I typically like what Vivo does with the iQOO sub-brand. It has persistently delivered beautiful designs, highly effective {hardware}, and respectable cameras, and the perfect half is the worth; iQOO telephones have all the time been among the many most inexpensive to function Qualcomm’s newest silicon.
That is nonetheless the case as we head into 2024. The iQOO 12 is the primary machine I am utilizing that options the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and it retains the model’s long-standing collaboration with BMW’s M division, resulting in a hanging design. The telephone has loads of upgrades throughout the board — together with a 3x telephoto with OIS and 50MP wide-angle lens — and also you get Android 14 out of the field.
That concentrate on worth hasn’t modified both; coming in at simply $660, the iQOO 12 considerably undercuts its instant rivals, and I do not suppose we’ll see one other Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-toting machine for this low. So in case you’re due for an improve and need the newest {hardware} and digital camera tech, this is why you need to contemplate the iQOO 12.
iQOO 12: Specs, worth, and launch date
The iQOO 12 was unveiled in China on November 7, and the telephone made its debut in world markets on December 6. The telephone is now accessible in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and launched in India on December 12. It prices the equal of $660 in most Southeast Asian markets.Â
In India, there are two variations on supply: the 12GB/256GB mannequin is estimated to retail at ₹52,999 ($635), and the 16GB/512GB model is out there for ₹57,999 ($695). That is lower than what the iQOO 11 launched eventually yr, and given the upgrades on supply, it makes the iQOO 12 a downright cut price.
As there is not a lot differentiating both mannequin, I would recommend selecting up the 16GB/512GB mannequin in case you’re eyeing the iQOO 12. It’s a unbelievable worth, and whereas the likes of the OnePlus 12 and Xiaomi 14 have not made their approach to India simply but, I doubt they are going to be anyplace as inexpensive — notably contemplating all of the upgrades they’re rocking this yr.
Like earlier years, world availability goes to be restricted to pick areas in Asia, and whereas the machine would clearly discover an viewers in nations just like the U.Okay. and Germany, it does not seem like Vivo is able to convey its newest worth flagship to that a part of the world but.
| Class | iQOO 12 |
|---|---|
| OS | Funtouch OS 14 primarily based on Android 14 |
| Show | 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED (2800×1200), 144Hz refresh, HDR10+, 1400 nits auto brightness, 3000 nits max brightness |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 4nm |
| RAM | 12GB/16GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 |
| Rear digital camera 1 | 50MP f/1.7 23mm, 1/1.3-inch, OIS, 8K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps |
| Rear digital camera 2 | 50MP f/2.0 15mm wide-angle, 119-degree FoV, autofocus |
| Rear digital camera 3 | 64MP f/2.6 70mm telephoto, 3x optical zoom, 10x zoom, OIS |
| Entrance digital camera | 16MP f/2.5, 1080p video |
| Ingress safety | IP64 mud and water resistance |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, Sub-6 5G, Twin-band GPS |
| Safety | In-screen optical fingerprint sensor |
| Audio | USB-C, stereo sound, 24-bit/192kHz audio |
| Battery | 5000mAh, 120W charging |
| Dimensions | 163.2 x 75.9 x 8.4mm, 203g |
| Colours | White, Black |
iQOO 12: Design
Vivo overhauled the design of the iQOO 12, and whilst you nonetheless get the BMW M branding, it is restricted to the emblem on the backside and a tiny tri-color sample subsequent to it. The again of the telephone is loads cleaner because of this, and it seems to be rather more upmarket than its predecessors. You do not get a textured leather-based again both, with the iQOO 12 as a substitute providing an enamel glass made up of “numerous three-dimensional pyramid nano-optical textures” — consider it as a center floor between a totally shiny and a matte end.
The feel makes holding and utilizing the telephone a little bit simpler, and it prevents smudges from displaying up in opposition to the white again. One other change on the again is the introduction of a “porthole” design for the rear digital camera module, and the bigger housing together with the metal ring encircling it provides the telephone numerous character. The dimensions of the digital camera housing means the telephone does not wobble when it is on a flat floor.
However the greatest design change is the swap to flat sides — the iQOO 12 does not have easily flowing curves from the again to the mid-frame. That mentioned, you continue to get beveled edges that make the machine straightforward to make use of, and due to the added width on the edges with the aluminum mid-frame, the machine is rather more snug than the iQOO 11.
The best homes the ability and quantity buttons, and also you get the SIM card tray and USB-C charging port on the backside. There’s an IR blaster up high together with a secondary mic, and the telephone has IP64 ingress safety. That is not fairly on par with the IP68 score that is a mainstay on flagships, however it’s a far sight higher than what we acquired final yr.
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Using metal on the edges provides to the machine’s premium credentials, and Vivo deserves credit score for the best way it advanced the design — the iQOO 12 looks like a mature telephone, and it seems to be simply pretty much as good as telephones that price much more.
iQOO 12: Show
The iQOO 12 retains the identical 6.78-inch display screen measurement as its predecessor, however it’s utilizing a brand-new AMOLED panel. The important thing spotlight of the display screen is that it is ready to hit 3000 nits of peak brightness, a sizeable achievement. It may handle 1400 nits in each day use, and also you get HDR10+, 144Hz refresh with dynamic refresh that goes all the way down to 1Hz when viewing pictures.
Shade accuracy is superb out of the field, however in case you choose cooler or hotter hues, you possibly can tweak the settings to your liking. There are three modes accessible — Normal, Professional, and Vivid — and Normal is chosen by default. At 2800 x 1260, the display screen decision itself is decrease than final yr (3200 x 1440), however you do not discover the distinction when utilizing each telephones side-by-side.
The telephone did a terrific job switching refresh fee dynamically primarily based on the content material enjoying on the display screen, and also you additionally get the flexibility to lock it to 60Hz or 144Hz. You get the standard upscaling impact that is commonplace on Vivo, OnePlus, and OPPO telephones, and there is movement smoothing as properly — which makes a distinction in case you like streaming sports activities in your telephone.
On that notice, streaming HDR content material on the iQOO 12 is a delight, and the telephone does a terrific job balancing colours and brightness in dynamic scenes. Enjoying video games is equally enjoyable, and fortunately there isn’t any 60fps limitation — if a recreation goes as much as 144fps, you possibly can unlock its full potential on the iQOO 12.
The onboard sound is fairly good too, and also you get clear stereo separation though the second speaker is noticeably smaller. With 2,160Hz PWM, the iQOO 12 is less complicated on the eyes as properly — notably in case you’re delicate to PWM dimming.
iQOO 12: Efficiency and battery
As for the {hardware}, the important thing speaking level is the truth that the iQOO 12 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It has a singular 1 + 5 + 2 core configuration, makes use of all-new Cortex X4, A720, and A520 cores, and the Adreno 750 has appreciable upgrades that make a distinction whereas gaming.
The telephone is fluid in each day use, and I did not run into any lag or overheating points within the week I used it. That mentioned, it does not really feel fairly as well-optimized because the iQOO 11, however this may be simply sorted out with firmware updates — Vivo rolled out two updates with stability fixes within the testing window, so by the point the telephone goes out to retail prospects, it ought to be capable of take full benefit of the {hardware}. Regardless, I am going to revisit the telephone after a month and see if there’s any distinction.
Outdoors of that small quibble, there aren’t any points with the iQOO 12. It has glorious efficiency in demanding video games, and it does not throttle simply both, so that you get good sustained framerates. In 3DMark’s Wild Life Excessive stress take a look at, it had a stability rating of 55.9%, and that is simply positive. You may discover the telephone getting a bit scorching throughout prolonged gaming periods, however it is not too completely different to current-gen telephones.
| Class | ASUS ROG Cellphone 7 Final | iQOO 12 | iPhone 15 Professional Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| CrossMark (Total) | 1224 | 1324 | 1401 |
| Productiveness | 1266 | 1302 | 1404 |
| Creativity | 1161 | 1320 | 1573 |
| Responsiveness | 1295 | 1404 | 984 |
| Geekbench 6 (single-core) | 2008 | 2252 | 2950 |
| Geekbench 6 (multi-core) | 5607 | 6952 | 7381 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Excessive (rating) | 3752 | 4329 | 3648 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Excessive (FPS) | 22.45 | 25.92 | 21.9 |
| 3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (rating) | 4586 | 8042 | 5024 |
| 3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (FPS) | 17.5 | 32.33 | 19.1 |
There’s loads to love with the remainder of the {hardware}, with the iQOO 12 that includes 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage on the bottom mannequin. I am utilizing the 16GB/512GB model, and it has been faultless on this space. You get the newest connectivity as properly, together with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, the AptX Lossless audio codec, NFC, dual-band GPS, and world Sub-6 5G bands.
The vibration motor is fairly good as properly, and whereas it does not ship the identical degree of granular suggestions as true flagships, you solely discover that when utilizing the telephone subsequent to the likes of the Xiaomi 13 Extremely or iPhone 15 Professional Max.
Now, the one challenge I’ve on the {hardware} facet is the positioning of the in-screen fingerprint module; it as soon as once more sits too far down on the display screen, making it awkward to entry when utilizing the telephone one-handed. I don’t know why manufacturers proceed to do that; if anybody at Vivo is studying this, transfer the sensor a little bit greater subsequent yr. That mentioned, the sensor itself is quick to authenticate and dependable in each day use.
Coming to the battery facet of issues, the iQOO 12 has a 5000mAh battery that simply lasts a day. There is not any cause for battery nervousness with this telephone, and even on days with heavy use, I did not see the battery go under 15%. This has largely been the case with most telephones I used over the past 15 months, and the one gadgets the place battery life remains to be a difficulty are foldables.
And as for charging, you get Vivo’s 120W charging tech right here, and it takes a smidgen over 28 minutes to totally cost the iQOO 12. It goes to the 50% mark in simply over 11 minutes, so in case you’re working low on cost through the day, it takes only a matter of minutes to get sufficient energy to final a number of hours. On that notice, there isn’t any wi-fi charging on the machine, and that is okay — this is not a telephone you permit charging in a single day anyway. And as is the case with all Vivo and iQOO telephones, you get the requisite charger within the field.
iQOO 12: Cameras
Whereas earlier fashions within the iQOO numbered sequence had respectable cameras, Vivo is not messing round with this era. The iQOO 12 has appreciable upgrades on this entrance, and the telephone contains a 50MP OmniVision OV50H primary digital camera that has a lot better gentle consumption and shade accuracy, and also you get OIS.
It is joined by a 50MP wide-angle lens with autofocus, and there is a 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS. The zoom lens doubles as a 3x portrait lens, and also you get beautiful portrait pictures. In the same vein, the wide-angle digital camera can take macro pictures. The entrance digital camera is unchanged to final yr, and also you get the identical 16MP module.
The digital camera interface itself is identical as final yr, so in case you’ve used a Vivo telephone not too long ago, you will be accustomed to all of the toggles and buttons. What’s new this yr is the flexibility to decide on a photograph type, and you may choose between three selections — Vivid, Textured, and Pure. The Vivid mode has photographs with excessive ranges of saturation, and so they’re nice for sharing on social media. Textured has a gritty texture to the photographs and a vignette, and I wasn’t a fan. Pure is the mode I went with more often than not because it delivered true-to-life pictures.
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Daylight photographs taken with the iQOO 12 have loads of element and dynamic vary, however that was a given anyway. Older fashions had points with foliage rendition, and that is nonetheless the case with this machine. That mentioned, the Pure mode does a greater job on this space, and truthfully, I appreciated the photographs I acquired out of this mode than the opposite two.
You get nice photographs out of the wide-angle lens as properly, and whereas it does not measure as much as the Pixel 8 Professional or the Xiaomi 13 Extremely, it takes usable pictures in most situations. Equally, the 3x telephoto lens is unbelievable, and it provides much-needed versatility to the machine. Greater than anything, I like that manufacturers are utilizing this module for portrait pictures, and whereas I do not take many pictures at 2x or 3x zoom, I take advantage of the portrait mode fairly a bit, and identical to the Xiaomi 13 Extremely, the iQOO 12 does a terrific job on this space.
Low-light pictures are predictably nice, and I haven’t got any issues with the caliber of the principle digital camera or the wide-angle lens on this space. Total, the iQOO 12 does a terrific job with photographs, and whereas movies might have acquired a little bit extra consideration, it isn’t an enormous downside. The telephone is not on the identical degree as true flagships, however contemplating what it prices, the cameras are fairly nice.
iQOO 12: Software program
Vivo made numerous optimistic strides on the software program entrance with its Android 14-based Funtouch OS 14, and because of this, the iQOO 12 feels rather more polished than its predecessors. The software program has a cleaner design and appears fashionable, and it has a constant design aesthetic. Whereas you aren’t getting a lot in the best way of Materials You right here, the software program nonetheless feels good to make use of, and it does not come throughout as a poorly-implemented iOS clone.
The notification pane now has two massive rectangular tiles — very similar to what you get in OxygenOS 14 — together with the standard rounded tiles on the backside, and you may simply customise the toggles primarily based in your preferences. The app drawer is basically unchanged, and also you get a row of suggestions on the high, and you continue to get the flexibility to entry widgets by way of a devoted web page; and no, I do not know why this function nonetheless exists.
This would not be a Vivo overview with out mentioning bloatware, and you will find loads of that on the iQOO 12. Fortunately, you possibly can uninstall all of the apps that come pre-installed on the telephone, however it’s irksome that vivo continues to do that. In the same vein, Jovi Residence is undamaged, however it is not as seen as earlier years; it is simply tucked away within the settings. Vivo additionally continues to bundle its personal dialer and SMS app as a substitute of Google’s default, however once more, it is simple sufficient to modify these out.
Transferring on to the positives, there’s loads of customizability on supply, and you may arrange dynamic lighting results for nearly each aspect of the telephone — unlocking the display screen, charging the telephone, plugging in a USB machine, and so forth. There’s additionally a nifty choice within the overview menu that permits you to swap to a horizontally-scrolling configuration, very similar to MIUI.
Total although, Funtouch OS 14 feels nearer to ColorOS 14 than earlier variations of the interface, and that is a terrific factor. One other optimistic is that the iQOO 12 will get long-term software program updates, with Vivo guaranteeing three Android OS updates and 4 years of safety patches.
iQOO 12: The competitors
The iQOO 12 is the primary out the door, so it does not actually have any rivals as of writing. The remainder of the gadgets powered by Qualcomm’s newest silicon are as a result of launch on the finish of January, so in case you’re fascinated by getting your palms on the newest {hardware} and digital camera tech and do not need to wait one other two months, that is the machine to get.
In any other case, you need to maintain out for the OnePlus 12 and Xiaomi 14. Each gadgets have numerous fascinating upgrades, and at the very least within the case of the OnePlus 12, the Indian launch might be concurrently the worldwide unveil, so it needs to be accessible by the tip of January. With Xiaomi, nevertheless, there isn’t any telling when — or if — the Xiaomi 14 will make its approach to the nation.
iQOO 12: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You want a strong telephone that is terrific for gaming
- You need versatile cameras that take nice photographs in any state of affairs
- You want stellar battery life and ultra-fast charging
- You need an AMOLED display screen that is straightforward on the eyes
- You are on the lookout for long-term software program updates
You should not purchase this if:
- You want wi-fi charging
- You desire a telephone with Materials You interface
If different telephones comply with the same sample because the iQOO 12, 2024 might be a reasonably fascinating yr. The iQOO 12 has appreciable upgrades on supply, whether or not it is the brighter AMOLED panel, higher primary digital camera and the addition of the 3x telephoto lens, upgraded internals, or the refreshed design that appears rather more premium.
It is not usually that we get as many upgrades, however what finally differentiates the iQOO 12 is that it has the identical nice worth though you get a lot better cameras and a brighter display screen. Greater than anything, it is this worth that offers the iQOO 12 a definite edge, and I am unable to see how another telephone can come near the machine on this explicit space.
