iQOO’s latest launch, the iQOO 9 series is one of the most awaited flagship series’ in recent times, which includes 3-smartphones – iQOO 9 Pro, iQOO 9 and iQOO SE. We recently reviewed the iQOO 9 – BMW Motorsport Edition, it was one of the most stunning smartphones we reviewed recently, of course after the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
When iQOO launched iQOO 9 in India, it was available in two colours – Legend and Alpha. Yesterday, the company launched a third colour variant of the smartphone in India, dubbed Phoenix Orange. The newly introduced Phoenix colour comes with colour-changing technology, making it stand apart from the previously launched colours.
In India, we’ve already seen smartphones with colour-changing technology with the likes of the Realme 9 Pro, Realme 9 Pro+, Vivo V23 5G, and Vivo V23 Pro. The iQOO 9 Phoenix coloured variant marks the fifth smartphone in India that arrives with colour-changing technology. The new variant changes to orange colour when exposed to sunlight or other artificial UV light sources.
As per the iQOO, “The new vibrant colour of iQOO 9 is produced by a geometric craft on Frosty AG Glass. It changes colour when exposed to sunlight and other sources of artificial UV rays and transforms into different colours. The UV Rays of Sunshine changes the internal structure of glass molecules resulting in changing the existing colour to Phoenix (Orange) colour variant.”
Apart from the new colour, everything else remains the same between the new and previously launched iQOO 9 smartphones, including the price tag. The smartphone has a 6.56″ punch-hole AMOLED display, and it is powered by a Snapdragon 888+ chipset. The base model of iQOO 9 with 8GB RAM + 128GB(5G) storage is available at ₹42,990, while the 12GB+256GB(5G) variant will cost you ₹46,990.
iQOO is a newbie in the world of smartphones, but in just 3-years, the company managed to grab millions of eyes and thousands of customers. Their latest launch, the iQOO 9 series is one of the most awaited flagship series’ in recent times which includes 3-smartphones – iQOO 9 Pro, iQOO 9 and iQOO SE.The one we received for the review was an iQOO 9 – BMW Motorsport Edition, and this is the first iQOO phone I ever used as a primary device. Let me tell you one crucial forte upfront, the iQOO 9 series’ launched in China, and the one launched in India is altogether a separate series of phones in many aspects.
First Impressions
Let’s begin with the packing – the company has made sure to come up with an innovative packing to grab your attention. The box contains a device, a 120W charger, a few other necessary things and yes, a 3.5-mm adapter. The smartphone looks stunning at first sight, and you couldn’t stop yourself from saying, “Wow!”
Design & Display
The phone looks premium, and the one thing that makes you go weak at the knees is its design, particularly the camera module and the rear side that features BMW’s tri-colour stripes. A single look at the iQOO 9, and you would say, oh, finally, somebody’s working on the design and appearance.The smartphone has a 6.56″ punch-hole AMOLED display in the front and is coated with matt gorilla glass at the back, not prone to fingerprints. The iQOO 9 Pro and iQOO 9 have almost similar-looking BMW stripes on the back, but if you look closer, the iQOO 9 Pro has a slightly different shade of white, making it more attractive.The power button brings an absolute charm to the phone as it has a blue-coloured tone. The phone is not massive and can fit into average-sized hands. About the display, it has a pixel density of 398ppi, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and it supports HDR in the Netflix app, which is like a cherry on the top moment.
Chipset & Performance
iQOO has been known to manufacture powerful smartphones such as iQOO Z3, iQOO Z5, iQOO 7, and 7 Legend, but the iQOO 9 series is on another level when it comes to performance. The smartphone runs on a Snapdragon 888+ chip and directly competes with the OnePlus 9 RT. The unit we had for a review was loaded with 12GB RAM and up to 256GB storage.
Camera
The iQOO 9 sports a triple camera set-up – a 48 MP primary camera with f/1.8, 25mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF, gimbal OIS and 13 MP telephoto camera with f/2.5, 50mm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom. While the third one is a 13 MP ultrawide camera, f/2.2, 16mm, 120˚ and 16 MP selfie camera, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.1″, 1.0µm with support for 1080p@30fps.
Gaming & Battery
The smartphone scores 851,613* on AnTuTu but still offers average gaming performance. One can’t play Marvel Future Revolution fluently on this smartphone due to the frame drop issue, but one can have a little fun on low graphics. In the case of Asphalt 9, it runs well and doesn’t cause any trouble. iQOO has claimed the charger will take only 18 minutes and a few other necessary items. Maybe that’s one of the reasons BMW teamed up with the iQOO.
Verdict
Being the first flagship smartphone from iQOO, we were expecting a lot, but iQOO 9 disappoints us with many elements. The smartphone is priced at ₹42,990 and packs a lot of features, especially when you’re taking a look at the other smartphones from BBK electronics. At first, iQOO seems like a decent and premium smartphone, but you’ll encounter a few troubles on the way. At this price range, other smartphones are available that offer very classy features.
We’re in the first month of the year, and it’s gonna be a busy month as many tech giants are waiting to launch their best smartphones and have already lined up in the queue. Due to the pandemic, the previous two years were one of the worst years for tech launches, particularly for smartphones. Nevertheless, the companies managed to launch their smartphones, but they dealt with some losses too, which they would like to detour in 2022.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
Set to launch today in India, Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, the successor to the Galaxy S20 FE 5G, has been available for pre-order in India through Samsung India’s official website. The exact pricing details of the phone are not available yet, but it could be priced around 48k-52k. The smartphone sports a 6.4-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with a 120Hz refresh rate and runs on Android 12-based One UI 4. Galaxy S21 FE 5G arrives with the Snapdragon 888/Exynos 2100 SoC and is available in four colours- Graphite, Lavender, Olive, and White. The phone is available in up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage, and if you pre-order it now, you’ll get a Galaxy SmartTag free.
Xiaomi 11i Series 5G
This week another smartphone set to be available in India is the Xiaomi 11i Series 5G, whose Hypercharge variant offers a full charge in just 15 minutes and is advertised as Indias fastest charging smartphone. The regular variant, Xiaomi 11i, has 67W fast charging support, not bad, but you can get 120W fast charging if you’re ready to put a few more thousands. The series has a 6.67-inch full HD+ display with 1080×2400 pixel resolution and offers a 120Hz refresh rate. In terms of camera, it has a triple camera setup with a 108MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide shooter and 2MP macro shooter. The sale of the 11i Series smartphones will begin on 12th Jan at 12 PM on Flipkart.
OnePlus 10 Pro
Whenever discussing the upcoming launches, we should always begin with the one who’s confirmed or at least have vast chances to appear soon, which makes us put the OnePlus 10 Pro on top of the list. The flagship smartphone is expected to arrive in January 2022, with an LTPO OLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. A recently launched teaser of the phone shows it will have a redesigned camera module but in a new layout.
Xiaomi 12 & Xiaomi 12 Pro
Nobody likes to stay behind, especially in terms of business and to tackle the situation, Xiaomi has decided to launch their flagship smartphone Xiaomi 12, a little later in 2022, possibly in March 2022. Along with Xiaomi 12, the Chinese smartphone making giant also plans to launch Xiaomi 12 Pro, with a 2K AMOLED display. Both the smartphones would be a few of the first smartphones to come up with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone series, Galaxy S22, is already the talk of the town, but the one device that is grabbing the most attention is Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The upcoming smartphone S22 Ultra is expected to have a minimum of 12GB RAM, while the other 2-phone from the series will start from 8GB of RAM. As per the insiders, the S22 Ultra will include an S Pen slot, while some reports also suggest the S22 models will come with two variant options, an Exynos 2200 chip and the new Qualcomm 8 Gen 1.
Apple iPhone SE 3rd-Gen
Apple launched one of the most awaited smartphones of the company, the iPhone SE, in 2020, and the phone gained a lot of praise from critics and audiences, which made sure Apple would come up with the next generation. According to industry analysts, Apple might launch the third-gen iPhone SE by March 2022. The affordable smartphone will have Apple’s speedy A15 chip, but again, it might arrive with the home button and bezel styling of the 2nd-gen SE or with a notched display. Let’s hope for the best.
Asus ROG Phone 6
Asus ROG Phone 5 was launched in India somewhere around the last week of March 2021, and it created a lot of hype. Since then, the hardcore gamers have been dreaming about experiencing Asus ROG Phone 6, which has been stimulating rumours all over the internet. The recent hypotheses showcased the possible design of the ROG Phone 6, and according to them, the handset flaunts the prominent gamer-esque look, similar to Asus ROG Phone 5. The sketch also reveals that it might feature a small display at the back and is expected to come with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC.
Realme GT 2 & GT 2 Pro
Realme recently launched its flagship smartphones, Realme GT 2 and GT 2 Pro, in China with the Snapdragon 888 5G Processor and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, respectively. The GT 2 Pro arrives with a 2K LTPO AMOLED screen, runs on pre-installed realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 OS, and is backed by a 5000mAh battery. On the other hand, the GT 2 comes with almost similar features to GT 2 Pro, including design, battery, realme UI 3.0 and RAM. The GT 2-series handsets are available in four colour variants- Paper White, Paper Green, Steel Black and Titanium Blue.
Vivo X80 Series
Being one of the most trusted brands in the world, Vivo has entered a game of flagship smartphones in the last couple of years and wants to expand a little more into it. The Chinese smartphone giant is expected to launch three devices- X80, X80 Pro and X80 Pro Plus, as part of the X80 series in the first quarter of 2022. The X80 series smartphones will guarantee a faster and lag-free performance while watching videos and playing intense graphics games, thanks to the Octa-core Processor.
Apple iPhone 14
Now, it’s been like a tradition that Apple will unwrap a fresh batch of next-generation iPhones every year around the third quarter of the year and we’re addicted to it. We’re only in the first month of the year, and the buzz around iPhone 14 has already begun. The upcoming flagship iPhone 14 will bring an iOS 16 chipset, and it is also expected to come up with a 120Hz refresh rate and hole-punch display. Also, the iPhone 14 family is likely to drop the mini version because people didn’t show much interest in buying the mini versions of the previous iPhones.
Google Pixel 6a
In the world of the smartphone industry, Google phones are best known for their cameras as they’re unmatchable. Google launched their anticipated smartphones, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, back in October 2021, but unfortunately, they didn’t launch these phones in India due to chip shortage, which disappointed their Indian fan base. But according to the recent rumours, Google is planning to launch Pixel 6a in India, and that too with a few exciting changes in design, chipset, and other specs. The upcoming Pixel 6a might have a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate along with a 4800mAh battery and similar camera specs like Pixel 5a.
iQOO 9 & iQOO 9 Pro
The Chinese smartphone brand recently launched the iQOO 9 Series lineup in China. It is powered by the recently launched Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, the same chipset that powers devices like the Xiaomi 12 Pro and Realme GT 2 Pro. The lineup has two devices – the iQOO 9 and the iQOO 9 Pro, paired with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB inbuilt storage. iQOO 9 sports a 6.78-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,400 pixels), while the pro model features 6.78-inch Quad-HD+ (3,200×1,440 pixels) display with a refresh rate of 120Hz.
