IQOO’s new mid-range phone puts last year’s flagships to shame

The IQOO Neo 12 is outfitted with so many premium-level specs that you’d never know this was targeted toward an upper mid-range budget. Companies like IQOO often surprise with specs that feel like they shouldn’t belong on relatively inexpensive phones, and the IQOO Neo 12 fits right in with that. The star of the show is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the same one in the $1300 Galaxy S26 Ultra. That’s made even better thanks to a custom 59-blade active cooling fan and a “3D Ice Dome” vapor chamber inside. On the front is a generous 6.83-inch 185Hz AMOLED panel with 2K resolution, a 2,200-nit peak brightness rate, and both DC dimming and 2,160Hz PWM dimming for eye comfort. Unsurprisingly, for a gaming-centric phone, it’s also got a custom display chip for IQOO 16-level touch responsiveness and a “super-sensitive gyro” for epic gyro aiming in games. Despite having an active fan, this one features an IP69 rating, so it can be abused in all sorts of ways without seeing water or dust damage. A 9,000mAh battery is inside with support for 100W wired charging, and an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, IR sensor, and stereo speakers round out the build. The IQOO Neo 12 packs a 50MP Sony IMX921 main camera sensor alongside an 8MP ultra-wide camera in the stylish raised camera island on the back, plus a 16MP selfie up front. Phone colorway options include Contender, Frost Blade Blue, and Shadow Black. This one is making its initial debut in China for: 12GB/256GB for CNY 4,199 ($630) 12GB/512GB for CNY 4,899 ($735) 16GB/256GB for CNY 4,599 ($690) 16GB/512GB for CNY 5,299 ($825) 16GB/1TB for CNY 6,299 ($945) Not too shabby, given the specs. Chinese users can buy it from Vivo right now. A global release date has not yet been announced. More global smartphones: Vivo’s X500 series launches globally with MediaTek chips and insane cameras The real reason to care about Vivo’s latest phone is the camera [Gallery] Review: The Oppo Find X10 Pro Max is a gut punch in a post-OnePlus world Follow Nick: YouTube, X (Twitter), Threads, Instagram FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.