iQOO Neo 10 evaluation: Flagship-grade efficiency, entry-level appeal | Mint-OxBig News Network

While iQOO launched only one Neo gadget final 12 months, it has already moved on to the second mannequin within the lineup for 2025. The new iQOO Neo 10 is the primary cellphone in India to characteristic the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, paired with iQOO’s in-house Q1 graphics chip and a 7,000 mAh battery, making it clearly geared toward gaming fanatics. But does the Neo 10 dwell as much as the Neo sequence’ status, or is it simply one other mildly tweaked entry in a crowded market? I’ve been utilizing the iQOO Neo 10 for the previous 10 days, and right here’s the way it holds up in the actual world.

Unboxing and design:

Inside the black-coloured field of the iQOO Neo 10, you get all the usual stuff, which incorporates the gadget itself wrapped inside a paper overlaying, a clear plastic case, a SIM ejector instrument, a USB-A to USB-C kind cable, and a few paperwork which, let’s be trustworthy, nobody is ever going to learn.

In phrases of design, the iQOO Neo 10 is sort of a reproduction of the Neo 10R (Review), which launched again in March. The cellphone options the identical squiricle digicam outlet however with a little bit of design across the edges, iQOO branding on the backside, a plastic again, and a plastic body.

The in-hand really feel of the Neo 10 is not actually preferrred, particularly for a tool priced over ₹30,000. The full plastic exterior paired with the 6.78-inch show makes the cellphone really feel hefty and uninspiring, and the suggestions from the three buttons on the precise doesn’t do it any favours both.

Similar to the Neo 10R, this cellphone additionally comes with an IP65 water and dirt proof ranking, which means it may additionally deal with a little bit of splashes however not full submersion underneath water. In phrases of connectivity, there’s help for WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC and an IR blaster.

Display:

The cellphone comes with a 6.78 inch 1.5K AMOLED show with 144Hz refresh charge (120Hz in most situations), HDR10+ certification and 5,000 nits of peak brightness (2000 nits in High Brightness Mode). This is a flat panel just like the Neo 10R, making it extra interesting to avid gamers.

The panel right here delivers spectacular color copy, deep contrasts, and nice brightness ranges which paired with the decently loud stereo speaker setup make the Neo 10 an ideal companion for these binge watching periods. In peak outdoor, the show stilll stays fairly legible however the glare from the panel and make the output look lower than preferrred.

Camera:

The iQOO Neo 10 options the identical digicam setup because the Neo 10R, with a 50MP Sony IMX882 main sensor with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 32MP selfie shooter.

The real-life output from the Neo 10 can also be largely much like its sibling, with the first digicam being able to taking some handsome pictures within the daytime with loads of element and respectable dynamic vary. While the first shooter handles low-light situations impressively nicely, I did discover some lens flare points, with colored streaks or ghost rings showing whereas capturing shiny lights like streetlights.

Compared to its main competitors, nonetheless, the Neo 10 misses out huge time because of the lack of a telephoto lens. Moreover, the photographs from the 13R appear to retain extra element, highlights, and seize colors which are nearer to actual life in my expertise.

Moving on to the ultra-wide angle lens, the 8MP shooter does the job, however the important color shift and loss intimately in comparison with the first shooter imply one wouldn’t be counting on it an excessive amount of.

The 32MP selfie shooter takes some detail-rich and eye-pleasing pictures underneath good lighting, however the low-light efficiency of the sensor is considerably underwhelming, with color accuracy going for a toss and the Neo 10 exhibiting a bent to ‘beautify’ the photographs.

Performance:

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor on iQOO Neo 10 is coupled the gadget with LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.1 storage — a welcome step, particularly contemplating that some telephones on this worth phase, just like the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, nonetheless ship with UFS 2.2 storage.

The new Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor is succesful, and I did not expertise any persistent heating points with this chipset, not like with many 8s Gen 3 telephones. In phrases of day-to-day utilization, I discovered no points with the Neo 10: the app opening time is nice, as is the multitasking expertise, which is to be anticipated from a flagship grade chipset.

Owing to the height summer season warmth, the cellphone does get just a little heat throughout extended gaming periods, but it surely by no means turned too uncomfortable to carry, and the warmth dissipated shortly as soon as the cellphone was left alone.

Now, let’s check out the benchmarks of iQOO Neo 10:

On GeekBench 6, the cellphone will get a single-core rating of two,102 and a multi-core rating of 6,572 for the CPU benchmark. As for the GPU benchmark, the Neo 10 garnered a rating of 14,338.

• On 3D Mark’s Extreme Wild Life Stress Test, the cellphone received a finest loop rating of three,217 and a lowest loop rating of two,174 with 67.6% stability. In comparability, the OnePlus 13R had a better finest loop rating of 5,036 and a lowest loop rating of two,758, however with a decrease stability charge at 54.8%.

Software and battery:

iQOO Neo 10 runs on Funtouch OS 15 based mostly on Android 15, and iQOO has promised 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of safety patches with this gadget. In case you aren’t conscious of Funtouch OS, it’s the UI discovered on all Vivo and iQOO telephones in India.

One good factor I like about Funtouch OS is that there’s an choice to disable a lot of the bloatware if one is scrutinous in the course of the preliminary setup course of. However, regardless of that, a number of third-party apps nonetheless come bundled with the Neo 10, together with Snapchat, PhonePe, Facebook, Spotify, Amazon, LinkedIn, and Netflix. The UI can also be crammed with adverts—from the search drawer to the lock display screen—and disabling all of them is a process by itself.

Generally talking, Funtouch OS is a good choice for individuals who don’t actually care about their software program expertise, with all options so as, but it surely lacks the finesse provided by another smartphone makers like Samsung’s One UI or OnePlus’s OxygenOS.

In phrases of battery, the Neo 10 comes with a 7,000mAh setup with help for 100W quick charging, however there’s a 120W charger that comes contained in the field. The battery life is nice sufficient to final nicely over a day, even for heavy customers, with a median screen-on time of round 8–9 hours, and it takes about 40–45 minutes to completely high up the battery.

Verdict:

At a beginning worth of ₹31,999, the iQOO Neo 10 makes a powerful case for itself as a gaming-focused cellphone, because of the brand new Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 4.1 storage, an enormous 7,000mAh battery, 120W quick charging, and a flat 120Hz AMOLED panel.

That mentioned, it’s arduous to see this cellphone hanging a chord with the broader viewers. The all-plastic construct feels dated at this worth, and the absence of a telephoto lens or an IP68 ranking, mixed with the persistent adverts and preinstalled bloatware on Funtouch OS 15, could be a dealbreaker for a lot of.