neo 7 5G
In terms of software, the iQoo Neo 7 5G runs the latest Funtouch OS 13 based on Android 13 out of the box. It comes with several third-party apps like Byju’s, Snapchat, Spotify, etc. You can uninstall them if you wish. There are several app recommendation folders called Hot Apps and Hot Games. Previously, these folders could be hidden using a toggle in the Settings app. However, Vivo has now moved this setting to its V-App Store, which is not available on the iQoo Neo 7 5G, so there is no way to remove these two folders.
That being said, Funtouch OS 13 has come a long way when it comes to customization and personalization. Users can dig into the Settings app and customize animations for almost every task like charging, unlocking the phone with a fingerprint, switching between home screen and lock screen, etc. There are also options to change wallpapers, icons, and other UI elements.
The new Funtouch OS 13 supports Android’s Material You theme engine, which means system icons and elements can match the color of your chosen wallpaper. You can further adjust the colors in the Settings app. Funtouch OS allows users to create profiles including guest profiles, which is currently not possible with any other custom skin. I wish Vivo and iQoo would refresh the design a bit and maybe even consider bringing the Chinese exclusive Origin OS to India. Hopefully, this will happen with the Android 14 or Android 15 updates that iQoo has promised to provide for the iQoo Neo 7 5G along with three years of security support.
iQOO Neo 7 Review: Better and faster than most competitors in the Rs 30,000 segment
iQoo Neo 7 5G performance and battery life
iQoo phones are known for prioritizing performance and the Neo 7 5G is no different. Its Dimensity 8200 SoC can punch through almost anything you throw at it. Be it routine daily tasks or gaming, the phone can handle it all. I played several games on the iQoo Neo 7 5G, such as Call of Duty: Mobile, Asphalt 9 and Genshin Impact. While the first two offered smooth gaming experiences, Genshin Impact didn’t run as well for me and there were a few stutters. It is possible that the game is too resource intensive as even some flagship phones struggle with it.
iQoo Neo 7 5G WM 10 iQoo Neo 7 5G
The in-display fingerprint scanner quickly authenticates you and unlocks this phone.
PUBG: New State and Call of Duty: Mobile can run at 90fps out of the box. iQoo also confirmed that BGMI, currently disabled in India, should get 90fps support
iQOO Neo 7 Review: Better and faster than most competitors in the Rs 30,000 segment
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