iQOO Neo 10 Review: Not Just for Gamers, But for Anyone Who Wants Speed, Style, and Stamina

It is often seen that Smartphone brands find themselves at a crossroads between innovation and identity, especially in the mid-tier segment. The competition in this segment is relentless and hence brands like iQOO, instead of following the trend, they tend to appears to be setting its own rhythm. iQOO is introducing devices at a rapid pace, not just to keep up but to reshape expectations. With its latest release-iQOO Neo 10, the tech giant is experimenting with the scale, energy efficiency, and intelligent software that adapts to users in real time.

After using the iQOO Neo 10 for a few weeks, I’ve formed a detailed impression of how this device stacks up. Indeed it is stuffed with some interesting specs for this class and it comes with the amazing Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset on board. However, since OnePlus, Honor, and Realme are some of it’s main competitors. Therefore, does the iQOO Neo 10 bring something new that can attract more users of the service? As you will see in my review below you will get to know this.

Before we continue with review, here’s its specifications:

Design:

When brand stick to a familiar design path, it often signals a desire to maintain recognition while quietly improving the user experience. That’s the same case with iQOO Neo 10 as it doesn’t scream for attention with radical visual changes but subtly asserts its presence through its bold color choices. The iQOO Neo 10 launched in two color options including Inferno Red and Titanium Chrome and I received the second option.

The smartphone looks and feels premium while holding, In fact, in-hand, it reminded me of some-high end OnePlus models that I have already used. For my most of the work, I used the device without a case and not once did I feel slippery or overly delicate. iQOO Neo 10 is one such phone that looks powerful and refined at the same time.

Additionally, the matt finish on the back resists fingerprints like a pro and this actually proved to be best for me because I am someone who detests constantly wiping the phone. That being said, it sometimes felt heavier that what I am used to but as I finished using it for a week I didn’t realize I am actually used to it now. As I used it more, I started to appreciate it and that’s because of its massive 7000mah battery that’s tucked inside and hence may be making it heavier. It’s a bit of a trade-off, yes, but one that I was happy to make, especially when I could go nearly two full days without charging.

Display:

Let me start with the part of the phone that I interacted with the most and that is display with the 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with a 1.5K resolution (2800 x 1260 pixels). I can’t deny the fact that the display specs is easily among the best in this price bracket. My personal experience was watching ‘The Creator’ on Amazon Prime Video in HDR and it felt like a mini camera experience. All thanks to phone’s 10-bit color depth and peak brightness of 5500 nits. The feeling didn’t shake off even in outdoor conditions under bright sunlight and the display remained vivid and clear.

My daily use felt extra smooth due to the 144hZ refresh rate, especially when scrolling through Chrome or swiping in Instagram Stories. I am a habitual reader at night and I always make sure that I am reading one or two chapters of any web novel so for me the 4320Hz PWM dimming was cherry on a cup cake. It made my night-time reading sessions less straining on the eyes.

One of the other feature that I loved finding out is that the phone is protected by Schott Xensation Up glass, which gave me some peace of mind as I accidentally dropped the phone on my bedroom’s floor and it came out with barely a mark.

Processor, OS & Performance:

Under the hood, the iQOO Neo 10 is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip and one thing became abundantly clear to me that this phone is a performance-first powerhouse. The processor is clocked at 3.21GHz, and that’s not just a number on a spec sheet as it is paired with 16GB of RAM and a generous 512GB of internal storage, which is a high-end variant. I received the same high variant and I can’t tell how much I loved testing it.

Whether I was switching between editing a 4K video, playing a game, browsing Chrome with multiple tabs, or using Instagram reels while a WhatsApp video call ran in the background, it just never broke a sweat.

I am the kind of user, who never shuts the background apps and I tend to jump around a lot, from photo editing to Instagram to playing BGMI or Clash of Clans. I expected some kind of lag or frame drop here and there, but to my shock, the Neo 10 handled everything like a champ. There is no shutters, no loads, and just smooth uninterrupted performance.

Now, what impressed me is the Supercomputing Q1 chip and 7K Ultra VC cooling system that kept the phone thermally stable even under pressure. I played some HDR videos while running some background downloads and then jumped into an hour-long BGMI session and still everything was smooth and the phone didn’t get too hot to handle.

This makes me conclude to the point that iQOO didn’t just throw high-end hardware’s into the Neo 10 and hope for the best, rather they cleverly engineered this for the real world scenarios and sustained performance.

Jumping to the gaming session and yes this phone was born to game and why I am saying this because when you are indulge in the fast paced gunfight, then those milliseconds of lag make all the difference. And, here I felt like I had a competitive edge because even when I tried Call of Duty: Mobile with graphics maxed out, to my surprise there was no frame drop. In addition, even at the time of most chaotic multiplayer scenes, the phone stayed smooth.

I also played BGMI on 144fps and I genuinely had to take a moment to appreciate how smooth it was. Everything was buttery and smooth.

The phone also adapts really well during heavy background activity. For instance, I was downloading a big game update in the background while playing an online match, and not once did I see a dip in frame rate. That’s where you appreciate how far mobile chipsets have come, and Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 shows it’s no slouch when it comes to power management and task juggling.

Not everybody is a fan of Funtouch, and Neo 10 running on Funtouch OS 15, built on Android 15 can be interpret as a low side, but I have personally seen improvements in the last couple of versions. This time, it is more streamlined, less bloatware, and you can actually uninstall most of the pre-installed stuff if you don’t need them.

I noticed I could keep a lot of stuff running in the background without any noticeable performance dip, all thanks to phone’s high RAM ceiling. I was jumping from a paused YouTube video to Gmail to Canva and right back without anything having to reload.

Camera:

Speaking of portrait mode, this is where I had the most fun. The camera surprised me, to be honest. The 50MP Sony portrait lens with f/1.79 aperture took detailed shots during daylight and produced impressive bokeh in portrait mode. I clicked few portraits in golden hour lighting and it came out perfectly with edge detection and background separation were easily social media-worthy.

I didn’t expect the cameras to be soo good because that’s something not usually the headline feature in a gaming-centric phone. However, this phone surprised me, especially for the price. I could zoom in on the leaves of a nearby plant and still see the textures clearly. What stood out to me was how vibrant yet natural the colors looked.

It is rare for phones under this price segment to handle portrait shots this well, but I would say Neo 10 holds its capture just fine.

There are lots of smartphones in this price segment in the market that go overboard with saturation, but Neo 10 kept things balanced. For example whites looked whites not bluish, red didn’t bleed, and even the clouds were rendered with surprising finesse.

Now, talking about the low-light photography, and this is where lots of mid-range smartphones start showing their cracks. But thanks to Neo 10 and its dedicated Night Mode as it holds steady while clicking at night. The exposure was balanced and there was minimal noise. If you are a camera buff, then you would surely notice that it delivers well-preserved details in both shadows and highlights.

The 8MP ultra-wide camera does a decent and okay job as it was not as exciting as the main sensor. But it worked fine when you want to take group shots or landscapes. The thing is if you expect it to deliver flagship-level consistency then you are wrong.

Now for something many don’t mention but should is the front 32MP camera. I click lot of selfies as I am a self obsessed person (jokes a part). I noticed the selfie images are crisply detailed and the skin tone is quite natural. I used it for video calls and I could feel that there’s a bit of processing happening in the background, but never at any point I felt that it is overdone. Thanks to its 32MP front camera, I didn’t end up looking like a wax statue with all white all over my face. The beauty filters in the camera are optional and not aggressively by default.

Now comes the video section! I shot a short 1080p vlog for a friend’s birthday party and the footage came out smooth and vibrant. Vibrant as in not exaggerating vibrant, but an acceptable vibrant.

Now, blending this with the gaming experience, I realized the camera doesn’t just sit on the side while you game. For example, during a long Call of Duty: Mobile session, I used the front camera to record a reaction video for fun. There was no noticeable lag in the game, and the camera app worked simultaneously in floating window mode. That’s a true sign of strong optimization.

In BGMI, I even took a couple of in-game screenshots with the screen recorder turned on and then immediately switched to the camera to capture a real-world moment. Again there was no lag.

Camera Samples:

Battery

One of the standout specifications of this phone is its massive battery of 7000mAh and it is the silent champion in this price segment. No matter how much I pushed the phone, it didn’t flicker. From watching 4K videos to using Google Maps in long drive, or endless chats on WhatsApp, I always ended up my day with juice to spare. On average, I actually clocked 805 to 10 hours of screen time.

Then there’s the 120W FlashCharge. I went from 0 to 100% in just under 30 minutes. Once, while getting ready for a trip, I charged from 8% to 70% in less than 15 minutes. It practically removed any battery anxiety from my life.

Final Verdict:

In conclusion, the iQOO Neo 10 exceeded almost every expectation I had. It may not be a photography king or a minimalist’s dream, but as a phone that delivers flagship-grade performance, unmatched battery life, crazy-fast charging, and immersive entertainment, it’s near unbeatable at its price. If you’re a power user, gamer, or just someone tired of charging your phone twice a day, the Neo 10 is worth every penny.