Vivo’s sub-brand iQOO has been making inroads into the “great specs at surprisingly affordable prices” market, bossed until recently by the likes of Redmi, Realme, and (now) OnePlus. The brand has a range of devices from Rs 15,000 to Rs 60,000, all of which come with very good spec sheets and performance and often even eye-catching design, appealing to an audience that seeks all things premium, apart from a premium price tag.

The Iqoo Neo 7 Pro is the latest addition to this array of well-specced, affordably priced devices and could well turn out to be one of the brand’s most popular offerings simply because it brings a lot to the table at a price that is not matched at the time of writing. And does so while looking rather good too. This is the kind of device that would make the likes of OnePlus and Redmi look nervously over their phone-y shoulders.

iQOO Neo 7 Pro design: Looking good and like the iQOO Neo 7

iQOO has not fought shy of releasing devices with some design flair in them, and the iQOO Neo 7 Pro carries this tradition ahead. The phone is very similar to the iQOO Neo 7 released earlier, and that is certainly not a bad thing. It is available in two shades, and seldom have two color variants of the same device been so different. While the Fearless Flame has a bright orange leather back, the Dark Storm has a dark greenish-blue smooth glass back which shines and shimmers when light falls on it. Those who prefer to show their devices off will prefer the Fearless Flame option, but we preferred the understated elegance of the Dark Storm.

The phone has a very elaborate camera unit on the back – a two-layered square that protrudes from the back and has a different texture from the rest of the back. This square has a circle within which there are two cameras, and a tiny step below it, the third and the flash. It may sound crowded, but it looks elegant enough and does give the phone a distinct look. The front of the phone is all about the tall 6.78-inch display, which has a fingerprint sensor under it and narrow bezels all around. The Neo 7 Pro is a tall phone at 164.8 mm (the OnePlus 11 is 163.1 mm, for comparison) but is reasonably slim at 8.5 mm or 8.9 mm, depending on the variant you choose, and at 200 grams is slightly on the heavier side.

All said and done, we would say that the iQOO Neo 7 Pro is a very good-looking phone. It might be mistaken for the iQOO Neo 7 but otherwise stands out from the regular phone crowd. We would have liked some Gorilla Glass protection on display (the Dark Storm has AG Glass on the back) and some dust and water resistance, though.

iQOO Neo 7 Pro hardware: Power packed and not like the iQOO Neo 7

It might resemble the iQOO Neo 7 in terms of design and appearance, but under that familiar hood lies some very different hardware. Whereas the Neo 7 had been powered by the impressive but still mid-segment Dimensity 8200, the Neo 7 Pro gets a proper flagship processor – the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which is the same as seen in the likes of the OnePlus 11R and the recently released Nothing Phone (2). It is not the latest flagship chip, but is not too far behind, making the Neo 7 a proper budget flagship. This is backed by two RAM and storage combinations of 8 GB/ 128 GB and 12 GB/ 256 GB. The 6.78-inch display is an AMOLED one with FHD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate and is impressively bright.

The iQOO Neo 7 Pro also has upped its camera game over its non-pro sibling. The main sensor is a 50-megapixel ISOCELL GN5 sensor with OIS, which is superior to the GW3 one used on the Neo 7, and the 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor is a massive improvement over the 2-megapixel ‘depth’ sensor on the Neo 7. However, it retains a similar 2-megapixel macro camera and a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The battery is a 5000 mAh one with support for 120W charging and a 120W charger in the box as well, as in the iQOO Neo 7. Round this off with Android 13, 5G support, and stereo speakers, and you have everything that you would want in a flagship-level device.

iQOO Neo 7 Pro gaming and multimedia: One for gamers on a budget

All that hardware on board makes the iQOO Neo 7 Pro a very formidable performer. The processor means that it can handle games like Call of Duty, Genshin Impact, and the Asphalt series at high settings. Impressively, the phone does not heat up too much while playing them either.

The bright, colorful display and good-quality stereo speakers make viewing content as well as playing games very immersive. This is a terrific phone for those who want to play high-end gaming but are on a tight budget. It is easily the best gaming phone you can get for under Rs 35,000, thanks to that display, speakers, and processor!

iQOO Neo 7 Pro camera: Main sensor sharpshooter

The iQOO Neo 7 Pro ticks the photography box too. The main 50-megapixel camera delivers some very good snaps and videos. Some of the colors may seem too bright, but we do not think too many will complain about that. The ultrawide camera is good for a wider perspective, but it would have been better with a higher megapixel count, as details often get lost.

The selfie camera produces very good if slightly beautified, vanity snaps (again, we do not see too many folks complaining), but the 2-megapixel macro camera is of very little use. This being an iQOO phone, there are plenty of image editing options and effects available, enabling you to do more with the content you generate from those cameras. We would not call the iQOO Neo 7 Pro a champion phone camera, but it can comfortably compete with most of the devices in its price category and should prove good enough for most content creators.

iQOO Neo 7 Pro general performance: Day-to-day wizard

It has a very good display, a powerful processor, stacks of RAM and storage, and very good speakers. So it is hardly surprising that the iQOO Neo 7 Pro goes through routine tasks like a hot knife through butter. We were able to edit images and videos, run multiple apps, and do the usual web browsing, social networking, messaging, and mail with zero problems. The phone runs on Android 13, with Vivo’s FunTouch OS skin on top of it.

At a time when some brands are trying to make their interfaces minimalistic and clean, Vivo has stuck to serving up a feature-rich UI with a number of functions and third-party apps out of the box. Stock Android fans might find it too crowded and a little flashy, but we had no real problems with it. In fact, we like phones that come with feature-rich interfaces as they let users do more right out of the box. FunTouch OS runs very smoothly on the iQOO Neo 7 Pro. Other functions work well, too – the fingerprint scanner is quick, and the call quality is very good.

The phone was able to connect to the 5G services on our Airtel SIM in Delhi without any problems. The large screen is great for reading and viewing content, and although the phone is a little on the big side (most are, to be fair), it is easy enough to handle.

iQOO Neo 7 Pro battery: Full-day usage, half an hour of charging

The iQOO Neo 7 Pro packs in a large 5000 mAh battery. And it easily got us through close to a day and a half of normal usage. Be more careful and keep the refresh rate down, and you could even get through two days on a single charge. Charging the phone is not a problem, though. It supports 120W FlashCharge and comes with a 120W charger in the box as well. In real usage terms, you can charge the phone up to 50 percent in less than ten minutes and can charge the phone from 0 to 100 in slightly less than half an hour. Very very impressive indeed at its price point.

iQOO Neo 7 Pro Price: Quite an amazing price tag!

The iQOO Neo 7 Pro is available in two RAM and storage variants at these prices:

• 8 GB/ 128 GB: Rs 34,999
• 12 GB/ 256 GB: Rs 37,999

Those are extremely impressive price tags and make the iQOO Neo 7 Pro easily the most affordable device with a flagship-level processor. In fact, the only other device which comes with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip below Rs 40,000 is the OnePlus 11R, which is significantly more expensive at Rs 39,999!

iQOO Neo 7 Pro Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

At its current price of Rs 34,999, the iQOO Neo 7 Pro is a staggeringly good value for money. It is hands down the best phone out there for under Rs 35,000, and we would say even Rs 40,000. You can actually get its 12 GB/ 256 GB variant for less than the 8 GB/ 128 GB variant of the only other phone that we think can challenge it – the OnePlus 11R.

This is one of those rare devices that ticks every box you can think of at its price. Those wanting a cleaner Android performance might prefer the OnePlus, but that comes with a higher price tag. The Nothing Phone (2) is another new device with a similar chip and clean UI but starts at an even steeper Rs 44,999.

The iQOO Neo 7 Pro is in a price-performance zone of its own at the time of writing—a no-brainer for anyone seeking a budget flagship at the most affordable price.

Buy iQOO Neo 7 Pro