iQOO Neo 10R Review: Great Specs at a Budget Price?

The iQOO Neo 10R may not be a direct successor to the iQOO Neo 9 Pro, especially when you consider their pricing. However, there's a considerable amount of overlap in terms of hardware and features, making the two models comparable in several areas. Since the new phone skips the "Pro" label, it's likely that iQOO has plans for a true Neo 9 Pro successor in the near future. Still, both devices have their own strengths, and if you're eyeing the Neo 10R, it's worth taking a closer look at what the Neo 9 Pro also brings to the table.

iQOO Neo 10R Design: Understated Yet Practical

• Dimensions: 163.7 x 75.8 x 7.9mm
• Weight: 196g
• Ingress Protection: IP65 rating

Visually, the iQOO Neo 10R adopts a very minimal and straightforward design approach, especially when compared to the more premium-feeling Neo 9 Pro. While the phone maintains a slim profile, the materials used are fairly modest. The Raging Blue variant comes with a polycarbonate frame and rear panel, giving it a basic feel.

While the polycarbonate build helps in keeping the weight manageable and contributes to durability, the rear panel is highly prone to fingerprints and dust. Though they can be wiped off easily, the panel gets smudgy again almost instantly with skin contact.

Still, using polycarbonate makes sense given that the phone houses a high-capacity battery. Even with weight-saving efforts, the Neo 10R feels slightly heavy at 196 grams, though it’s a reasonable trade-off for the battery performance.

On the durability front, the IP65 rating offers some protection against dust and splashes, which is a welcome feature at this price. However, keep in mind that competitors offer IP68 ratings—a step up in water and dust resistance. And like most brands, iQOO doesn’t cover water damage under its warranty, so caution is advised.

One design choice that deserves praise is the display layout. The Neo 10R features ultra-thin bezels on the top, left, and right edges, giving it a very modern look. The chin at the bottom is slightly thicker but still relatively minimal, offering an immersive viewing experience.

iQOO Neo 10R Display: Crisp, Clear, and Impressively Bright

• Screen Size: 6.78 inches
• Resolution: 1.5K (1260 x 2800 pixels), 452 PPI
• Panel Type: AMOLED with adaptive refresh rates – 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz
• Protection: Schott Xensation Up glass

The iQOO Neo 10R boasts a clean and vibrant AMOLED display that’s built to impress. The screen delivers sharp visuals, thanks to its high resolution and pixel density. Whether you're watching videos, playing games, or scrolling through apps, everything appears detailed and fluid.

What stands out is its peak brightness of 4,500 nits, which makes visibility outdoors an absolute breeze, even under direct sunlight. Interestingly, while other phones with similar brightness levels tend to dim quickly, the Neo 10R manages to sustain its peak brightness for longer periods, offering a consistent viewing experience.

Color accuracy in the default mode is quite natural—not overly saturated—making it ideal for those who prefer realistic tones. The display is also HDR10 certified, so streaming HDR content on supported platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime is a treat. Moreover, with Widevine L1 certification, you can stream in full HD without any limitations.

The in-display fingerprint sensor works reliably and unlocks the phone without lag or errors, even during extended testing. All in all, the display is a strong highlight for the device, offering a premium experience that punches above its price point.

iQOO Neo 10R Software: Enhanced User Experience

• Operating System: Android 15
• UI Layer: Funtouch OS 15
• Software Support: 3 years of OS updates, 4 years of security patches

The iQOO Neo 10R comes preloaded with Android 15, topped with Funtouch OS 15. iQOO guarantees three years of major Android updates and four years of security patches, ensuring long-term software reliability.

Funtouch OS 15 has come a long way in terms of design and user experience. The latest version introduces sleek icon redesigns, dynamic live wallpapers, new always-on display styles, and smoother system animations, making the overall interface feel fresh, intuitive, and responsive. The UI isn’t just about looks—it’s been optimized for better fluidity and customization, offering a polished and satisfying daily experience right out of the box.

One neat feature is the ability to run high-performance games in a floating window, allowing you to multitask with ease—whether you’re replying to messages or browsing the web while waiting for a match to load.

AI tools have also found a place in the software suite. The AI Eraser lets you remove unwanted objects from photos, and it performs well in simple scenarios. While it may not be perfect with complex edits, it's certainly useful for casual touch-ups. There's also an AI-powered Photo Enhancer that sharpens portrait shots, improving detail and clarity.

Additionally, content creation tools enhanced by AI help elevate your photos and videos. Whether it’s background blurring or auto-enhancing colors, the tools are intuitive and effective for day-to-day use.

The good news is that iQOO has kept bloatware to a minimum. While there are some third-party apps preinstalled, you can easily uninstall them if you don’t need them. During our usage, the system was free from spammy notifications, which is refreshing compared to many phones in the same segment.

iQOO Neo 10R Performance: Impressive Value for Gamers

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
• RAM Options: 8GB / 12GB LPDDR5X
• Storage Options: 128GB / 256GB (UFS 4.1, while the 8GB + 128GB variant uses UFS 3.1)

When it comes to everyday performance, the iQOO Neo 10R delivers a seamless experience. Funtouch OS glides effortlessly during general use, with minimal heating indoors—even when running demanding apps. It’s only during extended camera use outdoors, like recording long videos or shooting in high-res modes, that the phone starts to warm up. Most of the heat is concentrated on the display, while the back and sides stay relatively cool.

Interestingly, even under thermal pressure, there’s no noticeable throttling in the system or camera features. You can still shoot 4K at 60fps without performance drops or pop-up warnings to cool down, which is impressive for this segment.

When it comes to gaming—one of the phone’s biggest strengths—the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 does a solid job. While not as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (used in the Neo 9 Pro), it still handles heavy-duty titles with ease. Call of Duty: Mobile ran on Very High graphics and Max frame rate, staying within the 59–61 fps range consistently without heating issues.

For more graphics-intensive games like Genshin Impact, the phone managed a steady 60 fps on High settings. However, setting the game to Very High did cause occasional frame drops, dipping below 30 fps, which is typical unless you're using a flagship-tier chipset.

iQOO Neo 10R Cameras: Room for Improvement

• Main Camera: 50MP, f/1.79, OIS, Autofocus
• Ultra-Wide Camera: 8MP, f/2.2, Fixed Focus
• Front Camera: 32MP, f/2.4, Fixed Focus

On paper, the iQOO Neo 10R has a capable camera setup, but real-world results can be inconsistent. The primary camera occasionally struggles with colour accuracy, especially when switching between lenses. The ultra-wide sensor tends to produce more true-to-life hues, while the main sensor sometimes over-saturates close-up subjects, creating unnatural reds and greens depending on the scene.

While shooting in Natural colour mode, the output from the main lens can appear somewhat muted compared to the ultra-wide. At the same time, there's visible contrast boosting that makes photos look more dramatic but slightly sacrifices dynamic range. Details at the edges of the frame often come out soft, even in well-lit conditions, which indicates some limitations in the sensor's processing capabilities.

Daylight video capture is where the Neo 10R shines. Footage shot at 1080p (30 or 60fps) looks smooth, with good stabilization and true-to-scene color output. Shooting in 4K yields slightly sharper results, although there's a crop involved, and only the main sensor is available at 4K 60fps.

Low-light performance, however, tells a different story. Video recordings in darker environments show visible noise, reduced sharpness, and a general loss of clarity. The footage appears soft and lacks the detail you'd expect at this price point, making it more suitable for casual use than serious content creation.

iQOO Neo 10R Photo

iQOO Neo 10R Battery: Outstanding Endurance

• Battery Size: 6,400mAh
• Wired Charging: 80W
• Charger Included: Yes

The iQOO Neo 10R is a powerhouse when it comes to battery performance. Its massive 6,400mAh cell easily powers through a full day of intense usage, and with lighter tasks, you can comfortably get over 1.5 days on a single charge. In our continuous HD video loop test at 50% brightness, the phone clocked an impressive 34 hours and 56 minutes, while the PC Mark Work 3.0 battery test recorded a remarkable 24 hours and 38 minutes, outpacing most competitors in the segment.

Charging is equally efficient. Using the 80W fast charger included in the box, the phone reached:

• 26% in 15 minutes
• 55% in 30 minutes

Fully charged in just over an hour (1 hour and 3 minutes)

iQOO Neo 10R Final Verdict: Great Value, with a Few Trade-Offs

The iQOO Neo 10R offers excellent value for its price. With strong performance, smooth software, stellar battery life, and rapid charging, it ticks most of the right boxes. However, the camera system leaves a bit to be desired, especially in this competitive mid-range market.

If camera quality is your priority, the Nothing Phone 3a might be worth considering. While it’s not built for raw performance, it excels in the photography department and offers one of the cleanest software experiences in its class.

For those eyeing a more balanced experience at a similar price point, the Poco F6 is another solid alternative. It delivers better primary camera results but falls short when it comes to battery endurance and charging speed.

However, if you're willing to spend Rs. 5,000 more, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro emerges as a premium alternative. It features the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a superior camera setup, and a more refined design, including a vegan leather variant. While its battery performance isn't quite on par with the Neo 10R, it makes up for it with an all-round flagship-grade experience.

Bottom line? The iQOO Neo 10R is an excellent choice for gamers and power users on a budget, but if you're seeking a more refined overall package, the Neo 9 Pro is worth the upgrade.