The iQOO Neo series has been known for its gaming prowess, and the Neo 6 (review) is the best example of that. Ever since its launch, the Neo 6 was one of our most recommended devices under Rs 30,000 — for hardcore gamers. Now, the company seems to be all set for its second launch of this year with the iQOO Neo 7. At first glance, the Neo 7 does not look much different from its predecessor. But on paper, the smartphone comes with a bunch of upgrades and changes over the Neo 6.
The iQOO Neo 7 is also the first ever smartphone in India to come with MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chipset — and this is also the company’s first move away from Qualcomm. So, can it live up to its predecessor? Find out in our first impressions of the iQOO Neo 7.
iQOO Neo 7 First Impressions: The Unboxing experience
The iQOO Neo 7 comes in a slightly tweaked box compared to the last few devices. This time around, it gets the number ‘7’ and ‘Neo’ written on top with a few other elements on the front. It still has that diagonally cut lid that makes it stand out from standard boxes of the modern world. Moving on, first up – you get the phone itself wrapped in plastic, along with some paperwork and a TPU case.
Digging deeper grants you access to the newly introduced 120W FlashCharge for the Neo series. The same charger can be seen bundled with their flagship, the iQOO 11. Along with this, you also get a USB Type-C to Type-C cable and a 3.5mm headphone jack to Type-C cable, since there’s no physical headphone jack. That’s pretty much it for the unboxing experience of the iQOO Neo 7.
For a visual looksie, you can watch our unboxing video below.
iQOO Neo 7 First Impressions: Pricing and availability
The iQOO Neo 7 is available in India in two variants: 8GB RAM with 128GB storage and 12GB RAM with 256GB storage. The base variant is priced at Rs 29,999 while the top model can be grabbed for Rs 33,999. iQOO has also tied up with HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and SBI card to offer up to Rs 1,500 instant discount. Additionally, you can also get up to Rs 2,000 off if you exchange your older device.
iQOO Neo 7 First Impressions: Design and in-hand feel
The design approach of the iQOO Neo 7 is nothing new, in fact, it looks eerily similar to the Neo 6. The phone is available in two colours: Frost Blue and Interstellar Black. The plastic back panel has a matte finish that does not invite any smudges or fingerprint marks. Despite the choice of build materials, the phone does not feel cheap by any means. We particularly liked the blue variant because of how flashy it was in comparison.
The iQOO Neo 7 5G weighs about 193g and is 8.58mm thick. So far, we found the iQOO Neo 7 to be very comfortable to hold. Most gamers want that since they spend around 7-8 hours on it. It has a slightly curved side panel that transitions into the back panel. The company calls its camera module design “Retro Futurism” and says it’s inspired by vintage photos taken on age-old cameras.
The right portion of the device holds in place the volume rocker and power button, while the left side is devoid of any. On the top, there is a secondary microphone and an IR blaster. A SIM tray, primary microphone, USB Type-C port and a speaker grille occupy the bottom portion.
The front of the iQOO Neo 7 is graced by a flat 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that refreshes at 120Hz. It has a slightly bigger display than its predecessor, while also providing a better screen-to-body ratio. The bottom chin is measured at 2.65mm thickness while the rest of the sides are rated at 1.65mm thickness. It also features a hole-punch cutout at the top which holds in place a selfie camera. The iQOO Neo 7’s display misses out on Dolby Vision, unlike its competitors. However, it comes with HDR10+ for movies. We’ll be rigorously testing its display in the coming days.
iQOO Neo 7 First Impressions: Hardware and software
The iQOO Neo 7 is the first in its price segment to be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chipset. The system on chip is based on the 4nm fabrication process and is rated with a peak clock speed of 3.1GHz. This should give the iQOO Neo 7 an upper hand over its competitors, such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Poco F4, and its own outgoing model. The Neo 6 performed quite well in our gaming tests, though it came with a Snapdragon 870 SoC. It should be fun to see how the Dimensity processor holds onto itself.
In terms of battery, the device also gets a slight upgrade with a 5,000mAh battery powering the entire system — paired with the above-mentioned 120W fast charger. The iQOO Neo 7 comes with 90fps support for New State Mobile, however, gamers shadily running Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) will miss out on that for now. An update will be pushed in the near future to enable the same.
The iQOO Neo 7 runs on FunTouch OS 13 based on Android 13 straight out of the box, which is good. The company promises two major Android updates and three years of security support.
Coming to the optics, the iQOO Neo 7 features a triple-camera setup at the rear. The pack is led by a 64-megapixel primary camera with OIS, a 2-megapixel bokeh camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. It has a 16-megapixel front camera for selfies. The Neo series misses out on an ultra-wide-angle camera yet again.
We’ll be testing the iQOO Neo 7 rigidly in the coming days, stay tuned to our website and social media handles to find out whether this is the right device for you.
