iQOO, a spin-off of Chinese mobile favourite Vivo, has announced the first international launch of the iQOO Series 9 phones, raising hopes for a potential release in the west.
The company says the Android-based iQOO 9 and the iQOO 9 Pro will be available to pre-order in India from today, although the company is yet to reveal any plans to launch in the UK and Europe.
The company specialises in offering plenty of bang for its buck in its home market of China, and the IQOO 9 phones certainly promise that, with a flagship-level spec sheet to entice smartphone enthusiasts.
The iQOO 9 and iQOO 9 Pro are also joined by the mid-range iQOO 9 SE, which will become available in India from March 2.
The iQOO 9 Pro is naturally the spec leader with the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 onboard, combined with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of built-in storage. The triple-lens camera includes a 50-megapixel Samsung GN5 sensor with Gimbal stabilisation. There’s also a 50-megapixel 150-degree fisheye wide angle camera and a 16-megapixel telephoto/portrait camera completing the eye-watering specs.
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The Pro phone promises 120W flash charging, which promises to fully recharge the 4,700mAh battery to just 20 minutes. There’s also 50W wireless charging capabilities. The Series 9 boasts the same tech and can promise a full recharge of the 4,350mAh battery in just 18 minutes.
Both phones also promise a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the Pro model offers curved edges, QHD resolution and a variable refresh rate thanks to LPTO 2.0, which is this year’s hottest display feature.
iQOO 9 and iQOO 9 specs
Elsewhere, the standard Series-9 model (above) includes the Snapdragon 888 Plus processor, which was announced last summer as an enhanced version of the company’s existing flagship. That’s different from the Chinese version, which also offered the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It also has 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage available.
There are also three cameras, but with a more modest spec array. (48-megapixel plus Gimbal main camera, 13-megapixel super wide-angle camera and a 13-megapixel portrait camera). The display is flat and the resolution is FHD+
Rounding out the trio is the iQOO 9 SE, which includes a Snapdragon 888 processor (the standard edition) with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Cameras include a 48-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilisation, a 13-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 2-megapixel monochrome camera. There’s a 4500mAh battery and the phone supports 66W FlashCharge.
We await news on whether a UK launch will be forthcoming, as the handsets would sure give the mobile market a bit of a jolt. We’ve already renewed the iQOO 7 and its iQOO 7 Legend offshoot and were impressed enough to give both a 4-star rating. If only they weren’t so hard to come by!
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
