IQOO 9 5G Review with Pros and Cons – Overpriced?
Looks like, IQOO wants to become the next OnePlus, they have cleared the same with the newly launched IQOO 9 Series.
Yes, IQOO 9 5G will compete with the recently launched OnePlus 9RT 5G, so let’s review the IQOO 9 5G and find out whether it’s a true OnePlus killer or not.
IQOO 9 5G Price in India
- 8GB Ram + 128GB storage: Rs 42,990
- 12GB Ram + 256GB storage: Rs 46,990
The IQOO 9 5G is available in Alpha and Legend Color Options while it’s available for pre-order on Amazon and it will go for sale on 2nd March 2022 at noon via Amazon.
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Contents
IQOO 9 5G Review
Yes, IQOO 9 5G is worth buying but it’s not for everyone, the weakest part of the smartphone is cameras and OS other than that, IQOO 9 5G has almost everything that you can think of, so if you wanted a gaming smartphone with decent cameras then IQOO 9 5G might be good option to consider.
Now, the cameras are not that bad but still, considering the Rs 42,999 price tag, IQOO needs to work on them otherwise, this can’t be called an overall good smartphone, it will remain, a good gaming smartphone with decent cameras.
The Snapdragon 888+ SoC is powerful enough to handle almost everything.
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The battery size is kinda small, the 4,350mAh battery won’t last for a day but it also supports 120W fast charging which will take only 18 minutes to charge from 10% to 100%.
Overall, IQOO 9 5G is a good smartphone but still, IQOO needs to work on the cameras to justify the Rs 42,999 price tag.
So yes, skip the IQOO 9 5G and go with Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G (review) and you will get a better smartphone, you will save Rs 4,000 too.
IQOO 9 5G Pros and Cons
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| 120Hz AMOLED Display | Ads in the UI |
| 120W superfast charging | No 3.5mm Audio Jack |
| Solid Build | Small Battery Size |
| 8 5G Bands | No SD-Card Slot |
| Widevine L1 Support | Cameras Needs Improvement |
| Stereo Speakers | Gimbal Feels Gimmicky |
| Carrier aggregation Support | No NFC Support |
| Powerful Processor |
Display Quality
The IQOO 9 5G comes with a 6.56-inches FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display with a touch sampling rate of 300Hz. It also supports HDR10+ which also works on Netflix too.
The device also has support for Widevine L1 which means you will be able to stream FHD+ content on OTT apps.
Also, as this is an AMOLED display, IQOO has added an in-display fingerprint sensor which works fine, no worries.
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By the way, on the rear side, it has glass, the frame is made out of aluminum while IQOO hasn’t said, what kind of glass protection they have used on the front side.
The display quality is also great, there won’t be any issues while playing games or even watching movies. The brightness is also good enough to use the smartphone outdoors.
Overall, for the price of Rs 42,999, IQOO has done a great job, with no complaints about the display.
Perforamnce
We have seen, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus SoC in quite of few smartphones, and the same has been used on IQOO 9 5G too.
So there won’t be any issue regarding performance, its powerful processor and it will give the best possible performance in day-to-day life.
The good thing isn’t Fun Touch OS but the good thing is, it runs on fun Touch OS 13-based on Android 12 which means, this phone will get two years of OS updates and three years of security updates.
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Now, everyone knows, that I’m not a big fan of Fun Touch OS. It has ads, comes with tons of pre-installed apps and it’s a bit complicated to use.
This is all me, your experience might be different with Fun Touch OS.
The OS is fast and smooth, so issue with performance.
By the way, Snapdragon 888+ SoC is powerful enough to handle, a 120hz display, so I don’t think you will face any kind of problem while using the device.
IQOO has also added 8 5G bands which means, whenever, 5G launches in India, this device will be able to take full advantage of superfast network speed.
Overall, this is the best processor you can get under Rs 50,000 in India unless some other brand comes with Snapdragon 8 gen 1.
Cameras
It has a 48MP primary sensor which happens to have a gimble, 13MP ultra-wide lens, and 13Mp portrait lens with 2x optical zoom while on the other side, it has a 16MP selfie shooter.
The front camera can shoot videos at 1080p@30fps while the rear can shoot at 4k@30fps & 1080p@30/60fps.
First, let’s talk about that Gimble sensor,
Technically, yes, the 48MP sensor does have a gimble inside the cameras but looks like, it’s not well optimized.
Even after having gimble, the video footage doesn’t come out very good, it feels like, EIS.
This can be fixed with a single OTA update but that depends on IQOO whether they gonna do it or not.
Now, if we leave the gimble aside, the videos do come good, the details are there and there is no issue with dynamic range too.
Still, I feel, that if IQOO is marketing this smartphone as a Gimble camera then they should provide a proper one.
By the way, the images also come out good, again, no issue with dynamic range and even the colors also come out natural.
Now, if we consider the price then I feel, the cameras are not that great, it needs improvement.
IQOO is trying to whiten the images little bit which is not a bad thing at all but if you’re that person who loves it as it is images then you should go with Galaxy S21 FE 5G.
The 13MP ultra-wide is decent enough to take some good images, it’s a normal sensor.
Again, most of the ultra-wide lens doesn’t capture the best images and the same can be said for the IQOO 9 5G too.
The ultra-wide lens capture wider areas which means, either, brands need to use a bigger sensor or optimize the sensor.
In the case of IQOO 9 5G, IQOO didn’t optimize the sensor and the sensor size is also small, so you get the point?
That 13MP portrait sensor is good but I feel, the image doesn’t come out very well even after having a larger 13MP sensor.
Coming to a 16MP front camera, it takes a good image which I was expecting from Vivo.
Now, for those who don’t know, IQOO is a sub-brand of Vivo, so you will see some similarities, starting with OS…
Overall, IQOO has done a decent job in the camera department, the camera could have been better even now, IQOO can improve the camera with updates.
But it depends on IQOO when they gonna fix the cameras, will they fix it or not? only time will tell…
So as of now, the cameras are decent and it doesn’t justify the Rs 42,999 price tag.
Audio Quality
The IQOO 9 5G has a stereo speaker which works fine, no issues there. Its dual speakers, so can’t complain much.
It also has a secondary noise cancellation microphone. The IQOO 9 5G does have carrier aggregation support.
As this is a flagship smartphone, IQOO didn’t add a 3.5mm audio jack.
Overall, the sound quality is good and there are no issues with call quality too.
Battery Life
The 4,350mAh battery won’t last for a day but that 120W fast charging will help a lot. It will take only 18 minutes to charge from 10% to 100% which is nuts.
Overall, if you’re a heavy user then make sure you carry the 120W charger with you otherwise, you will only be able to charge this smartphone at 18W with other chargers.
So yes, I’m a bit disappointed with the battery size but hey, they have also provided the 120W charger, so can’t complain much.
IQOO 9 5G FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: Does IQOO 9 5G has a 3.5mm Audio jack?
A: No.
Q: Does IQOO 9 5G has NFC Support?
A: No.
Q: How many OS updates will IQOO 9 5G will get?
A: IQOO has promised two years of OS updates and three years of security updates.
Q: What is the screen refresh rate of the IQOO 9 5G?
A: It has a 120Hz refresh rate AMOLED panel.
Q: Does IQOO 9 5G has stereo speakers?
A: Yes.
Q: Does IQOO 9 5G has Widevine L1 support??
A: Yes.
Q: Does IQOO 9 5G has a camera2api enabled?
A: Yes
Q: Does IQOO 9 5G has 5G Support?
A: Yes.
Q: How many 5G bands does IQOO 9 5G have?
A: It has 8 5G Bands which include n1, n3, n5, n8 n40, n41, n28A, n77, and n78
Q: Does IQOO 9 5G have fast charging support?
A: Yes, it has 120W wired fast charging support.
Q: Does IQOO 9 5G have carrier aggregation?
A: Yes.
Q: Does IQOO 9 5G have a compass sensor?
A: Yes.
Q: Where to buy IQOO 9 5G in India
A: The IQOO 9 5G is available on Amazon.
- OnePlus 9RT 5G
- Galaxy S20 FE 5G
- Motorola Edge 30 Pro
- Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G
Verdict
IQOO is going in the right direction but they need to work on cameras, the OnePlus was doing the same.
So, if IQOO can fix the cameras then I feel, it can come out from the Gaming category smartphone but if they don’t then they have to fight with the Asus ROG series.
In short, if you want a powerful smartphone for gaming and if you can live with decent cameras then IQOO 9 5G would be a good option otherwise, add some money to your budget and consider the Galaxy S21 5G or better, just go with Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G.
What I’m saying is, skip the IQOO 9 5G and go with Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G (review) and you will get a better smartphone along with, you will save Rs 4,000 too.
IQOO 9 5G Full Specifications
| Launch Date | 23 February 2022 |
| Release Date | 2nd March 2022 at Noon Via Amazon |
| Display | 6.56-inches FHD+ AMOLED 10-bit AMOLED Penal HDR 10+ Touch Sampling Rate: 300Hz |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution |
| Dimensions | 15.9 x 7.5 x 0.9 cm |
| Display Protection | – |
| Screen Refresh Rate | 120Hz Refresh Rate |
| Build | Glass front Glass back, Aluminum frame |
| OS | Fun Touch 12- Android 12 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ |
| GPU | Adreno 660 |
| CPU | Arm Cortex-X1 Kryo 680 |
| Storage | 8GB Ram + 128GB Storage 12GB Ram + 256GB Storage UFS 3.1 Storage LPDDR5 RAM |
| Card Slot | N0 |
| Rear Cameras | 48MP Primary Sensor (Gimbal) 13MP Ultra-Wide 13MP Portrait Lens (2x) |
| Video | 4k@30fps 1080p@30/60fps |
| Front Camera | 16MP |
| Video | 1080p@30fps |
| 3.5mm Jack | No |
| Widevine L1 Support | Yes |
| Carrier aggregation | Yes |
| Stereo Speakers | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| 5G Support | Yes |
| 5G Bands | 8 5G Bands n1, n3, n5, n8 n40, n41, n28A, n77, and n78 |
| NFC | No |
| IR Blaster | No |
| Sensors | In-display fingerprint sensor Accelerometer Electronic compass Gyroscope Ambient light sensor Proximity sensor Sensor core |
| Fingerprint Sensor | In-Display |
| Battery | 4,350mAh (non-removable) |
| Charging Speed | 120W Wired fast Charging |
| Charging Time | 10% to 50% in 6 Minutes 10% to 100% in 18 Minutes |
| Colors | Alpha and Legend Color Options |
| SAR Value | – |
| Model Number | – |
| Weight | 199 Gram |
| Price | 8GB Ram + 128GB storage: Rs 42,990 12GB Ram + 256GB storage: Rs 46,990 |
| In the box | IQOO 9 5G 120W Flash Charge adapter Cable USB 2.0 Phone case Screen protector SIM tray ejector Quick start guide Safety information |
| Available at | Amazon |
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