Following closely after the flagship iQOO 12 is the company's latest smartphone, the mid-premium iQOO Neo 9 Pro. Priced at ₹35,999 onwards, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro isn't quite as well equipped as the 12, but promises a lot when it comes to performance for the price, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. You also get to choose between 128GB and 256GB of UFS4.0 storage, and out-of-the-box styling that will appeal to young buyers and mobile gaming enthusiasts.
While the iQOO Neo 9 Pro is being fronted as a gaming-focused smartphone thanks to some useful software tweaks within FunTouch OS 14 (based on Android 14), it promises a lot in other departments as well. You get a dual-camera setup at the rear backed by a 50-megapixel primary sensor, USB Type-C fast charging with a 120W charging adapter included in the box, and battery life that will suitably back up even intense gaming sessions.
The smartphone is available in two colour variants, but we'd recommend you go for the dual-tone red and white colourway. It's also got a very convenient shape and hand feel, thanks to a flat screen and grippy sides, and doesn't even weigh too much. The iQOO Neo 9 Pro is part of a new breed of mid-premium smartphones powered by previous-generation flagship processors, and offers a decent combination of performance and value-for-money, reminding you that you don't need to break the bank for a phone that performs capably.