Update 1 (4/17/20 @ 04:00 AM ET): iQOO Neo3 will come with triple rear cameras and a hole-punch display on the front.
The update has been added at the bottom while the original article from April 13th is preserved as-is.
iQOO, formerly a Vivo sub-brand, recently made its international debut with the launch of the iQOO 3 5G in India. Kishan from our team concluded his iQOO 3 5G review commending it as one of the fastest phones out there, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 mobile platform, 12GB of RAM, and UFS 3.1 storage technology. Additional features like the pressure-sensitive "Monster" shoulder buttons make the package even more exciting. One area, however, where the phone was found to be lagging behind the competition is the refresh rate of the display. For users who want a display with a higher refresh along with the other gaming-centric features in the iQOO 3, the company will be launching the iQOO Neo 3 on April 23rd with a 144Hz display.
The iQOO Neo3 is actually the fourth phone in the Neo series and the previous devices were named simply after the processor powering them. The older iQOO phones in the series were called Neo 845, Neo 855, and Neo 855 Plus. The new naming scheme indicates that iQOO is positioning the Neo3 alongside the iQOO 3 instead of it being a successor or a supplementary device.
Ahead of the iQOO Neo3's launch on the 23rd of April, the brand's Weibo account has started actively teasing the key features of the phone. Expectedly, the Neo3 is powered by a Snapdragon 865 and comes with a UFS 3.1 NAND storage. Besides this, the Neo3 also comes with a 144Hz display to complement the top-of-the-line internal hardware.
Based on some screenshots found on Weibo, we learn that an upcoming Vivo-branded phone with model number PD1981 will allow users to choose among the different screen refresh rates. The screenshots are allegedly captured on the iQOO Neo3 since there is no other Vivo flagship (iQOO still sells under Vivo in China) appears to be in pipeline. The available options include a 60Hz option for better battery performance, a 90Hz option for optimal performance and battery backup, and a 120Hz option to unleash a super-smooth display. Additionally, the screenshots also reveals the phone runs on Vivo's overlay skin Funtouch OS based on Android 10.
Vivo has also launched a microsite for iQOO Neo3 and we can expect to see more updates on the same in the coming days. We'll update you as we learn more about the phone.
Update: iQOO reveals Neo3's front and back design revealed
In further teasers, iQOO has revealed key details about the design of the upcoming Neo3 smartphone. It comes with a hole-punch display just like the iQOO 3 and a triple camera setup on the back. The camera module has mentions details like the sensor size and the aperture but not the resolutions of the sensors. For now, we know there is an ultrawide sensor along with the primary sensors.
The phone also comes with dual speakers, Hi-Fi audio, and 1.05cc audio chambers on either side for amplifying the sound.