iQoo Neo 10R Review: The iQoo Neo 10R has pretty much set the benchmark for budget gaming phones in India. The phone ticks all performance boxes, its combination of the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip, a large and bright display with high refresh rate, LPDDR 5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage (in 256 GB variants), making it a dream come true for every gamer on a budget.
iQoo Neo 10R Review: Quick Pointers
What we love:
- A different design
- Gaming performance
- Primary camera
- Battery life
- Affordable price tag
What we don’t
- Some might not like the design (it’s polarising)
- Ordinary ultrawide and inconsistent camera
- Crowded UI
- 128 GB variant has UFS 3.1 storage, while 256 GB ones have UFS 4.1
Looks Pretty Different, But Pretty Or Not… That Depends On You
Is the iQoo Neo 10R a good-looking phone? The answer is a matter of personal taste. We got the ‘Raging Blue’ variant, which is the more radical of the two design options the phone is available in. While the front is the routine tall display with thin bezels, the back and sides make it stand out.
Our unit had straight blue sides, and the back was a blend of blue and white, separated by a dotted border, which sports the iQoo branding. Near the top left corner of the back is a protruding square-oval camera unit. The blue-white back and blue sides give the phone a very distinct look, making it one of the most attention-grabbing phones we have seen for a while. Whether it looks good is a matter of preference. We liked its appearance as it was so different from anything in the market, and we suspect gamers will like the ‘edgy’ design, but some might find it too loud.
At 163.7 mm, this is a tall phone, although it is slim at 7.98 mm and at 196 grams, relatively light for its size. The phone comes with Schott Xensation protection on its display, and although its frame and back are plastic, it has a very solid feel to it, and comes with IP65 dust and water protection. You also get a relatively plain MoonKnight Titanium, in shades of white and silver, but it is Raging Blue that will turn heads. What the heads feel after they have turned is a different matter altogether.
Specced For Gaming
The spec sheet of the iQoo Neo 10R is very much focused on the gaming crowd. The 6.78-inch AMOLED display comes with a 2800 x 1260 (1.5K) resolution, a refresh rate of 144 Hz, and a peak brightness of 4500 nits, all of which are close to flagship level. Equally close to flagship level is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip powering the phone, paired with RAM and storage variants of 8 GB/ 128 GB, 8 GB/ 256 GB and 12 GB/ 256 GB.
The RAM used in all variants is the speedy LPDDR5X one, although only the 256 GB storage variants get the faster USF 4.1, with the 128 GB variant getting the slower UFS 3.1 (a cost-cutting measure, we assume). The phone also comes with a rather large 6400mAh battery with support for 80W charging and a charger in the box too. Also on board are stereo speakers, and Android 15 with FunTouch OS 15 on top of it. It is rare for the other specs of a phone to overshadow the cameras, but this happens in the case of the iQoo Neo 10R, which comes with a 50 megapixel main sensor with OIS on the back, accompanied by an 8 megapixel ultrawide, while a 32 megapixel camera in front handles selfies.
Gaming Beast, Battery Monster… & A Steady Camera
The iQoo Neo 10R is designed mainly for gaming, and in this field, it delivers an outstanding performance. The phone handled high-end games like Genshin Impact, Call of Duty and Asphalt at high graphics settings without any lag or stutter. We encountered no major heating issues (the phone gets a little warm while gaming, but all phones do that).
The large display with the high refresh rate, accompanied by the very good speakers which produce good quality audio, makes this pretty much a gaming and multimedia monster. Whether it is playing high-end or casual games, watching shows, tuning into the latest YouTube videos or just watching films, the iQoo Neo 10R is a great option. What’s more, you can do so for hours, thanks to that massive 6400 mAh battery. While the phone did seem to gobble up battery very quickly initially, lasting a little more than a day, a software update released soon after the launch has improved matters considerably, and the phone can see off a day and a half of regular usage, and almost two days of relatively careful usage.
The 80W charger can get it from 0 to 100 in about an hour, which might seem a little slow compared to other phones, but then, this is a much bigger battery, and even half an hour’s charge (which gets you to about 55 per cent) will easily see you through a day’s usage. FunTouch OS 15 comes packed with several features (including some AI touches) and also third party apps (which can be uninstalled). It can get a little overwhelming at times, but it works smoothly and is very handy once you get the hang of it. iQoo has promised three years of software updates and four years of security updates, which is kind of par for the course in the segment.
As we said earlier, the cameras are not the USPs of this device, but as long as you stick to the main 50 megapixel sensor, you are going to get some very pleasant, if slightly oversaturated (the reds and pinks get very red and pink indeed at times) photographs.
Detail levels are reasonable, and we were actually surprised by some of the low-light snaps we got in terms of colours, although clarity does take a hit when it gets very dark. Videos are good too, provided you stick to the daylight or well-lit indoors.
The 8 megapixel ultrawide is best used for a different perspective, as the images it delivers are a little washed out and do not have great detail. The selfie camera generally serves up social media friendly selfies, but can be oddly inconsistent – it smoothens out skin in good light conditions and gets realistic when there is low light or glare. Our recommendation is to stick to the main sensor for minimum regrets – you even get a reasonably handy 2x zoom.
iQoo Neo 10R Review: Final Verdict
The iQoo Neo 10R is available at Rs 26,999 for its 8 GB/ 128 GB variant, Rs 28,999 for its 8 GB/ 256 variant and Rs 30,999 for its 12 GB/ 256 GB variant. At those prices, it is frankly in a league of its own. The Poco F6 offers a similar Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip, but has a smaller 6.67 inch display and 5000 mAh battery.
Those looking for a more “general” kind of phone might consider the Nothing Phone (3a), which comes with better dual 50 megapixel cameras and a super clean interface, at Rs 24,999 although it lacks a charger in the box, or pay a little more and try the Redmi Note 14 Pro+ or the OnePlus Nord 3.
However, if what you are looking for is a lot of gaming muscle at the most affordable price possible, the iQoo Neo 10R is very difficult to beat at the time of writing. Just remember to get a 256 GB storage option to get UFS 4.1.
