iQOO is a sub-brand of vivo that initially focused on gaming. But after receiving good response from users, iQOO became a competitor brand to all smartphone categories. The latest to arrive at the our lab is the iQOO 12 which is the first device to be launched with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.
In this article I will share with you about the initial use experience of this device. Is this the flagship device you should buy? Is it worth it? What are the unique features and functions specific to iQOO 12? I will answer everything in this first glance.
INFO Review – iQOO 11 5G With Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 As Fast As A Bullet
SPECIFICATION AND DESIGN
iQOO 12
6.78″ AMOLED 144Hz, 2800 x 1260 screen
HDR10+, 1400 nits
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor (4nm)
1x 3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 chip
5x 3.2 GHz Cortex-A720
2x 2.3 GHz Cortex-A520
Adreno 750 Graphics Chip
RAM 32GB RAM
16GB LPDDR5X + 16GB Extended RAM (Virtual Memory)
Internal Storage 512 GB UFS 4.0
Primary Camera 50MP f/1.7, OIS (Wide Angle)
64MP f/2.6, OIS, 3x Optical Zoom (Telephoto Periscope)
50MP f/2.0 (Ultra Wide Angle)
Selfie Camera 16 MP f/2.5
5000 mAh battery
120W wired charging
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM nano / 5G
NFC Yes
IR emitter Yes
No Audio Jack
Waterproof None
Scan System Under-screen fingerprint scanner
(Optical)
Sale Price ￥4,299 (~RM2,814)
16/512GB
iQOO 12 is a flagship device with a beautiful, premium design and can compete fiercely with other manufacturers. It doesn't use a clichéd design like the same camera bump from the last generation or recycle the design of vivo devices. This device uses a design that has its own identity. First of all is the camera hump which is similar to the Xiaomi 13 but with every corner more curved.
The color of the unit I tested is Legendary which is smooth and shiny white because it is a special edition of BMW Motorsport. There is an iQOO logo with a BMW logo on the bottom side on the back of the device. Then iQOO 12 uses a device design that is flat on the sides and on the screen.
The device is not that heavy but at the same time it doesn't feel bulky. Each button on the left side feels good to press, the device always looks beautiful, it doesn't easily catch fingerprints and in the hand it feels like handling an expensive device.
Most interesting is the screen design with an almost even bezel. This provides a good user experience and is pleasing to the eye. The iQOO 12 is the first device to go on sale (in China) with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and running Android 14 directly. I hope for the Malaysian market later, vivo Malaysia will offer several color options such as red and black which are available in China because they look more beautiful and elegant.
USAGE EXPERIENCE
This device uses a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2800 x 1260, supports a refresh rate of 144Hz without LTPO, can display HDR10+ content and also reaches a brightness of up to 1400 nits. This is the second device with the smoothest and fastest screen I've ever used after the ASUS ROG Phone 7 which supports 165Hz.
Then with the addition of the Supercomputing Chip Q1, which helps to process images on the screen with higher resolution with AI – the experience of watching videos on Netflix or YouTube is very satisfying. I managed to finish a season of a TV series on this device because of the interesting visuals it displayed.
Among the many vivo devices running Funtouch OS, the iQOO 12 is the best because it has no ads at all. The alleged Hot Games and Hot Apps that were removed were still not on my device on the first day of use. But in less than two days of use, I have received a new software update that adds 16GB virtual memory support, making the iQOO 12 have 32GB of RAM.
Funtouch OS 14 based on Android 14 is the operating system used on this device. It's very interesting to use with some settings similar to stock Android as if on Nothing OS 2.5. If before I complained that Funtouch OS does not have organized settings, this time it is different because it is neater and makes it easier for me to make various changes to the system.
BENCH MARK
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a chip with a configuration of 1x 3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 + 5x 3.2 GHz Cortex-A720 + 2x 2.3 GHz Cortex-A520 paired with an Adreno 750 GPU. For memory, the unit I tested uses 16GB LPDDR5X RAM + 16GB Extended RAM (non-modifiable) and 512GB UFS 4.0 internal storage. I had expectations before receiving this device that it would have great performance and no heating issues and it seems that my expectations were correct.
During the three days of use, every game I tested was smooth and there were no lags during gaming sessions. Asphalt 9 is solid, Marvel Snap is great, Monopoly Go is satisfying and Silent Hill Ascension also provides the best experience.
The device is only warm enough to hold, more or less with the performance on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Marvel Snap sometimes closes itself, but I can forgive that there are still many applications that are not optimized with this chip.
For benchmark scores, I used AnTuTu 3D, Geekbench 6 and 3DMark only. Compared to the scores on devices using Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the iQOO 12 with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has a very high score and is beyond my expectations. The iQOO 12 has performance close to the prototype we tested in Hawaii during the day. You can see the comparison below;
AnTuTu 3D
iQOO 12 – 2,075,821
iPhone 15 Pro Max – 1,523,961
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 – 1,488,776
Xiaomi 13T Pro – 1,431,444
Geekbench 6
iQOO 12 – 2181/6631
iPhone 15 Pro Max – 2873/7228
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 – 1991/5221
Xiaomi 13T Pro – 1284/3520
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
iQOO 12 – 30.22 FPS
iPhone 15 Pro Max – 22.1 FPS
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 – 23.03 FPS
Xiaomi 13T Pro – N/A
3DMark Solar Bay
iQOO 12 – 8528 / 32.43FPS
iPhone 15 Pro Max – 4943 / 18.8FPS
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 – 5628 / 21.4FPS
Xiaomi 13T Pro – N/A
CAMERA
If our iQOO 11 review gave a camera score of 8/10, this iQOO 12 has the potential to receive a score of 9/10 as of this initial test. The camera configuration of 50MP f/1.7, wide-angle OIS + 64MP f/2.6, 3x optical zoom periscope telephoto OIS + 50MP f/2.0 ultra-wide-angle and 16MP f/2.5 selfie camera used gives surprising results.
The camera app is similar to vivo devices, there are many features using AI, as well as additional features that can make the average user look like a professional photographer. The great optical zoom support, preserving the details well and producing sharp and beautiful colors makes me wonder why I feel the iQOO 12 has a better camera than the vivo X90? You can see the results for yourself below;
CONCLUSION
The iQOO 12 is a flagship device that I find interesting to own. It has a beautiful, simple and premium design. It has good software with three generations of Android updates guaranteed. It has great performance and a satisfying camera and supports fast charging. It's only been three days of using this device and I'm already falling in love with it. iQOO 12 will probably take the place of OnePlus and Nothing which have been my "heart" for so long.
In China, the 16/512 GB variant is sold at a price of around RM2800 only. If we follow the trend of the iQOO price difference in China and in Malaysia, I expect the iQOO 12 to be sold at a price of around RM3299. If this is the price, this device will be Malaysia's first flagship device with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and Android 14 and the most worth having.