iQOO Neo10 Pro In-Depth Review: A Perfect Interpretation of a High-Performance, Cost-Effective Gaming Phone

iQOO Neo10 Pro In-Depth Review: A Perfect Interpretation of a High-Performance, Cost-Effective Gaming PhoneSince October 2024, the high-end flagship smartphone market has been fiercely competitive. The launch of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and MediaTek Dimensity 9400 has spurred a flurry of flagship releases, boasting incredible specifications but also commanding hefty price tags often exceeding $700, a significant barrier for students

iQOO Neo10 Pro In-Depth Review: A Perfect Interpretation of a High-Performance, Cost-Effective Gaming Phone

Since October 2024, the high-end flagship smartphone market has been fiercely competitive. The launch of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and MediaTek Dimensity 9400 has spurred a flurry of flagship releases, boasting incredible specifications but also commanding hefty price tags often exceeding $700, a significant barrier for students. However, on November 29th, 2024, iQOO launched the iQOO Neo10 Pro, offering students a powerful device that delivers flagship-level experiences at a significantly lower cost. Equipped with the Dimensity 9400 processor, the self-developed Q2 gaming chip, and 120W fast charging, how does it perform in real-world use? This in-depth review delves into the iQOO Neo10 Pro, uncovering its surprising strengths.

External Design: A Bold Fusion of Color and Exquisite Craftsmanship

While inheriting the family design language, the iQOO Neo10 Pro boasts bolder and more avant-garde color schemes. The addition of a vibrant "Racing Orange" provides a youthful and energetic feel, appealing to younger users. The rear camera module adopts a "suspended window" design, inspired by spaceship portholes, resulting in a neat and elegant layout. The surrounding metal frame with a brushed finish enhances the overall texture, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship.

The front features a 6.78-inch eye-protection Ultra-Crown display, utilizing the new F1 luminous material. The screen display and tactile feedback show significant improvements over its predecessor. The curvature of the screen edges aligns seamlessly with the outer frame, creating a more harmonious and fluid visual effect, eliminating the harshness seen in previous generations. Furthermore, the centrally positioned punch-hole camera has been further minimized, enhancing the overall aesthetic.

The iQOO Neo10 Pro also excels in display performance; tests show a peak brightness of up to 1721 nits, ensuring clear visibility even in bright sunlight. Eye protection features have been upgraded with the debut of a dedicated game eye-care mode, and the blue light strategy curve has been optimized. Enabling this mode results in virtually no noticeable color temperature shift.

iQOO Neo10 Pro introduces technological innovation in high-frequency dimming. By default, it utilizes 2592Hz full-brightness high-frequency dimming. During brightness transitions, the width and frequency of the flicker remain consistent, effectively resolving the jump problem around 90-nit brightness. When the high-frequency eye protection switch is off, it switches to a quasi-DC dimming scheme, combining 4320Hz ultra-high-frequency PWM dimming at low brightness and quasi-DC dimming at high brightness. At low brightness, the black bar width is narrower, and the flicker frequency is faster. Furthermore, in developer options, users can select low-brightness 4320Hz PWM dimming and medium-to-high brightness 2160Hz high-frequency dimming modes. The availability of multiple dimming modes caters to diverse user preferences, highlighting iQOO's dedication to screen technology.

On the side, the iQOO Neo10 Pro features an industry-first indium wire mid-frame, the result of three years of research and development and thousands of iterations involving eight micrometer-level precision processes, achieving a perfect balance between exceptional texture and lightweight feel.

Performance and Configuration: The Powerful Combination of a Flagship Processor and a Self-Developed Gaming Chip

The iQOO Neo10 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 flagship processor, featuring one 3.626GHz Cortex-X9 ultra-core, three 3.3GHz Cortex-A710 super-cores, and four 2.4GHz Cortex-A510 cores. Compared to its predecessor, single-core performance is improved by over 35%, multi-core performance by over 28%, and power consumption is reduced by up to 40%.

In AnTuTu benchmark tests, the iQOO Neo10 Pro achieved a score exceeding 2.89 million. Geekbench tests yielded a single-core score of 2721 and a multi-core score of 8621, showcasing the Dimensity 9400's powerful performance.

Gaming performance is equally impressive. In the Genshin Impact 30-minute standard test, the average frame rate reached 60.3fps with a power consumption of only 4.16W; in the Honkai: Star Rail 15-minute standard test, the average frame rate was 58.8fps with a power consumption of 5.61W. These figures demonstrate the iQOO Neo10 Pro's ability to smoothly run demanding games while maintaining excellent temperature control.

Furthermore, the iQOO Neo10 Pro incorporates the self-developed Q2 gaming chip, enabling 1.5K+144FPS super-resolution and super-frame rate concurrency for a significantly smoother and higher-definition gaming experience. With super-resolution and super-frame rate enabled, even in detail-rich games, text remains crisp and clear, significantly enhancing the gaming experience.

To ensure stability during extended gaming sessions, the iQOO Neo10 Pro employs a 6400mm VC vapor chamber and a full-coverage graphite heat dissipation film to effectively reduce temperature increases from the screen driver chip. In the Genshin Impact 30-minute test, the maximum front temperature was 41, and the maximum rear temperature was 40.8; in the Honkai: Star Rail 15-minute test, the maximum front temperature was 44.4, and the maximum rear temperature was 44.2. Considering the plastic frame, this temperature control is excellent.

Battery Life: The Perfect Combination of Long Battery Life and Fast Charging

The iQOO Neo10 Pro houses a 6100mAh equivalent dual-cell battery, satisfying users' long-lasting usage needs. In PChome's 2024 three-hour battery life model test, the iQOO Neo10 Pro only consumed 25% of its battery, leaving 75% remaining ranking sixth on this year's battery life chart.

In terms of charging speed, the iQOO Neo10 Pro supports 120W super-fast flash charging, fully charging the UI in 30 minutes and the entire battery in 38 minutes from a completely depleted state. It ranks fourteenth on this year's charging speed chart. Importantly, the iQOO Neo10 Pro isn't picky about chargers; it supports up to 100W PPS protocol. Tests using a 95W PPS charger showed charging power exceeding 90W at 22% battery, reaching 85% in 20 minutes and 100% in 26 minutes, comparable to the original charger.

Imaging System: The Perfect Synergy of Flagship Sensors and Advanced Algorithms

Despite its gaming-centric positioning, the iQOO Neo10 Pro doesn't compromise on its imaging system. It features a 50MP main camera + 50MP ultra-wide-angle dual-camera module. The main camera uses the IMX921 sensor with a large f/1.88 aperture. It also utilizes the same NICE algorithm found in vivo's flagship models, supporting various shooting modes like Atmosphere Master, Urban Blues, and Portrait Photography.

In outdoor daylight shots of landscapes, the iQOO Neo10 Pro's 50MP IMX921 main camera and f/1.88 large aperture capture sharp and clear details with accurate color reproduction and rich scene layering. When shooting portraits, the large aperture enables natural background blur, highlighting the subject; color adjustments are precise, skin tones are natural and realistic, and details are sharp and full.

System Experience: Smooth Operation and Rich AI Features

The iQOO Neo10 Pro runs the new OriginOS 5 system, offering smooth operation with quick app launching and closing. OriginOS 5 integrates numerous AI features, such as the Atomic Island smart notification function, allowing one-touch access to music information when background music is playing. Copied text and images can also be easily dragged and dropped to Atomic Island for forwarding.

Furthermore, the iQOO Neo10 Pro supports the "Little V Circle Search" function. Simply summon the voice assistant, circle an unfamiliar English word on the screen, and Little V will immediately provide a detailed explanation a highly practical feature for students.

The iQOO Neo10 Pro also supports AI ID photo generation. Tell Little V "Make me an ID photo," provide a frontal photo, select the desired background color, and Little V will automatically identify the subject and generate a high-quality ID photo, eliminating the need for a photo printing shop.

Conclusion: An Ideal Choice for a High-Performance, Cost-Effective Gaming Phone

The iQOO Neo10 Pro is a compelling thousand-dollar gaming phone. It not only boasts the Dimensity 9400 flagship processor and the self-developed Q2 gaming chip but also features a flagship-