iQOO Neo12 Review: Big Battery, Fan Cooling and a Few Catches

The iQOO Neo12 is designed to appeal to those who are into gaming to a great extent. It features a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a small cooling fan built-in the body, 2K AMOLED display with 185Hz refresh rate, and a 9,000mAh battery. This is a very unusual combination at this price.

However, it’s not infallible. The cameras are average, and there is no zoom lens. It’s also very heavy and in Bangladesh it’s imported and sold only through unofficial channels for approximately Tk 90,000. Let’s see if the good parts outweigh the bad.

Most Highlighted Features of iQOO Neo12

• Cooling Fan: Active cooling fan prevents slowing down in lengthy games.
• Battery & Charger: It has a battery of 9,000mAh, which provides a long day of battery life.
• Display: Sharp, bright and very smooth 185Hz 2K AMOLED display.
• Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, maximum performance for apps and games.
• Build: The IP68/IP69 rating guards against dust and water.

iQOO Neo12 Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Built-in cooling fan
• Big 9,000mAh battery
• Powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip
• Strong IP68/IP69 rating

Cons:

• There is no zoom lens
• Heavy at 225-229g

An In-Depth Review on iQOO Neo12

Gamers who are looking for flagship speed but do not want to pay the price of a flagship will appreciate the build of the iQOO Neo12. It features an 185Hz refresh rate display, smooth performance and a large 9,000mAh battery with 100W of charging.

Nonetheless, there are some disadvantages. The camera is simple, heavy, and is only sold as an imported item in Bangladesh. In this review, we will be discussing its design and display, performance, cameras, battery life, pricing in Bangladesh, and value.

Design & Build Quality

The iQOO Neo12 is a big phone and you notice it, from the moment you pick it up. It measures 163.42 x 75.89 mm. The Black and Blue versions are 8.5mm thick, and a little thicker for the Gray version (8.67mm). Under the hood, with a fan and a 9,000mAh battery, it’s a rather thin design.

There’s glass over the front and the frame is aluminum and seems sturdy and well constructed. The back is either glass or glass-fiber reinforced plastic, as per your choice. If possible, try to see each colour in real life.

Toughness is a great asset. The phone’s water resistance rating is IP68 + IP69 meaning that it is completely waterproof and dust proof which can keep it safe in water up to 1.5 metres deep for 30 minutes. Hot, high pressure water jets are also covered by IP69. This is very rare in gaming phones, particularly with a fan inside the phone.

The main weak point is weight. The phone weighs 225g to 229g, depending on colour. It might be felt after a long session of gaming or if it’s only been used once by a person with a single hand. May also be cumbersome in smaller hands and small pockets. The build is premium and fair with comfort being sacrificed.

Display

One of the best features of the display of the iQOO Neo12 is that it is one of the strongest ones available. It is a 6.83-inch AMOLED screen with 1440 x 3200 resolution and a 20:9 shape. The content is crisp and clear on the display, with text appearing at 514 ppi and photos and videos appearing detailed. The screen takes up nearly 95% of the front while the small punch-hole camera remains out of the way.

The highlight is the refresh rate of 185Hz, which stands higher from most phones available in the market. When used in games, it knows no boundaries for smooth and responsive motion. According to iQOO, over 50 games are supported natively at this speed, making for some speedy shooters and competitive games well covered.

It’s also easy to use outdoors. The panel can be brightest up to 2200 nits and HDR is supported, which brings more colors to videos. The front is protected from scratches and light drop by Gorilla Glass.

There are a few areas that one should be careful of. It comes with the 185Hz mode, which is available only in games that provide support. The 2200 nit is a maximum value, normal manual brightness is far lower. The two kW screen with a high refresh rate also consumes more power and may reduce battery life. Last but not least, it doesn’t specify which version of Gorilla Glass is used.

Camera

This is anything but the primary reason to purchase the iQOO Neo12, and iQOO appears to be well aware of this. There are only two camera lenses on the back, which are 50MP and 8MP ultrawide. No telephoto lens, zoom digital up to 20x.

The Sony IMX921 sensor and f/1.88 lens with autofocus and OIS are the main camera’s features. This mix should provide a good amount of detail and be steady, even though you’re moving. Photos can reach up to 8150 x 6150 pixels. The 8MP ultrawide (f/2.2) camera is the lesser of the two, and it’s going to be less vibrant and vibrant than the primary camera.

Bright light performance should yield sharp images with good contrast, assisted by HDR, on the main camera. Colors should be vibrant and for social media. The ultrawide is suitable for outdoors, but the corners might appear soft and colors won’t always be exactly as expected in the main lens.

The larger sensor and OIS do provide a good head start to the main camera at night, while the Night Scene mode will illuminate pictures with acceptable noise. The ultrawide will perform less well in low light conditions and will be more grainy and less detailed. After-sunset zoomed shots will not be very appealing.

Video is a stronger strength. Available on the phone is 8K, 4K and 1080p recording, and gyro-EIS and OIS for steady clips. There is also slow motion, time-lapse, panorama and document scan, as well as a Pro mode that lets you make manual adjustments.

The 16MP selfie camera (f/2.5) is just fine for video calls and taking quick selfies. However, the front video only supports 1080p, 30 fps, which is not that advanced for a phone at this price point.
In sum, they get the job done for everyday use, but the fans of photography will be lacking a zoom lens and an improved ultrawide.

Performance & Software

The iQOO Neo12 truly excels in terms of speed. It is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 which is manufactured using the 3nm process, the two cores are clocked at 4.6GHz, six cores are clocked at 3.62GHz and the Adreno 840 GPU. The 12GB of fast LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage allows the apps to open quickly, multitasking is smooth, and loading of large files is quick.
Gaming receives additional support. iQOO also includes its own Q3 chip that brings extra frames to smoothen the action of supported games, while also pushing them up to 2K. The cooling fan helps prevent the phone from lagging during prolonged gaming sessions, such as playing heavy games like Genshin Impact, to avoid any such issues.

OriginOS 7 is based on Android 17 and is the latest operating system version. By using the software, it looks clean, feels quick and offers handy gaming tools including performance modes and fan controls.

But there are some areas that need improvement. OriginOS is the China version of the software used by iQOO, which means that Google services aren’t pre-installed and it’s possible you’ll have to install them. Outside China, some features and languages might be unavailable as well. iQOO hasn’t given any idea of the number of years of Android and security updates you will receive. But its 185fps and ray tracing capabilities only work in supported games, and the fan can be heard at maximum speed.

AnTuTu Benchmark & Geekbench Score

The iQOO Neo12 delivers flagship level scores. The AnTuTu result on one said is approximately 3.68 million, and this is in the top of the Android result. Early Geekbench scores are roughly 3,621 single and 11,078 multi-core points, while other ones list lower scores of 3,172 and 10,689 points, respectively.

In normal use, this translates to quick applications with a smooth multitasking experience without any issues with heavy applications.

The problem is that consistency doesn’t exist. These scores differ from test unit to test unit, software version to software version, and the fan can boost the phone’s scores in long runs. Benchmarks also will not provide true heat or battery consumption.

Battery & Charger

One of its biggest advantages is the long battery life. The 9,000mAh Li-Ion battery is quite large compared to most flagships; a full day won’t be a problem and many users may get through a second day. According to the company, the battery life of the iQOO is around 11.6 hours of 60fps gaming.

It’s also quick to charge. The phone can be charged via wired 100W and the charger is in the box. It is also designed to accept 55W PPS and 44W UFCS, so numerous other chargers will also function. Reverse charging is useful for charging earbuds or any other phone when needed.

There are some areas which fall short. Although it will take some time to charge a 9,000mAh battery from 0%, it is worth testing to see the actual amount of time. No wireless charging and USB Type-C port is slow (USB 2.0). It’s also air-tight and contributes to the weight.

iQOO Neo12 Price in Bangladesh

The iQOO Neo12 has no official launch in Bangladesh. The 12GB RAM and 256GB version is available in the unofficial market at around ৳90,000.
It’s a lot of money for an import-only cellphone. A local warranty may not be available and post sales support can be challenging. Costs are also subject to change and verify with your seller prior to purchase.

Final Word

The iQOO Neo12 is a worthwhile choice for hardcore gamers. Long gaming sessions are never difficult or uncomfortable thanks to its fan, 185Hz screen, flagship chip and huge battery.
It’s not a phone for everyone, however. The cameras are very simple, the body is very heavy and priced at around Tk 90,000, it will not provide any local warranty. If the game is all-important, and the battery life is secondary, then it’s a good option. If you’re in any way seeking better photos or even hassle-free support, go elsewhere.