In-depth Review of iQOO Neo10 Pro: A Performance Beast Hampered by Uninspired Design

In-depth Review of iQOO Neo10 Pro: A Performance Beast Hampered by Uninspired DesignAs we approach December, the smartphone market remains fiercely competitive. With Realme and Redmi recently releasing flagship products, the iQOO Neo10 Pro has entered the fray, further intensifying the already heated competition in the mid-range segment

In-depth Review of iQOO Neo10 Pro: A Performance Beast Hampered by Uninspired Design

As we approach December, the smartphone market remains fiercely competitive. With Realme and Redmi recently releasing flagship products, the iQOO Neo10 Pro has entered the fray, further intensifying the already heated competition in the mid-range segment. Can this new phone help iQOO win over more users in the mid-range market? This comprehensive review will analyze the iQOO Neo10 Pro from multiple aspects, including design, performance, gaming experience, battery life, and camera system, ultimately providing an objective assessment.

I. Design: Familiar Style, Somewhat Mundane

The iQOO Neo10 Pro adopts iQOO's familiar design language, featuring a single-piece panel with two oversized camera modules. The overall style is simple, but lacks novelty and distinctiveness. Compared to many current models, it appears somewhat ordinary. While the grip feels acceptable, with a smooth transition between the frame and back panel, and the back cover uses a fine AG frosted glass material, the 7.99mm thickness and 206g weight are also quite moderate. However, the iQOO Neo10 Pro doesn't offer a striking design, potentially impacting purchasing decisions of consumers seeking unique aesthetics.

II. Screen: Flagship-Level Specs, Minor Shortcomings

The iQOO Neo10 Pro boasts a 6.78-inch, 1.5K resolution display featuring flagship-level LTPO technology, 1800nit peak brightness, 1-144Hz adaptive refresh rate, and 4320Hz high-frequency PWM dimming, and utilizes a flagship-grade 8T screen material. Regrettably, it doesn't employ a 2K high refresh rate screen, somewhat limiting its high-end competitiveness and creating a gap compared to current flagship devices. In an era where 2K resolution and high refresh rates are standard for flagships, iQOO Neo10 Pro's choice seems conservative, potentially disappointing users seeking a premium visual experience.

III. Fingerprint Sensor: Accurate and Fast, Excellent Experience

The iQOO Neo10 Pro deserves praise for continuing the excellent tradition of its predecessor by using a single-point ultrasonic fingerprint module. Compared to mainstream optical fingerprint sensors, ultrasonic fingerprint technology boasts significant advantages in enrollment speed, recognition speed, accuracy, and wet-finger unlock success rate. While not employing a wide-area ultrasonic sensor, the single-point version still delivers an outstanding experience, satisfying most users' daily needs. Many manufacturers use inferior short-focus fingerprint sensors to cut costs. This is acceptable on smaller phones, but on 6.7-inch or larger devices, the experience is significantly lacking. The iQOO Neo10 Pro avoids this issue, demonstrating its commitment to user experience.

IV. Performance: Dimensity 9400+ Self-Developed Chip, Powerful Gaming Performance

The iQOO Neo10 Pro is powered by MediaTek's latest flagship processor, the Dimensity 9400, a chip jointly tuned by vivo, MediaTek, and ARM. Its performance on vivo phones might surpass other brands. AnTuTu scores reach 2.69 million, while GeekBench 6 scores 2763 (single-core) and 8817 (multi-core), exceeding the vivo X200 and even some Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered models.

In gaming tests, the iQOO Neo10 Pro maintained around 60fps in demanding games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, with acceptable frame rate fluctuations. Thanks to a robust cooling system, heat is well-managed even during extended gameplay.

Furthermore, the iQOO Neo10 Pro integrates a self-developed esports chip, Q2, combined with iQOO's proprietary algorithms, theoretically enabling 1.5K resolution + 144fps gaming. However, real-world testing revealed stuttering and tearing during rapid scene changes, limiting its effectiveness in demanding games and better suited to less graphically intensive titles. This is likely due to the significant power consumption challenges of running large games at 1.5K resolution and 144fps.

V. Battery Life: Large Battery + Fast Charging, Excellent Endurance

The iQOO Neo10 Pro features a 6100mAh dual-cell battery supporting 100W PPS fast charging and 120W proprietary fast charging, leading its class in battery life. In tests, charging from 1% to 80% took only 42 minutes. The combination of a large battery and fast charging effectively addresses battery anxiety, ensuring long usage times.

VI. Imaging: Decent, Meets Daily Needs

While benefiting from vivo's algorithms, the imaging system isn't the iQOO Neo10 Pro's main selling point. Therefore, its performance is decent, meeting daily photography needs. The main camera uses the same IMX921 sensor as the vivo X200 series, featuring 50MP, an F/1.88 aperture, and a 1/1.56-inch sensor size, ensuring good image quality. The ultrawide also boasts 50MP and supports fisheye, macro, and astrophotography modes. Sample images show good highlight control and moderate saturation.

VII. Other Features: Comprehensive Basic Specifications

The iQOO Neo10 Pro includes NFC, infrared remote control, dual speakers, and IP54 water and dust resistance, offering comprehensive features for daily use.

VIII. Conclusion: Powerful Performance, but Lacks Surprise

The iQOO Neo10 Pro is a high-performance mid-range gaming phone, exceeding many flagship models in performance and boasting advantageous game optimization technology. Battery life, fast charging, and other basic features are excellent.

However, the iQOO Neo10 Pro lacks innovation in design and displays somewhat conservative screen specifications. The overall experience lacks excitement. In today's competitive market, relying solely on powerful performance is insufficient to attract consumers when design and screen specifications are lacking. iQOO needs design breakthroughs to gain greater competitiveness in the mid-range market.

Pricing (in Chinese Yuan):

iQOO Neo10:

• 12+256GB: 2299

• 16+256GB: 2499

• 12+512GB: 2699

• 16+512GB: 2999

• 16+1TB: 3499

iQOO Neo10 Pro:

• 12+256GB: 3199

• 16+256GB: 3399

• 12+512GB: 3499

• 16+512GB: 3799

• 16+1TB: 4299

In summary, the iQOO Neo10 Pro is a powerful mid-range gaming phone, but its uninspired design and screen specifications might influence purchasing decisions. iQOO needs to prioritize design innovation and user experience improvements in future products to stand out in the fiercely competitive market.