Vivo’s spinoff brand, iQOO, has garnered significant attention in recent years by focusing on top-notch specifications at competitive prices, similar to OnePlus. Now, as the industry trends toward flagships costing upwards of a thousand dollars, iQOO has, once again, generated quite a buzz after announcing the launch of its new flagship, iQOO 12. Here is everything you need to know about the phone.
When will iQOO 12 launch?
As with every Chinese company, iQOO has already debuted the device in China on November 7th, with a global release slated for December 12th. Additionally, taking advantage of the hype, the company has introduced a special Priority Pass for prospective iQOO 12 buyers. This pass not only grants users early access to purchase the phone ahead of the general public but also includes complimentary Vivo TWS earphones valued at Rs 2,999.
iQOO 12: Design and Display
In terms of design, the iQOO 12 measures 163.22 x 75.88 x 8.35mm and comes in two color variations: Legend and Alpha. The Legend variant boasts a white back panel with three-color BMW M Motorsport branding, indicating the brand’s collaboration with the company. On the other hand, the Alpha variant sports an all-black matte finish back panel.
However, perhaps the primary thing one would notice about the back is the camera island. Inspired by submarine windows and termed “Porthole” design, the camera module not only takes a big portion of the back but also includes the not-so-desired “100X Tele Lens” branding.
Moving to the front, the phone sports a centered punch-hole design for the selfie camera and boasts a 6.78-inch 1.5K LTPO OLED display, offering a 144Hz refresh rate, 2160Hz PWM Dimming, and a peak brightness of 3000 nits.
Specifications
The iQOO 12 features the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which houses one high-performance Cortex-X4 core running at 3300 MHz, five medium-performance Cortex-A720 cores, and two efficient Cortex-A520 cores operating at 2260 MHz, coupled with the Adreno 750 GPU. Alongside the processor, the device offers 16GB of RAM and storage options of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB.
Furthermore, leaning more towards the gaming aspect, iQOO 12 also includes the company’s in-house Q1 chip, which allegedly allows the phone to run games at up to 144fps, thus offering a significant advantage to mobile gamers.
Cameras
Considering that iQOO is still a relatively new company, cameras haven’t always been its strong suit. However, all this could change with the iQOO 12 as it features a new 50MP, 1/1.3 OmniVision OV50H sensor for the main camera, accompanied by a 50MP UltraWide sensor and a 64MP 3x periscope camera capable of achieving up to 100x zoom. On the front, the phone features a 16MP sensor.
Although the device is yet to hit the global market, early tests indicate significant improvements in the camera performance. Daylight photos reportedly showcase balanced colors, while low-light scenarios demonstrate accurate dynamic range management and noise-free image production. However, such reviews have also pointed out a potential discrepancy in color reproduction between the main and telephoto sensors.
Software
Vivo’s Funtouch OS, which also powers the iQOO devices, isn’t particularly a fan favorite due to its similarities with iOS and the amount of bloatware installed. However, iQOO has emphasized that the iQOO 12 will ship without any pre-installed bloatware and will omit the infamous “Hot Apps” and “Hot Games” folders. Moreover, the device will also receive three years of software support.
Battery and Charging
When talking about the battery capacity, the iQOO 12 houses a substantial 5,000mAh battery paired with 120W fast charging. Moreover, the device also supports 50W wireless charging and a reverse wireless charging capability of up to 10W.
How much will the iQOO 12 cost?
While the official pricing for the iQOO 12 is yet to be announced, Amazon India accidentally leaked the device’s buying page, hinting at the potential price point. According to the page, the iQOO 12 will cost Rs 52,999 for the 12GB+256GB variant, and Rs 57,999 for the 16GB+512GB variant, thus making it a compelling choice for users looking for the most bang for their buck.
