Revving Up Performance: iQoo Neo 6 Launches in India with Gamers in Mind

iQoo has introduced its Neo series in India with the unveiling of the Neo 6. Interestingly, this smartphone was previously launched in China under the name iQoo Neo 6 SE. It appears that iQoo has aimed this device at gamers, though its specifications are also likely to attract those seeking solid overall performance. The iQoo Neo 6 is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC featuring liquid cooling, a 120Hz AMOLED screen, a 4,700mAh battery, and supports 80W rapid charging.

The iQoo Neo 6 is targeted at the sub-Rs. 30,000 segment, positioning it against competitors like the Xiaomi MI 11X, OnePlus Nord 2, and the Motorola Edge 30. Here are my initial thoughts on the device.

The iQoo Neo 6’s base model starts at Rs. 29,999 in India, which offers 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The alternate variant features 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, priced at Rs. 33,999. The Neo 6 is available in two colors: Cyber Rage and Dark Nova.

This marks the debut of the Neo series in India, allowing the brand to establish the expectations for future iterations. As mentioned earlier, the iQoo Neo 6 is essentially a rebranded iQoo Neo 6 SE, potentially a strategic move by the company to maintain an accessible entry point for the Neo series in India, catering to a broader audience.

The Dark Nova color variant of the iQoo Neo 6 features a gradient finish

With the Neo 6, iQoo is heavily focused on performance, incorporating some high-end hardware. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC, which is clocked at 3.2GHz. This chip is quite robust and can also be found in the similarly priced Xiaomi Mi 11X. Notably, the version sold in China includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC.

The iQoo Neo 6 features a plastic body, weighing 190g. It is not overly heavy, and its curved edges enhance the grip. This smartphone boasts a 6.62-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a cutout at the top for the 16-megapixel selfie camera. The screen has relatively slim bezels, although the chin is somewhat thicker. It supports HDR10+ playback, with a maximum brightness of 1,300 nits, and includes an in-display fingerprint sensor. The display panel has a 360Hz touch sampling rate, which can increase to 1,200Hz for specific games like Call of Duty: Mobile.

An Infrared emitter has been included in the Neo 6

iQoo‘s Neo 6 features an infrared (IR) emitter placed alongside the secondary microphone at the top. Located at the bottom are the SIM tray, primary microphone, speaker, and USB Type-C port. The frame’s edges are slim, with the power and volume buttons situated on the right side. The device’s rear includes a triple camera arrangement, featuring a 64-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. The camera module has a dual-layer design and showcases a Neo logo. My Dark Nova model displayed a gradient effect on the back that changed color based on viewing angle.

The iQoo Neo 6 is powered by a 4,700mAh battery and supports 80W rapid charging. The necessary charger is included in the packaging. The smartphone is equipped with Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi, four 5G bands, and 4G VoLTE support. It comes with two nano-SIM slots, but the storage cannot be expanded. If you typically store a significant amount of data locally, I recommend considering the higher storage option.

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The triple-camera setup features a Neo logo

On the software front, the iQoo Neo 6 operates on Funtouch OS 12 based on Android 12. iQoo has pledged to provide two years of Android OS updates along with three years of security updates, which is a positive step. My device was running the April 2022 Android security patch. The user interface does come with a fair amount of pre-installed bloatware, but most of it can be uninstalled to free up storage. The interface is similar to what you would find on other recent Vivo smartphones and is fairly user-friendly.

The iQoo Neo 6 sets a precedent for what to expect from upcoming devices in the Neo series. While it faces tough competition, it holds the potential to stand out. This smartphone is likely to resonate with gamers and power users, but we will confirm its capabilities once I perform our evaluations, so stay tuned for the full review.