So, for whom is the iQOO 3 exactly. Is it really viable to invest in an iQOO device. With such limited product portfolio and highly controversial reputation of it's parent company, can iQOO really make a mark on the Indian Smartphone industry ? Let's find out below.
Talking about the performance, the device is right away the fastest android phone out there on the market at least on paper. With no other devices providing UFS 3.1 storage plus SD 865 plus LPDDR5 RAM in any price segment, there is actually no competition for the iQOO 3 when it comes to raw processing power. That said day-to-day usage just flies by the device and the only caveat that one might notice is the absence of a high-refresh rate display which might seem a bottleneck in the experience if you are used to 120Hz or higher refresh rate displays. A person upgrading from a standard 60 Hz or even a 90 Hz panel won't, however, feel any huge difference. But talking about the quality of the display, I have to say its extremely beautiful. We're not to sure about the vendor of the display whether it's Samsung or BOE, but the quality and the tiny hole-punch ensures nothing short of an immersive experience. Again, the omission of stereo speakers at this price range was completely out of my scope of understanding. Might not be a deal breaker but is certainly a compromise. The phone features Air-triggers and is my favorite feature considering the fact that play competitive games with it is a joy and pretty seamless. Powering the phone is a beefy 4440 mAh battery which easily lasts a full-working day aided by a beastly fast 55W charging which can top 50% of the battery in about 15 mins in real life testing. Plenty fast I have to say.
Coming to the cameras, the 48 MP Sony IMX 582 primary snapper can take decent shots both under natural lighting and indoor lighting conditions. The dynamic range is good, the color reproduction is fine, portrait shots look natural. the detail is on point with minimal noise. Under dimly lit conditions, the performance is satisfactory but may fall behind the OP 7T owing to the absence of OIS on the primary shooter. The 13 MP wide angle shots are also plenty good with good distortion correction towards the edges and the telephoto lens is also quite. The telephoto lens will be very helpful if you plan install a GCAM and take portrait shots with it. Overall the cameras are decent enough and won't be a problem in most scenarios.
Let's talk about the company's whereabouts and backing first to properly acknowledge the software of the device. iQOO is essentially a Vivo spin-over and has recently announced themselves as an independent brand. In China, however, the brand still functions as a Vivo subsidiary and you will essentially find a lot of Vivo's DNA in the phone. The iQOO UI, RAM management strategies, battery optimization, camera optimization and post -processing, Vivo's Jovi Assistant , there's tits and bits of Vivo's DNA here and there. The fast charging tech used in the phone is also Vivo's proprietary tech and the smartphones are also manufactured in Vivo India's facility which is actually a very good thing. However, the performance on the device is extremely good and the software perfectly complements the hardware. Though there aren't any major compromises on the software and performance won't be any worse than Oxygen OS if not better, I personally would have liked if iQOO had a stock-android like approach for it's UI rather than rebranding Funtouch OS to the eternity. There are hardly any differences between the two UIs apart form the magical optimization that the iQOO team has pulled of with the iQOO UI.
Now, if you guys are still up for a verdict, I would any day pick the iQOO 3 over the Realme X2 pro and even the Oneplus 7T even at 34,990 even though iQOO 3 is available at 31,900 using an ICICI card at times and at that price it's actually a steal. Allow me to explain my verdict. At the asking price of iQOO 3, technically speaking, there is absolutely no competition to the iQOO 3. The device rather competes with the Oneplus 8 which starts at 42,999 for the 6GB variant and for a fair competition if u pick the 8GB variant, it retails at 44,999 which is 10,000 rupee premium over the iQOO 3. If u miss out on stereo speakers, a 90Hz refresh rate and the legendary oxygen OS on the iQOO 3, you again miss out on faster charging, air-triggers, slightly better battery and a telephoto lens on the OP 8. IF you compare with the OP 7T , I don't why would you pick an older generation 7T just for Oxygen OS and the 90 Hz. Take my word, camera differences are almost negligible. That said, I never recommend a Realme devices because the camera on their devices are never upto the mark and are bound to degrade after the next generation device launches. The iQOO 3 is extremely Value-for-money and you won't regret buying one