Last year’s flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 has breathed new life into the mid-range sub- Rs 40,000 market, as is the case with the new iQOO Neo 7 Pro 5G, a device that joins the likes of the OnePlus 11R in delivering flagship performance at a price that’s rather nice.
Sporting a polycarbonate frame with curved edges, the Neo 7 Pro is either going to fly under your radar or be the centre of attention in the room… depending on which colour option you pick up — the shimmery, yet subtle, Dark Storm or the bright orange Fearless Flame.
Whichever colour you pick, it feels sturdy and durable in the hand, if a little heavy and thick (8.5 mm, 199.5 g for the Dark Storm variant I tested). That said, it has an IP52 splash resistance rating, which doesn’t match up to the IP68 dust and water resistance of some of its peers.
Around the front is a 6.78-inch 120 Hz, full HD+ AMOLED display, which supports HDR10+ playback on streaming services and offers a good multimedia experience with vibrant colours, solid 1,300 nits peak brightness and loud dual speakers.
The camera setup, with the 50-megapixel primary camera, 8-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel macro sensor, takes good images from the primary shooter, but the ultrawide falters in capturing details, particularly in less-than-ideal light (as does the macro).
Running the Android 13-based Funtouch OS 13, the Neo 7 Pro packs in 8/12 GB of memory and 128/256 GB of storage, both of the faster LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 variety. Performance is expected of little concern, with the chip having proven to be a solid and efficient performer over scores of phones around the end of last year.
Gaming on Asphalt 9 and Battlegrounds Mobile were a breeze, with no signs of lag or stutter even on high frame rate settings with HDR graphics, and performance is further boosted by an independent gaming chip, which performs ‘frame rate interpolation’ — adding in extra frames during gameplay for a smoother experience.
Of course, the larger vapour chamber cooling helps keep thermals in check over sustained gaming sessions. Battery life is good as well, with the 5000 mAh battery lasting well over six hours of screen time with moderate everyday use and some gaming, but the trick up the Neo 7 Pro’s sleeve is the 120 W fast charging, which tops up the tank in under 30 minutes.
One thing is clear — you won’t be left wanting for performance. So, if the durability and the presence of some amount of bloatware don’t bother you, the Neo 7 Pro makes for an excellent gaming companion.