iQOO has built a reputation for delivering high-performance smartphones at relatively affordable prices. With its latest model, the iQOO Neo 10R, the company again aims to deliver top-notch performance without a high price tag. Moreover, with this smartphone, iQOO has added a new category to its Neo lineup, as the Neo 10R comes as the first ‘Neo R’ device from the brand.
To ensure smooth and sustained performance, iQOO has also backed the device with a massive 6,400 mAh battery. The Neo 10R’s strengths also lie in several other areas, like coming with 80W charging and having a 50MP OIS-enabled primary camera. However, you may be wondering whether these features make it a worthy package or not. Let's delve into these specifics with our detailed review of the iQOO Neo 10R.
Display and design
The iQOO Neo 10R sports a large 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED panel. With this generous screen, we get an enhanced viewing experience, especially for gaming or binge-watching movies or web shows. The screen supports a 144Hz refresh rate, though in typical usage, it operates at 120Hz, with the highest refresh rate supported by select gaming titles.
Further, the 2400 x 1080 resolution delivers sharp visuals, while the local peak brightness of 4,500 nits makes outdoor visibility excellent. The touch response remains high enough, and it also supports HDR in popular video streaming apps like Netflix or YouTube, making the multimedia experience a pleasant one. Moreover, the colours are vibrant, all while offering inky blacks and deep contrast, thanks to the device’s AMOLED panel.
In terms of its design, the smartphone features a lightweight build, which is surprising considering it houses a big battery unit. It is also surprisingly comfortable to hold despite its size, thanks to the 8mm thickness and well-balanced weight of less than 200 grams. Our review unit came in the "Raging Blue" colour option, which has a dual-tone finish.
In terms of durability, the iQOO Neo 10R holds its own with an IP65 rating, offering protection against minor splashes and dust. The display is protected by Schott Xensation Up glass, providing an added layer of defense against regular scratches and accidental falls. All the buttons are placed on the right side and are easy to reach with a single hand. However, we would have wished for a metal frame at the sides, but at its asking price, it’s hard to complain.
Performance and software
The iQOO Neo 10R is powered by a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, which is a powerful processor that ensures smooth and responsive performance across various tasks and even during long hours of gaming. This chipset also delivers strong performance in benchmarks, generating more than 1.5 million scores on the Antutu benchmarking app.
Further, the device is coupled with up to 12 GB LPDDR5x RAM and 256 GB UFS 4.1 storage, and this combination ensures that the phone handles multitasking effortlessly. Whether switching between heavy apps or switching between multiple apps, the device remains consistently smooth. For gamers, the Adreno 735 GPU easily maintains 90FPS in demanding titles like BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile. It also has a vapour chamber cooling system that helps keep thermals in check, preventing throttling even during extended gaming sessions.
The iQOO Neo 10R runs on the latest Android 15 operating system with FunTouch OS 15 skin on top. While the software is feature-rich, it comes with a noticeable amount of bloatware. We also encountered some animation glitches and software inconsistencies occasionally while navigating through various apps or scrolling through the notifications. However, the phone remains fast and responsive in day-to-day use.
iQOO promises three years of OS updates and four years of security updates, ensuring that the phone remains up-to-date for a reasonable period. The device also includes multiple AI enhancements in the gallery and notes apps, adding useful features for users who love to edit their photos or browse through various apps frequently. Overall, the software experience is smooth, efficient, and packed with useful features for daily usage.
Camera
The Neo 10R features a 50 MP primary sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS) support and an 8 MP ultrawide lens. For selfies, the device houses a 32MP selfie camera. In outdoor conditions, the device delivers a solid performance, capturing sharp and detailed images with good contrast. Even during hazy or cloudy conditions, the images have well-differentiated highlights, shadows, and adequate detail. The dynamic range is also decent.
However, the ultra-wide lens struggles slightly with edge distortion. We also noticed a drop in sharpness and contrast compared to the primary camera while taking images in the same lighting conditions, especially in the corners. Thankfully, the Portrait mode is another strong suit of the phone, offering natural edge detection and balanced background blur. Skin tones remain accurate, and the AI processing ensures that the details are well-preserved.
If we talk about night photography, the phone handles low-light conditions well, reducing noise while maintaining clarity. The OIS helps in stabilizing shots, resulting in brighter and sharper images even in pitch-dark environments. Moreover, with the dedicated Night mode, users can improve the contrast and brightness of the clicked images. The front camera also delivers crisp selfies with good color reproduction.
We were quite surprised by the video recording performance of the phone, as the recorded footage produced enough details in most lighting conditions. The primary rear camera supports video recording at 4K 60fps, while the front snapper has 4K 30fps support. The colours also look balanced for videos and there is also a Pro video mode to let users tweak the ISO and shutter speed, which is helpful while recording indoor videos.
Battery
The Neo 10R packs a large 6400mAh battery, which is enough to offer up to two days of non-stop backup with moderate usage once fully charged. Even while binge-watching content for long hours or scrolling through social media apps, the Neo 10R easily lasts a full day and some more on a single charge. If we talk about the exact screen on time, the device easily promises more than seven hours of output with continuous 5G usage.
When it’s time to recharge, the 80W fast charging support tops up the battery in under an hour. We also appreciate that in 25 minutes, half of the battery can be charged if you are in a hurry. iQOO has also bundled the charger in the box and claims that the battery can retain over 80% health even after five years of daily charging.
Verdict
The iQOO Neo 10R is a well-rounded smartphone that excels, especially in performance and battery department. Its Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset also delivers superb gaming performance, while the massive battery ensures that the phone can last for long hours. The camera performance is also satisfactory, especially during the daytime.
However, the build quality leaves a lot to be desired, and the occasional software glitches sometimes ruin the overall experience. Still, at a starting price of Rs 26,999, the iQOO Neo 10R offers excellent value for money, making it a compelling choice for performance seekers and users who love long battery life from their smartphones.
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