iQOO Neo 10 review: Flagship-grade performance, entry-level charm

Mint

5 days ago

While iQOO launched just one Neo device last year, it has already moved on to the second model in the lineup for 2025. The new iQOO Neo 10 is the first phone in India to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, paired with iQOO's in-house Q1 graphics chip and a 7,000 mAh battery, making it clearly aimed at gaming enthusiasts. But does the Neo 10 live up to the Neo series' reputation, or is it just another mildly tweaked entry in a crowded market? I've been using the iQOO Neo 10 for the past 10 days, and here's how it holds up in the real world.
Inside the black-coloured box of the iQOO Neo 10, you get all the standard stuff, which includes the device itself wrapped inside a paper covering, a transparent plastic case, a SIM ejector tool, a USB-A to USB-C type cable, and some paperwork which, let's be honest, no one is ever going to read.
In terms of design, the iQOO Neo 10 is almost a replica of the Neo 10R (Review), which launched back in March. The phone features the same squiricle camera outlet but with a bit of design around the edges, iQOO branding at the bottom, a plastic back, and a plastic frame.
The in-hand feel of the Neo 10 isn't really ideal, especially for a device priced over ₹ 30,000. The full plastic exterior paired with the 6.78-inch display makes the phone feel hefty and uninspiring, and the feedback from the three buttons on the right doesn't do it any favours either.
Similar to the Neo 10R, this phone also comes with an IP65 water and dust proof rating, meaning it can also handle a bit of splashes but not full submersion under water. In terms of connectivity, there is support for WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC and an IR blaster. iQOO Neo 10 in Titanium Knight colour variant iQOO Neo 10 two colour variants
The phone comes with a 6.78 inch 1.5K AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate (120Hz in most scenarios), HDR10+ certification and 5,000 nits of peak brightness (2000 nits in High Brightness Mode). This is a flat panel like the Neo 10R, making it more appealing to gamers.
The panel here delivers impressive colour reproduction, deep contrasts, and great brightness levels which paired with the decently loud stereo speaker setup make the Neo 10 a great companion for those binge watching sessions. In peak outdoors, the display stilll remains pretty legible but the glare from the panel and make the output look less than ideal. iQOO Neo 10 display in bright outdoors
The iQOO Neo 10 features the same camera setup as the Neo 10R, with a 50MP Sony IMX882 primary sensor with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 32MP selfie shooter.
The real-life output from the Neo 10 is also largely similar to its sibling, with the primary camera being capable of taking some good-looking shots in the daytime with plenty of detail and decent dynamic range. While the primary shooter handles low-light scenarios impressively well, I did notice some lens flare issues, with coloured streaks or ghost rings appearing while capturing bright lights like streetlights.
Compared to its primary competition, however, the Neo 10 misses out big time due to the lack of a telephoto lens. Moreover, the images from the 13R seem to retain more detail, highlights, and capture colours that are closer to real life in my experience.
Moving on to the ultra-wide angle lens, the 8MP shooter does the job, but the significant colour shift and loss in detail compared to the primary shooter mean one wouldn't be relying on it too much.
The 32MP selfie shooter takes some detail-rich and eye-pleasing shots under good lighting, but the low-light performance of the sensor is somewhat underwhelming, with colour accuracy going for a toss and the Neo 10 showing a tendency to 'beautify' the images. iQOO Neo 10 camera sample iQOO Neo 10 camera sample iQOO Neo 10 camera sample iQOO Neo 10 camera sample iQOO Neo 10 camera sample iQOO Neo 10 lens flair issue
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor on iQOO Neo 10 is coupled the device with LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.1 storage — a welcome step, especially considering that some phones in this price segment, like the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, still ship with UFS 2.2 storage.
The new Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor is capable, and I didn't experience any persistent heating issues with this chipset, unlike with many 8s Gen 3 phones. In terms of day-to-day usage, I found no issues with the Neo 10: the app opening time is great, as is the multitasking experience, which is to be expected from a flagship grade chipset.
Owing to the peak summer heat, the phone does get a little warm during prolonged gaming sessions, but it never became too uncomfortable to hold, and the heat dissipated quickly once the phone was left alone.
Now, let's take a look at the benchmarks of iQOO Neo 10:
On GeekBench 6, the phone gets a single-core score of 2,102 and a multi-core score of 6,572 for the CPU benchmark. As for the GPU benchmark, the Neo 10 garnered a score of 14,338. On 3D Mark's Extreme Wild Life Stress Test, the phone got a best loop score of 3,217 and a lowest loop score of 2,174 with 67.6% stability. In comparison, the OnePlus 13R had a higher best loop score of 5,036 and a lowest loop score of 2,758, but with a lower stability rate at 54.8%. iQOO Neo 10 Antutu, GeekBench 6 CPU and GeekBench 6 GPU results iQOO Neo 10 3D Mark's Wild Life Extreme Stress Test results
iQOO Neo 10 runs on Funtouch OS 15 based on Android 15, and iQOO has promised 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security patches with this device. In case you aren't aware of Funtouch OS, it's the UI found on all Vivo and iQOO phones in India.
One good thing I like about Funtouch OS is that there's an option to disable most of the bloatware if one is scrutinous during the initial setup process. However, despite that, a few third-party apps still come bundled with the Neo 10, including Snapchat, PhonePe, Facebook, Spotify, Amazon, LinkedIn, and Netflix. The UI is also filled with ads—from the search drawer to the lock screen—and disabling all of them is a task on its own.
Generally speaking, Funtouch OS is a decent option for people who don't really care about their software experience, with all features in order, but it lacks the finesse offered by some other smartphone makers like Samsung's One UI or OnePlus's OxygenOS.
In terms of battery, the Neo 10 comes with a 7,000mAh setup with support for 100W fast charging, but there's a 120W charger that comes inside the box. The battery life is good enough to last well over a day, even for heavy users, with an average screen-on time of around 8–9 hours, and it takes about 40–45 minutes to fully top up the battery. Bloatware and ads on iQOO Neo 10
At a starting price of ₹ 31,999, the iQOO Neo 10 makes a strong case for itself as a gaming-focused phone, thanks to the new Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 4.1 storage, a massive 7,000mAh battery, 120W fast charging, and a flat 120Hz AMOLED panel.
That said, it's hard to see this phone striking a chord with the wider audience. The all-plastic build feels dated at this price, and the absence of a telephoto lens or an IP68 rating, combined with the persistent ads and preinstalled bloatware on Funtouch OS 15, might be a dealbreaker for many.