iQOO Neo 6 review: Offer Impressive Value 

iQOO Neo 6 review Summary:

Editor’s rating: 4/5

iQOO had a rough start to its India journey but the young smartphone brand has turned the tables in the last year and a half. Ever since iQOO introduced structural changes in the organization including leadership, the brand has been rolling out aggressively specced phones at attractive prices. Following that same approach, it has launched the iQOO Neo6 in India.

It is part of the new ‘Neo’ series which sits between iQOO’s ‘Z’ and the flagship ‘Number’ series. The new Neo 6 is hoping to become the online best seller in the 20K- 30K segment which also includes several other options like Moto Edge 30 (review), OPPO F21 Pro 5G (review), and more. Is the new iQOO phone worth the money? I have been living with the phone for some time now and will now share my findings in our detailed review of iQOO Neo 6.

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iQOO Neo 6 review: Design

The Neo 6 isn’t far from the Z series in terms of design. You can call that out with ease. It follows the tried and tested design language using gradient finish, a squarish camera assembly, and a sleek side profile. By holding it in hand, you can instantly identify two things: firstly it’s a polycarbonate built, and secondly how light it is. With the use of polycarbonate, iQOO may have compromised slightly on premium in-hand feel but it has ensured better durability as compared to glass ( also helps in cutting down the overall cost).

iQOO has graced the rear panel of Neo 6 with a gradient finish. It is offered in two colours called Dark Nova and Cyber Rage. While the Dark Nova colour appears green but if you move your wrist it starts to appear black at some angles. The Cyber Range colour variant, on the other hand, appears slightly Turkish Blue. Looking at it from a slightly tilted angle you will notice a shade of cyan or blue colour.

As you flip it around, you will notice the facia of the phone is dominated by the screen, and rightly so. There are bezels around the screen which is slightly more than what we get to see in the phones in 2022. There’s also a selfie camera punched into the screen. It also includes an optical in-screen fingerprint reader which is fast and reliable. The right side edge of the phone houses a volume rocker and power key which feels plasticky. We spotted an IR blaster at the top.

Coming to build quality, this iQOO phone superseded my first impressions. The finish of the rear panel gives an almost texture-like feel. I also checked for bending or creaking with some stress testing but it managed to retain its shape very well. Overall, the Neo 6 is a decent looking and sturdy phone.

iQOO Neo 6 review: Display & Sound

Coming to display, the iQOO Neo 6 boasts of a 6.62-inch E4 AMOLED panel that delivers FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. These numbers are similar to what we have seen in the iQOO 9 SE and iQOO 7. The AMOLED panel manages to impress us with its colourful visuals, deep blacks and excellent viewing angles. That’s not all, it can achieve a peak brightness of 1300 nits making it one of the brightest screens in its class.

The panel also carries WideVine L1 certification which is essential for streaming HD and HDR content from apps like Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and others. This means you can stream your favourite movie, or series in the best quality right on your phone.

If you are into gaming, you will enjoy a touch sampling rate of 360Hz. Moreover, if you are into games like BGMI and Call of Duty then you get an instant sampling rate of 1200Hz.

While gaming, audio also plays an important part. The iQOO Neo 6 offers a stereo setup by using both the bottom-firing speaker and earpiece together. The iQOO Neo 6 offers a good package for content consumption.

iQOO Neo 6 review: Performance and Software

iQOO played a masterstroke by offering a reliable Snapdragon 870 in the iQOO Neo 6. The Qualcomm chip used here delivers reliable almost flagship-grade performance with better thermals than the Snapdragon 888 or Snapdragon 8 gen 1. It is performing better than MediaTek’s flagship Dimensity 1200 in our test. Be it gaming or day-to-day tasks, the iQOO Neo 6 handles everything without any trouble.

We tried several games including popular titles like BGMI, Call of Duty, Gensin Impact, and a few others and it managed to run them at a high refresh rate preset with graphics setting set to high. One of the reasons behind this steller thermal performance could be the 36907mm2 tall cascade cooling system which includes a large liquid cooling vapour chamber

Even after a half an hour-long gaming session, the iQOO Z6 only gets slightly warm around the rear camera. Besides, you will certainly enjoy improved haptic thanks to X-axis-based 4D gaming vibration. For a better gaming experience, I would recommend you take advantage of Ultra Game mode which can be accessed from the quick settings. This feature optimizes the software for gaming.

Talking of software, the iQOO Neo 6 ships with Android 12-based FunTouch OS 12. The skin is loaded with features as well as bloatware. Apps like Byju’s, Cred, etc come pre-installed, and more bloatware apps start appearing on your home screen as soon as you connect it with the internet. Thankfully most of these apps can be uninstalled without any pain.

iQOO Neo 6 review: Camera

The iQOO Neo 6 ships with triple a camera setup comprising of a 64MP Samsung GW1P sensor for wide-angle shots, an 8MP sensor for ultra-wide shots, and a 2MP sensor for macro shots. There is a 16MP camera on the front for selfies. As for their performance, you will be most impressed with the Samsung sensor performance. I am pleased with the dynamic range it has shown thus far. It manages to capture a good amount of details with slightly saturated colours in daylight. In my opinion green and red colours appear slightly more saturated than natural.

In not so favourable conditions, the iQOO Neo 6 64MP main camera still manages to capture decent images. Low light images appear slightly underexposed and slightly softer around the edges. Due to noise reduction algorithms subject also appear slightly softer than usual.

The 8MP ultrawide angle sensor and 2MP macro sensor leave a lot to be desired. The lack of details and inaccurate colour science dents their case.

On the flip side, the 16MP selfie camera manages to click some good images in daylight. It captures a good amount of details along with a decent dynamic range under the sun. However, their image quality takes a hit when the sun goes down. Of course, there is a screen flash which improves quality ever so slightly.

If you are into videography, you will notice that the iQOO Neo 6 possesses good video recording capabilities. It can shoot videos in 4K resolution up to 60fps. The presence of OIS helps in ensuring shot footage is stable while you take handheld shots. Exposure metering and colour accuracy are not 100 per cent accurate, though.

iQOO Neo 6 review: Battery life

iQOO has ensured that you never return home disappointed with the Neo 6 battery life. the phone packs a 4,700mAh battery inside which is good enough to last you for a day once fully charged. To test its limit I ran a video loop which continuously played for more than 12 hours. If that is not good enough, it will find an 80W fast charger within the box which can fully refill the phone’s battery to 100 per cent in a little over 30 minutes. Impressive, isn’t it?

Review verdict: Should you buy iQOO Neo 6?

In recent times, iQOO has offered some great value for money phones like the iQOO 7 and iQOO 9 SE. The iQOO Neo 6 continues on the same path and offers the best value for your buck. From display to the processor and 64MP primary camera to 80W fast charging, it gets everything in demand. I wouldn’t mind recommending this allrounder from iQOO for under Rs 30,000.

Rating, Reasons to buy and Not buy:

Reasons to buy	Reasons to not buy
Responsive and vivid screen	Average looks
Excellent performance	Not so impressive secondary cameras
Excellent battery life, super-fast charging