iQOO, previously a Vivo sub-brand, is well-known in China for dispensing affordable gaming-oriented devices like the iQOO 3 5G (review). Today, iQOO is adding another flagship killer to its product portfolio in China and the phone is abundant with compelling features including a display with a 144Hz refresh rate, 44W fast charging, Snapdragon 865 mobile platform, Wi-Fi 6, and dual-mode 5G.

Beginning with its design, the iQOO Neo3 looks quite similar to the iQOO 3 due to the shape and the position of the camera module. It comes in two color variants with gradients. The phone features triple cameras on the back. In addition, there's a hole-punch display on the front, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and stereo speakers on the top and the bottom edges.

vivo iqoo neo3 5g snapdragon 865

The iQOO Neo3 is an absolute charmer when it comes to performance, courtesy of the Snapdragon 865, up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and UFS 3.1 storage technology. Adding to capabilities of the internal hardware are the 6.57-inch display with a refresh rate of 144Hz, which can support gaming at up to 144fps, as well as Vivo's Multi-Turbo 3.0, which enables a slew of features such as Central Core Acceleration Engine, AI Acceleration Engine, Network Acceleration Engine, Game Acceleration Engine, Thermal Acceleration Engine, and Compilation Enhanced Acceleration Engine, leading for sustained high performance. In addition, the "11-layer" heat dissipation system further complements the hardware.

Coming back to the iQOO Neo3 5G's display, the 6.57-inch panel is HDR10 certified and comes with a single hole-punch along the top right corner. iQOO is using an IPS panel on the Neo3 which explains the utility of the side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

The triple rear cameras on the back include a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP macro camera. The hole-punch on the display houses a 16MP selfie shooter.

The iQOO Neo3 5G features a 4500mAh battery and supports Vivo's "Super Flash Charge" fast wired charging at 44W. This allows the 50% battery to be replenished in about 20 minutes and fully in under an hour.

In terms of software, the phone runs on iQOO UI, which is a fork of Vivo's FuntouchOS and is based on Android 10.

iQOO Neo3 5G Specifications

Specification iQOO Neo3 5G
Dimensions and Weight
  • 163.71 x 75.55 x 8.93 mm
  • 198.1g
Display
  • 6.57″ FHD+ (2400 x 1080) IPS
  • Punch-hole display
  • HDR10;
  • 144Hz Refresh Rate
SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 865:
  • 1x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex A77-based) Prime core @ 2.8GHz
  • 3x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex A77-based) Performance cores @ 2.4GHz
  • 4x Kryo 385 (ARM Cortex A55-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz
Adreno 650
RAM and Storage
  • 6GB LPDDR4X + 128GB UFS 3.1
  • 8GB + 128GB
  • 12GB + 128GB
  • 8GB + 256GB
Battery & Charging
  • 4,500 mAh battery
  • 44W Super FlashCharge fast charging
Rear Camera Photo:
  • Primary: 48MP, f/1.79
  • Secondary: 8MP, f/2.2, wide-angle
  • Tertiary: 2MP, f/2.4, macro camera
Front Camera
  • 16MP, f/2.0
Other Features
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Bluetooth 5.1
  • Wi-Fi-6
  • Dual-frequency GPS
  • Side-mounted Fingerprint Scanner
Android Version iQOO UI 1.0 based on Android 10
Network
  • 5G: n1/n3/n41/n77/n78
  • 4G+: B1/B3/B5/B8/B39/B40/B41/B38
  • 4G FDD LTE: B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8/B18/B19/B25/B26
  • 4G TDD LTE: B34/B39/B40/B41/B38

Price & Availability

vivo iqoo neo3 snapdragon 865 The iQOO Neo3 5G will be available in China in four different models priced as following:
  • 6GB + 128GB – CNY 2,698 (~$380)
  • 8GB + 128GB – CNY 2,998 (~$425)
  • 12GB + 128GB – CNY 3,298 (~$465)
  • 8GB + 256GB – CNY 3,398 (~$480)

The phone will be available for purchase in China starting April 29th via major online channels in the region.

iQOO has also released some accessories to pair with the smartphone including 3D texturized covers, a pair of earphones with an L-shaped plug, and charging cable with a non-intrusive plug specially designed to allow users to charge the phone while gaming. These are priced at CNY 49, CNY 129, and CNY 59 but for those buying them along with the phone, the prices will be CNY 39, CNY 99, and CNY 39 for each of the texturized cases, wired headset, and the charging cable, respectively.