vivo iQoo Neo9s Pro Review: The Mid-Range Gaming Powerhouse You’ve Been Waiting For?

November 17, 2024, 01:49 PM
by Farhana Afrose Rini

UNB News
Publish- November 17, 2024, 01:49 PM
Farhana Afrose Rini
Update- November 17, 2024, 02:04 PM

vivo iQoo Neo9s Pro

vivo's iQoo brand has built a reputation for delivering feature-packed smartphones, especially with the Neo series. The iQoo Neo9s Pro, released in May 2024, aims to push boundaries in performance, camera, and display quality. Let’s go over the key specs, pros, cons and price of the vivo iQoo Neo9s Pro.

Key Features of vivo iQoo Neo9s Pro

The main specs and features of the vivo iQoo Neo9s Pro are as follows:

Design and Build Quality

The Neo9s Pro offers a sleek, premium design with flat frames and slightly curved edges at the back, making it comfortable to hold. Its vegan leather finish not only enhances grip but also minimises fingerprint smudges—something the glass backs of the OnePlus 12R and iQoo Neo 8 Pro do not effectively address.

Despite its lightweight build at 190g, the Neo9s Pro has a protruding camera module that can make it wobble on flat surfaces. It is IP54-rated for dust and splash resistance, providing some durability, though the competitor OnePlus 12R’s IP64 rating offers better protection. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy A34, the Neo9s Pro feels more modern and ergonomic.

Display Quality

The Neo9s Pro's 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display features a 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and a peak brightness of 1400 nits. Its vibrant colours, sharp resolution, and smooth animations delight gamers and media enthusiasts. With better brightness levels and adaptive refresh rate control, it outshines the Neo 8 Pro.

While the OnePlus 12R offers a superior LTPO4 AMOLED panel with 4500 nits peak brightness, the Neo9s Pro delivers impressive performance for its price. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy A34, with its 120Hz Super AMOLED panel, feels a step behind in both brightness and responsiveness. The Neo9s Pro’s independent Supercomputing Chip Q1 enhances gaming visuals, making it ideal for competitive play.

Camera Performance

The iQoo Neo9s Pro has dual rear cameras: a 50MP (f/1.9) wide and a 50MP (f/2.0) ultrawide sensor. The primary sensor excels in low-light conditions, capturing sharp details and vibrant colours, outperforming the Neo 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy A34. Neo9s Pro’s 8K video recording capability also gives it an edge over most competitors in this segment.

However, while the ultrawide camera is improved over the Neo 8 Pro, it still struggles with distortion at the edges compared to the OnePlus 12R’s 8MP ultrawide lens.

The Neo9s Pro’s 16MP (f/2.5) front camera delivers crisp selfies, but it is not significantly improved over other devices in its class. It can shoot a maximum of 1080p footage at 30fps.

Processor Performance

Powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ 4nm chipset, the Neo9s Pro delivers exceptional performance, outpacing the Neo 8 Pro’s Dimensity 9200+. Multitasking, app launches, and resource-heavy tasks feel snappy and seamless.

When compared to the OnePlus 12R’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the Neo9s Pro holds its own in everyday usage and gaming, though the Snapdragon offers slightly better efficiency during prolonged workloads. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy A34’s Dimensity 1080 lags significantly in performance, making the Neo9s Pro a clear winner for power users.

Gaming Performance

The Neo9s Pro shines in gaming, thanks to features like Game Frame Interpolation and the Supercomputing Chip Q1. Popular titles like PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact run smoothly with high frame rates, maintaining low latency even during extended sessions. Its enhanced heat dissipation system ensures consistent performance, a noticeable improvement over the Neo 8 Pro.

Although the OnePlus 12R is a formidable competitor in gaming, the Neo9s Pro’s superior haptic feedback and 4D vibration elevate the experience. The Samsung Galaxy A34, however, struggles to deliver consistent performance in graphically demanding games.

Battery Life

The Neo9s Pro packs a 5160mAh battery that easily lasts a day of heavy usage. Its 120W fast charging sets it apart, reaching 40% in just 9 minutes—a significant advantage over the Neo 8 Pro’s slightly smaller 5000mAh battery.

While the OnePlus 12R’s 5500mAh battery provides similar endurance, its charging speed is capped at 100W, giving the Neo9s Pro the edge. The Samsung Galaxy A34 lags far behind with slower 25W charging and lower overall efficiency.

Furthermore, the vivo iQoo Neo9s Pro steps ahead of the OnePlus 12R and Samsung Galaxy A34 by its reverse wired charging facility. Certainly, it will be an advantage for the Neo9s Pro users.

Software and User Interface

Running Android 14 with OriginOS 4, the Neo9s Pro offers a customizable and feature-rich UI. While some may find the pre-installed third-party apps intrusive, the overall software experience is polished and user-friendly. It feels smoother and more responsive than the Neo 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy A34, though it cannot quite match the minimalist elegance of OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15.

Storage Options

With storage options ranging from 256GB to a generous 1TB, the Neo9s Pro caters to a wide range of users, from casual consumers to power users. The RAM capacity ranges up to 16GB starting from 12GB. Paired with UFS 4.0 technology, file transfers, and app installations are lightning-fast.

This flexibility sets it apart from the OnePlus 12R and Samsung Galaxy A34, which offer a maximum of 256GB of internal storage. With 8GB of the highest RAM power, the Samsung Galaxy A34 falls behind in this race.

Heavy gamers and multimedia enthusiasts will appreciate the extra space and powerful RAM the Neo9s Pro offers.

Pros and Cons of vivo iQoo Neo9s Pro

Pros

- Sleek design with a comfortable vegan leather finish
- Bright and vibrant 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate
- Powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chipset for smooth performance
- Excellent gaming features like Game Frame Interpolation and 4D vibration
- Long-lasting 5160mAh battery with ultra-fast 120W charging
- Reverse charging option
- Dual 50MP rear cameras with great low-light performance
- Generous storage options, up to 1TB with UFS 4.0
- Advanced heat dissipation for consistent performance
- IP54-rated for basic water and dust resistance
- Responsive and feature-rich Android 14-based OriginOS 4.

Cons

- Ultrawide camera struggles with edge distortion.
- Pre-installed third-party apps may annoy some users.
- Camera bump causes wobbling on flat surfaces.
- Lacks the minimalist UI experience of competitors like OnePlus.
- No significant improvement in selfie camera compared to rivals.

Price of vivo iQoo Neo9s Pro

Neo9s Pro is unofficially available in Bangladesh. The 12/256GB variant costs around 53,000 to 55,000 Tk depending upon sellers. However, the official price of the vivo iQoo Neo9s Pro in Bangladesh may vary due to tax and other issues.

Verdict

The vivo iQoo Neo9s Pro excels in performance, display quality, and gaming features, making it ideal for gamers and multimedia enthusiasts. Its ultrawide camera and pre-installed bloatware are minor drawbacks. Buy it for flagship-level performance at a mid-range price. Skip it if you prefer minimalist software or prioritise ultrawide photography.