iQoo 7 Could Launch in India as a Rebranded iQoo Neo 5; Legend Edition Specifications Teased

iQoo 7 series is scheduled to launch in India on April 26 and a new teaser on Amazon suggests the standard version of the phone will be a rebranded iQoo Neo 5. iQoo was expected to launch the standard or classic version of iQoo 7 along with the Legend edition in India just like the China launch from January, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. The iQoo 7 Legend edition, though, seems to be the same as the one launched in China as the company has teased some specifications for it on Twitter. Additionally, the Vivo-sub brand has released an 8GB + 256GB storage variant of iQoo 7 in China.

iQoo 7 series that was launched in China in January includes the vanilla iQoo 7 and iQoo 7 Legend that has been designed in partnership with BMW M Motorsport. Both the phones were expected to launch in India carrying the same specifications, just like in China. However, a new teaser image on Amazon website suggests that the regular iQoo 7 will be a rebranded iQoo Neo 5 instead.

The Amazon page shows iQoo 7 with a rear camera arrangement just like the iQoo Neo 5. It also states the phone will carry the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC, just like iQoo Neo 5. The regular version of the iQoo 7 that launched in China was powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC. The Indian variant can be seen in two shades of Blue. Now, just like iQoo 7 Legend is expected to be the cheapest Snapdragon 888 phone, the regular iQoo 7 could be the cheapest Snapdragon 870 phone in the country. This could be why Vivo decided to switch out the regular iQoo 7 for a rebranded iQoo Neo 5 in India.

Also, an alleged Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification listing of the iQoo Neo 5 was recently spotted, making this speculation more credible.

iQoo India has also teased some of the specifications of the Legend edition stating that the phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC, have a “Legendary Track Design,” sport the largest vapour chamber, have a 300Hz touch sampling rate and 1,000Hz instant touch sampling rate, as well as a 48-megapixel sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS).

Lastly, the iQoo 7 series has got an 8GB + 258GB storage variant in China that sits between the 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB storage variants that was previously launched in the country. This new variant is priced at CNY 3,898 (roughly Rs. 44,900) and comes in Black and Latent Blue colours. Rest of the specifications remain the same as the other variants. It is unclear if this configuration will make its way to the Indian market as well.

Why did LG give up on its smartphone business? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Later (starting at 22:00), we talk about the new co-op RPG shooter Outriders. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.