iQOO 9 Pro First Impressions: The Good, The Bad & The X-Factor

The X-Factor

Starting with the X-Factor, the iQOO 9 Pro brings the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile processor to the table. Built on a 4nm fabrication process, the chipset also supplies power to Samsung's 2022 flagship- Galaxy S22-lineup for the Indian market. The phone also comes equipped with an intelligent display chip that benefits the gaming experience.

You can buy the iQOO 9 Pro in two configurations- 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage and 12GB RAM with 256GB internal storage. Both variants use LPDDR 5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage that ensures smooth and lag-free multitasking performance. This is solid hardware for the asking price and should deliver on all aspects.

Insane 120W Fast-Charging

Another feature, which is no less than an X-factor is the insane fast-charging speeds. The iQOO 9 Pro comes equipped with the fastest fast-charging technology available in the Indian market, i.e. 120W FlashCharge. It

refuels the phone's 4,700mAh battery from flat to 100% in about 21-minutes. Moreover, the handset also supports 50W wireless charging, which is higher than wired fast-charging solutions offered on some flagship devices.

The Good

iQOO 9 Pro Looks Mesmerizing & Feels Premium

The iQOO 9 Pro also aces the design game. The curved display, slim chassis and exquisitely designed back panel offers this device a very unique and head-turning appearance. We are testing the ‘legend' color variant that looks no less than any limited edition device with its BMW-inspired racing lines and unique matte finish back created with the AG Glass.

The phone is also available in the Dark Cruise variant that flaunts a bulletproof aramid fibre material developed by DuPont.

Solid Multimedia & Gaming Device

The iQOO 9 Pro is an excellent device for multimedia consumption, thanks to a 6.78-inch curved 2K E5 AMOLED display and stereo speakers support. Since iQOO has used a 10-bit panel, graphics-intensive games and high-quality video content are extremely vivid and immersive. You can enjoy HDR content on the supported OTT platforms as the panel supports HDR 10+ and has a max peak brightness of 1500nits.

The UI navigation and scrolling is also buttery smooth as the panel supports a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and 300Hz Touch Sampling rate. More on the display performance in our comprehensive review.

Powerful Gaming Device

Gaming is fun on the iQOO 9 Pro. Graphics look immersive as the discrete graphics chip upgrades the SDR games to HDR and enhances the overall visual experience. You also get a host of game-centric utilities such as 4D vibration that comes in handy while playing games like BGMI and Asphalt 9. The phone also has an E-Sports mode that optimizes the hardware and limits notifications for a seamless gaming experience.

Android 12 Out-Of-The-Box

It's good to see iQOO stressing on improving the software experience for its user base. The iQOO 9 Pro runs the latest Android 12 out-of-the-box but will only receive two major Android software instalments. In comparison, brands like Samsung is promising four years of software upgrades.

The iQOO 9 Pro comes with the latest FunTouch OS 12 Global skin, which runs smoothly and has a fair share of utilities and customizations features. However, iQOO should reduce the high number of unwanted preloaded apps on the premium handset.

The Bad

Overheating Issues?

The iQOO 9 Pro seems to have some heating issues. The phone heats up with demanding tasks, especially with graphics-intensive games such as BGMI, Asphalt 9, etc. While running some benchmarks, the phone's core temperature spiked to 48-degrees Celsius. The heat signatures were mostly recorded at the back panel and the metallic frame that become too hot to hold the device. We had to stop using the handset for at least 10-minutes to let it cool down before use.

The new Qualcomm chip seems to be the reason behind such overheating issues. Or it can be poor software optimization. How baldy it affects the overall performance is something we will find out in our comprehensive review.

iQOO 9 Pro Lacks Proper IP-Rating

If you are paying a sum of Rs. 65,000 in 2022, you deserve a solid IP rating for your handset that protects it from serious water-dust damage. The iQOO 9 Pro fails to offer such ingress protection and only ships with a bare minimum IP52 splash resistance rating. A higher IP rating such as IP68 has added a good value to the overall package.

Should You Consider Buying The iQOO 9 Pro?

The iQOO 9 Pro packs a lot of technology but asks a hefty price for the package. For Rs. 65,000, the phone offers the latest flagship chipset, a vibrant 2K AMOLED display and 120W fast-charging. It runs Android 12 out-of-the-box and brings good camera hardware capable of recording very stable videos. If you are planning to invest in a premium phone, the iQOO 9 Pro can be one option; however, we would recommend you to wait for Samsung to drop the Galaxy S22 series in India.

Meanwhile, we will spend some more time testing the smartphone to give you our final verdict on its overall performance.