I used the iQOO 12 for a few days: Here’s my review

The glass sandwich design, along with the metal frame, lends the iQOO 12 the feel of a high-end smartphone. Notably, it now comes with an IP64 rating for water and dust resistance. Despite packing a sizable 5,000 mAh battery, the phone feels lightweight, especially when compared to devices like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Despite the presence of a large camera island, the phone exhibits minimal wobbling when placed on a flat surface.

The phone definitely has one of the brightest displays with up to 3000 nits of peak brightness (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 display: Two steps forward, one backwards

While the 6.78-inch 144Hz 1.5K flat panel display on the iQOO 12 is of excellent quality in terms of colour accuracy, brightness, and sharpness, I couldn’t help but compare it to its predecessor, the iQOO 11, which boasts a slightly sharper 2K resolution screen, while the iQOO 12 features a 1.5K resolution screen. In real-world usage, the difference may not be noticeable, but for someone upgrading from the iQOO 11 to the iQOO 12, it’s something worth considering.

iQOO claims that the display on the iQOO 12 can reach up to 3000 nits. While I wasn’t able to test this with equipment, I’m pleased to report that the screen is genuinely bright, and even under direct sunlight, it remains visible. However, the punch hole cutout on the iQOO 12 is slightly larger, now housing a 16 MP selfie camera.

Whether it’s content consumption or gaming, I found myself consistently drawn to the iQOO 12 for its beautiful display, which supports HDR video streaming on platforms like Netflix and Prime Video. Additionally, it is a high refresh rate panel with up to a 144Hz refresh rate and support for LPTO technology, which can lower the screen refresh rate to as low as 1Hz to reduce power consumption—an advantageous feature for users who utilise always-on display.

Although it’s a 144Hz panel, the UI typically runs at a 120Hz refresh rate, and only a few games like BGMI can make use of the full 144Hz refresh rate using frame interpolation techniques, while most other games usually run at 60 or 90fps.

Unlike most recent Android flagships, the iQOO 12 features a flat panel display, which some users might appreciate. Personally, I feel a curved display would have added a touch of premiumness to this phone. Unfortunately, the curved display is limited to the iQOO 12 Pro, which is exclusive to China.

iQOO’s first phone in India with 64 MP periscope zoom lens (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 cameras: Much-needed upgrade

The triple camera setup on the iQOO 12 emerges as a clear winner, featuring a 50 MP wide-angle lens, a 50 MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 64 MP 3x optical periscope zoom lens with support for up to 100x digital zoom. However, the selfie camera is a bit of a disappointment, as it is a 16 MP shooter that can only capture videos at up to 1080p resolution and 30fps.

All three rear-facing cameras on the iQOO 12 capture excellent shots in almost every lighting condition. I appreciate the fact that even shots taken at 10x digital zoom appear significantly better with less noise compared to the 10x optical zoom lens on the S23 Ultra. Even at the 10x zoom range, the iQOO 12 produces impressive shots; however, when zoomed in further, they lose some sharpness and appear a bit soft.

Here are a few iQOO 12 camera samples:

iQOO 12 camera sample 10 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 camera sample 9 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 camera sample 8 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 camera sample 7 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 camera sample 6 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 camera sample 5 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 camera sample 4 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 camera sample 3 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 camera sample 2 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 camera sample 1 (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 performance: Most powerful smartphone in India

The iQOO 12 stands as the most powerful smartphone currently available in India, thanks to its Antutu score of 1.9 million. This is likely to remain the case for some time, as the next set of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 smartphones are at least a month away. This gives the iQOO 12 a first-mover advantage, making it the go-to phone for those who prioritise the computing capabilities of a smartphone.

Additionally, iQOO now offers configurations with up to 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal storage based on UFS 4.0 technology. This significantly contributes to features such as boot speed, app load time, and data transfer speed. However, it’s worth noting that the USB port is based on the dated USB 2.0 standard, which can slow down wired data transfer. In the real world, it might be challenging to notice a performance difference between the iQOO 12 and a phone with the previous generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but the new phone is expected to maintain its snappiness for years to come.

In terms of gaming, I tested a variety of titles, including the highly demanding game Hoknai: Star Rail. The iQOO 12 easily delivers solid 60fps gaming at the highest graphics settings. I also played Real Racing 3, a visually appealing racing game offering 120fps gameplay, and Subway Surfers, another game that supports 120fps on the iQOO 12. While the phone does get warm with continued gaming, especially on titles like Honkai: Star Rail, there is nothing alarming.

Popular battle royale titles like BGMI and CoD: Mobile run smoothly on the iQOO 12. Lastly, I played GTA: VC Definitive Edition on this device, and while it offered a solid 30fps at maximum resolution, navigating within the game without an external controller proved to be challenging.

iQOO 12 runs on Android 14 based FunTouchOS 14 (Image credit: Vivek Umashnakar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12 software experience

The iQOO 12 comes with the latest Android 14-based FunTouchOS 14 skin, representing a notable improvement over the previous FunTouchOS. The company has successfully removed “Hot apps” and “Hot games.” However, the software experience still lacks streamlining, and there is some bloatware such as the iQOO browser, V-Appstore, iManager, and more. These applications continue to push unwanted notifications unless manually disabled. Additionally, the security scanning of apps installed from the Play Store deducts a few points from the overall user experience.

While FunTouchOS on the iQOO offers plenty of customization options, the UI feels somewhat cluttered, making it challenging to locate the right settings menu. iQOO promises three major Android OS upgrades and four years of security updates, ensuring the phone stays up-to-date for an extended period.

The smartphone supports 120W fast charging (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

iQOO 12: Battery life and connectivity

The iQOO 12 is equipped with a large 5,000 mAh battery and supports 120W fast charging, capable of fully charging the phone in approximately 30 minutes. However, it’s important to note that 120W fast charging is turned off by default, and users should ensure to enable it for the best charging experience. It’s worth mentioning that the device may become a bit warm during fast charging. Interestingly, the 120W fast charger is unable to charge a MacBook Air (due to no USB-PD support), and the phone does not support wireless charging.

In terms of battery life, the phone has typically provided five to six hours of screen-on time in my usage, including one hour of gaming-centric use. I tested the iQOO 12 with the Jio network and found that the phone offers excellent networking capabilities, with download speeds reaching 1.2Gbps and beyond. The same positive experience extends to WiFi reception, and the phone supports the latest Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity.

iQOO 12 customisation options (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Should you buy the iQOO 12?

Despite some minor flaws, the iQOO 12 is a solid phone, especially in the Rs 50,000 price range. The device checks almost every box, including display, performance, cameras, and build quality. For someone looking for a new phone around Rs 50,000 outside the Apple, Samsung, and OnePlus bandwagon, the iQOO 12 is the device to consider not just in 2023 but also in 2024.