iQoo Neo 9 Pro Camera First Impressions: How iQoo's Upcoming Phone Performed in Our Initial Camera Tests

We tested both the 50-megapixel primary camera and the 8-megapixel secondary camera on the iQoo Neo 9 Pro.

Written by David Delima, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 13 February 2024 09:00 IST

iQoo Neo 9 Pro Camera First Impressions: How iQoo's Upcoming Phone Performed in Our Initial Camera Tests

iQoo Neo 9 Pro is equipped with a dual rear camera setup

Highlights

iQoo Neo 9 Pro is set to debut in India on February 22
The handset is equipped with a 50-megapixel primary camera
The iQoo Neo 9 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip

The iQoo Neo 9 Pro is coming to India soon, and the company is already teasing the smartphone's key specifications ahead of its debut. This phone boasts several notable specifications, including a dual rear camera setup that comprises a 50-megapixel primary camera and an 8-megapixel secondary camera. It is also powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which was launched in late 2022. When the smartphone is launched in the country next week, it is expected to compete with phones like the OnePlus 12R and the Nothing Phone 2.

I've had some hands-on time with the iQoo Neo 9 Pro, and I've been testing the handset's cameras for a few days now. Let's take a quick look at the upcoming smartphone's camera specifications. Unlike the more powerful iQoo 12 that the company launched in December 2023, this phone only features a dual rear camera setup. It has a 50-megapixel primary camera with a Sony IMX920 sensor and optical image stabilisation (OIS), paired with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera.

The Textured mode results in images with more detail than the Natural mode (tap to enlarge)

You get three image-capturing modes on the iQoo Neo 9 Pro — Natural, Textured, and Vivid. As the names suggest, the first mode gives you the most colour-accurate images, while the Textured mode produces more detailed and sharpened images with warmer colours. The Vivid mode lets you capture photos with higher colour saturation.

While testing the cameras on the iQoo Neo 9 Pro, I found myself clicking photos using the primary camera with the Natural or Vivid mode for outdoor scenery, while the Textured mode is quite useful while clicking images of buildings or subjects where you need the camera to capture more detail. It also worked well when capturing indoor subjects.

Images captured using the primary camera and ultra-wide-angle camera (tap to enlarge)

The primary camera lets you take detailed images at 1x and 2x zoom. Colours are accurate when capturing images using the natural colour mode, but the Textured mode lets you get many details if you don't mind the change in colour temperature. There's also a high-resolution mode that takes 50-megapixel shots instead of the default pixel-binned images, which I'll cover in my full smartphone review.

On the other hand, the ultra-wide-angle camera on the iQoo Neo 9 Pro lets you capture images with decent detail, but there's some warping at the edges. This camera won't offer the same level of detail as the primary camera, and there's a difference in the colour temperature compared to the primary shooter.

Portrait images are clear, and the bokeh effect isn't very aggressive (tap to enlarge)

Portrait images captured with the iQoo Neo 9 Pro are pretty sharp, with ample detail. The camera interface for portrait shots shows that the skin enhancement features are disabled by default. The bokeh effect isn't too aggressive by default and can also be adjusted before and after capturing the image.

The handset also features a dedicated night mode, and it captures decent images using the primary camera. In a restaurant with dim overhead lights, the phone managed to capture a certain amount of detail, although there's a bit of softening, blurring and noise if you zoom in — especially around light sources. I'll also test the iQoo Neo 9 Pro's camera in more challenging low light scenarios in the coming days.

The built-in night mode can capture images of dimly lit rooms (tap to enlarge)

It's worth noting that these are my initial impressions of the handset's camera, which is set to launch in India next week. The phone could also receive software updates in the days leading up to its debut. Stay tuned to Gadgets 360 for a more conclusive verdict on the iQoo Neo 9 Pro's camera's performance, as well as its design, performance, and battery efficiency — these will all be part of the full review of the smartphone.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

iQOO Neo 9 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Excellent hardware performance
Reliable battery life, fast charging
Good primary camera
Bright AMOLED screen
Decent software support

Bad
Weaker ultrawide-angle camera
Fingerprint sensor could be faster
V-Appstore notification spam must be manually disabled

Read detailed iQOO Neo 9 Pro review

Display 6.78-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Front Camera 16-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 8-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 5160mAh

OS Android 14

Resolution 1260x2800 pixels

More iQOO mobiles iQOO mobiles price in India

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: iQoo Neo 9 Pro, iQoo Neo 9 Pro camera, iQoo Neo 9 Pro camera samples, iQoo Neo 9 Pro photography, iQoo

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More