iQOO 3: Best Qualcomm Snapdragon 865-Powered Flagship to Buy Right Now?

The competition in the smartphone industry is getting fiercer with each passing day. While the market is flooded with smartphones in all categories, not all of them manage to stand out from the crowd. Many aspects such as the design, display, and cameras are taken into consideration to gauge a smartphone. But the most important of them is the overall performance.

And the term performance is synonymous with Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. It is the latest flagship chipset that powers the new breed of top-tier Android smartphones. The high-performance SoC is loaded with bleeding-edge technology that delivers an unparalleled mobile user experience. The raw performance offered by the Qualcomm SD865 in terms of connectivity, processing speed, multi-tasking, and gaming is simply unprecedented.

Several smartphones including the likes of Mi10 5G, OnePlus 8 Series, Realme X50 Pro 5G come with the Snapdragon 865 at their hearts, but do they all make great value for money? Unfortunately, no! There is a huge spectrum to choose from, as there are phones powered by the same flagship chipset starting at a modest INR 30K and reaching to a whooping INR 55-60K segment. That's where the latest flagship entrant from iQOO - the iQOO 3 grabbed our attention. Priced aggressively at INR 31,900, the device most definitely raised some eyebrows.

Comparing that to the price of its competitors, one can easily find a massive difference. For instance, the Mi10 5G is priced at INR 49,990 for the entry-level variant; OnePlus 8 is selling at INR 44,999 for the base variant, whereas the OnePlus 8 Pro is available at a hefty price of INR 54,999; the Realme X50 Pro 5G can be purchased at INR 39,990 for the entry-level variant. Yes, all these devices run on the latest chipset, but so does the iQOO 3, which gives far more value for money in this regard. Not compromising a bit on other aspects, which we will talk in detail below, iQOO has proved its mettle with the launch of the latest iQOO 3.

Chipset That Offers Seamless Performance

While we've tested all the aforementioned devices and all of them have the latest Qualcomm SD865 in common, which makes them zippy performers. But what sets them apart is the price point. The iQOO 3 brings the same snappy experience to the table, thanks to ARM's newest Cortex-A77 CPU cores. Besides, the Kryo 585 CPU design and the new Tensor cores in the Hexagon 698 NPU formation make performance smooth.

The SD865 on iQOO 3 offers up to a 25% performance boost from its predecessor and reduces energy consumption by 30%. The processor also dwells on the AI performance of the device making demanding tasks like AI-enabled photography, real-time AI translations a treat.

The Snapdragon 865 SoC also greatly amplifies the gaming performance on the iQOO 3. The console-level gaming experience on the smartphone is achieved by combining the latest Adreno 650 GPU, 180Hz touch-response display, and the 'Monster Touch Buttons'. These additional buttons create a faster action response while playing FPS games.

You can fire up graphics-hungry games like Asphalt 9, PUBG, Forza Street, etc. without worrying about any throttling issues as the 'Carbon Fiber Vapour Cooling System' ensures the optimal temperature of the device so that you can play games on a stretch. The 4D vibrations simulate the recoil experience while firing bullets in shooting games making the gameplay experience more interactive.

A Host of Top-Notch Specs: Display, Camera, Battery, and More

The SD865 flagship market segment has many popular brands such as Realme X50 Pro 5G, OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8 Pro, and Xiaomi Mi 10 5G. Detailing on what the competition has put forth, the Realme X50 Pro 5G bestows a 6.44-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. The Xiaomi Mi 10 5G is fitted with a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with similar aspects. And, the OnePlus 8 flaunts a 6.55-inch FHD+ Fluid AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and HDR+. The OnePlus 8 Pro is a step ahead with a larger 6.78-inch Fluid AMOLED display and a faster 120Hz refresh rate. In comparison, the iQOO 3 also brings the industry's first Polar View 6.4-inch E3 Super AMOLED display with 180Hz Super Touch Response rate. The display offers vibrant visuals fused with a swift touch response. The screen can reach max brightness levels up to 1200nits and is HDR 10+ certified to make your binge-watching more enjoyable.

On the optical front, the OnePlus 8 features a triple-camera with a 48MP primary Sony IMX586 sensor with OIS and EIS, a 16MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP macro lens. And, the OnePlus 8 Pro comes with a quad-camera setup with a 48MP primary Sony IMX689 sensor with OIS, another 48MP ultra-wide-angle lens with macro mode, an 8MP telephoto lens, and a 5MP mono sensor. The Xiaomi Mi 10 5G bestows a quad-camera module with a whopping 108MP main sensor from Samsung, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. Finally, the Realme X50 Pro 5G bestows a quad-camera arrangement with a 64MP Samsung GW1 primary sensor, a 12MP telephoto lens, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP B&W depth sensor.

In comparison, the iQOO 3 comes equipped with a quad-camera setup comprising of a 48MP main camera, a 13MP Telephoto lens with impressive 20X Zoom, a 13MP super wide-angle camera, and a dedicated 2MP depth sensor to create bokeh camera. The smartphone is also capable of capturing videos in 4K resolution at 60 fps.

The device runs on the latest Android 10 and is also set to receive the Android 11 update. It will also receive a guaranteed update to Android 12 and regular OTA updates for the next three years making it a future-proof device. To keep the lights running, the iQOO 3 is juiced by a mammoth 4,440mAh battery with the latest 55W Super FlashCharge technology to offer uninterrupted user-experience.

On the competition front, the Realme offering features a 4200mAh battery along with 64W SuperDart fast-charging support and 30W VOOC 4.0 flash charge. The Xiaomi Mi 10 5G flaunts 4780mAh battery along with 30W wired and wireless fast-charging and 10W wireless reverse charging. While the OnePlus 8 features a 4300mAh battery with Warp Charge 30T fast charging, the OnePlus 8 Pro is fueled by a 4510mAh battery with similar fast-charging support and 30W wireless fast charging and wireless reverse charging as well.

All these features come together to make the iQOO 3 the best value for money product with the prowess of the Snapdragon 865 processor and flagship performance. It comes at an unbelievable price and offers a class-leading AMOLED display, versatile camera setup, and a battery that lasts more than a day on one full charge. It truly stands out as a great offering.

iQOO 3 Pricing and Offers

If you are tight on budget but don't want to compromise on raw performance, the iQOO 3 is the ideal choice for you. To grab the handset, you only have to shell out INR 31,990 for the 8GB + 128GB variant, while the 8GB + 256GB variant will cost you INR 34,990. This special pricing is valid for ICICI bank customers. The company also offers a 5G variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage for a price of INR 41,990. You can grab the desirable Volcano Orange color variant starting June 11.

Additionally, customers can avail of no-cost EMI for up to 12 months. The aforementioned prices are applicable for ICICI credit card owners and the offer is valid on Flipkart and iQOO's official website till June 15, 2020. Make sure you buy the smartphone before the offer ends.