The Vivo iQOO 12 (iQOO is pronounced “eye-koo”) sequence was the second flagship cellphone to launch with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, with the Chinese language launch again in the midst of November. The Xiaomi 14 sequence was the primary to launch in China on the 1st of November.
The OnePlus 12 was launched in China yesterday, and in the present day, the iQOO 12 acquired a world rollout with the cellphone launching in Malaysia and Thailand in the present day, Indonesia tomorrow and India on the 12th of December.
Sadly, it’s unlikely this cellphone will see a UK/US launch.
For the previous two weeks, I’ve been utilizing the Vivo iQOO 12, and Vivo has additionally launched the iQOO 12 Professional
iQOO 12 Specification
- Show: 6.78 inches LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 144Hz, HDR10+, 1600 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak)
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- RAM/Storage:12 GB/16 GB; 256 GB/512 GB
- Rear Cameras:
- 50 MP, f/1.7, 23mm (huge), 1/1.3″, 1.2µm, PDAF, OIS
- 64 MP, f/2.6, 70mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.0″, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
- 50 MP, f/2.0, 15mm, 119˚ (ultrawide), AF
- Entrance Digicam: 16 MP, f/2.5, (huge)
- WiFi: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct
- Bluetooth: 5.4
- Battery: 5000 mAh
- Charging: 120W wired. No Wi-fi
- IP Ranking: IP64
- OS: Android 14, Funtouch 14
- Dimensions: 163.2 x 75.9 x 8.1 mm
- Weight: 203.7 g
iQOO 12 Professional vs iQOO 12 Variations
There’s not a large distinction between the iQOO 12 and the Professional mannequin. On the time of writing, I don’t know the official worth so I can’t touch upon if the Professional is value the additional value. However, to summarise, the iQOO 12 Professional enhancements are:
- IP68 mud/waterproof (as much as 1.5m for 30 min) vs IP64
- Higher show, which is a curved AMOLED with 1600 nits brightness vs 1400, and the next decision of 1440 x 3200 pixels vs 1260 x 2800 pixels.
- 16GB RAM as default
- 5100 mAh vs 5000 mAh battery
- It additionally has 50W wi-fi charging and 10W reverse wi-fi.
I’d count on/hope that the worth distinction is kind of small.
iQOO 12 vs iQOO 11 Variations
A fast recap on the era enhancements/variations of the iQOO 12 vs iQOO 11:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- The iQOO 12 really has a decrease decision show of 1260 x 2800 pixels vs 1440 x 3200 pixels
- 12GB RAM as default vs 8GB
- UFS 4.0 for all fashions
- Considerably upgraded zoom and ultrawide digital camera
Design and Construct High quality
The iQOO 12 I used to be despatched is the white Legend version, which is meant to be BMW M Motorsport branded. Nonetheless, it doesn’t actually have a lot BMW branding apart from the small tri-colour striped brand on the rear.
The iQOO 12 incorporates a distinctive rear digital camera housing referred to as the Porthole Design, which is impressed by spaceships. There are three sensors with no pointless additions like a macro digital camera.
It has an aviation-grade aluminium body with a specialised thermal layer between the show and inner {hardware} to mitigate hotspots throughout intensive gaming periods.
The cellphone measures 8.1mm thick, which should make it one of many thinnest telephones available on the market. It’s 0.7mm thinner than my Pixel 8 Pro. Vivo claims that is attainable because of the graphite battery, which has 9% bigger capability than the earlier era.
I’d say the general design is engaging however unremarkable and the construct high quality is nice. It feels gentle within the hand and that 8.1mm thickness is noticeable when switching between telephones.
Show
The iQOO 12 sports activities flat a 6.78-inch AMOLED show with 2800 x 1260 decision, 144Hz refresh fee, HDR10+ certification, and 1600 nits peak brightness.
The panel has a color accuracy score of 100% DCI-P3 and might change between 1Hz to 144Hz refresh charges routinely to protect battery life.
The show high quality is great, though flat panels look much less spectacular than a curved show, these usually have superior usability.
Digicam
I’ve been pleasantly shocked with the digital camera of the iQOO 12. You count on reasonably priced flagship telephones to solely have one respectable digital camera, however this cellphone has had the secondary and tertiary cameras considerably upgraded from the earlier era.
The primary rear digital camera is 50MP f/1.68 with a big 1/1.3-inch sensor OIS and EIS help and is able to 8K video and 240fps sluggish movement.
Whereas many telephones use Samsung or Sony sensors, this sensor is the Omnivision OV50H CMOS sensor, which was launched at first of 2023.
There’s then a 50MP f/2.0 ultra-wide digital camera, although the sensor is kind of small at 1/2.76″.
Lastly, there’s the 64MP f/2.57 telephoto digital camera with 3x optical zoom and a 1/2″ sensor that claims to do 10x hybrid zoom and 100x digital zoom. It additionally has OIS help, which is far wanted for zoom.
For the selfie digital camera, you’ve gotten a 16 MP Entrance Digicam (f/2.45, 27mm)
The primary digital camera has a formidable, efficient pixel measurement of two.4 μm, delivering superior low-light efficiency.
It’s each the low gentle and zoom efficiency I’ve been significantly impressed with. The Pixel 8 Professional is commonly considered the most effective cellphone for a digital camera with distinctive low-light efficiency, however I believe the iQOO 12 does an admirable job of maintaining with the Pixel in low gentle.
Equally, trying on the 10x zoom picture of Blackpool Tower, I haven’t used many telephones that may obtain that degree of element. The OIS clearly helps right here, as many telephones battle with blurriness because of stability points.
For video, you’ll be able to shoot as much as 4K@60fps or 8K@3fps. It seems that OIS could also be disabled with 8K, as I discovered the video fairly shaky compared to 4K. Below the extra tab there’s a sluggish movement operate with choices as much as 1080P@240fps.
Efficiency and Benchmarks
With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 12GB RAM, the iQOO 12 ranks among the many quickest Android telephones in benchmarks.
I’ve achieved an in depth evaluation of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 benchmarks on the iQOO 12 and located the efficiency to be phenomenal, with an Antutu rating of 2084308, 52% increased than what I achieved on the Honor Magic5 Professional with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Some preliminary 3DMark Wildlife stress testing benchmarks indicated important throttling, however following firmware updates and subsequent testing, the throttling difficulty was decreased, with it reaching a stability of 65%, which has similarities to earlier generations of chipsets.
The top end result was a excessive rating that’s 42% increased than the SD8 Gen2 and 77.5% increased than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and a low rating that’s additionally 42% increased than the low rating of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
AI benchmarks present Qualcomm’s dedication to AI with a rating that’s 69.4% enchancment over the earlier era and is sort of 4.5x higher than the Tensor G3.
UFS 4.0 storage provides 100% sooner sequential learn speeds in comparison with UFS 3.1 for speedy app loading. The cellphone stays cool throughout intensive gaming because of the superior cooling system with a big vapour chamber and aircraft-grade supplies.
It’s value noting that the storage could also be ultra-fast, however the USB-C port is sluggish utilizing USB 2.0.
Like all flagship telephones, it’s exhausting to gauge the real-world distinction as a result of telephones at the moment are so highly effective there are usually not many eventualities the place these chipsets make a major noticeable distinction. Nonetheless, the mix of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 144 Hz LTPO AMOLED give a flawless consumer expertise when utilizing the cellphone.
Gaming
The customized Supercomputing Chip Q1 brings Sport Tremendous Decision, Sport Tremendous Body Fee as much as 144fps, and Sport Show Enhancement to spice up graphics high quality in video games.
The excessive refresh fee show, linear motor for haptics, and twin audio system with 1.2cc chambers present an immersive gaming expertise.
I performed some video games for a number of hours and every thing labored completely. There was a traditional degree of battery drain and I didn’t expertise the cellphone getting too scorching.
Battery and Charging
The 5000 mAh battery helps insanely quick 120W charging that may cost to 100% in simply 25 minutes. Some might really feel that 120W is pointless, however it’s extremely helpful when low on battery and quick on time.
The cellphone makes use of Graphite Battery know-how for improved power density and slim design. Battery Saver mode and 0% Battery Prompt Startup additional improved the general consumer expertise.
For the PC Mark Work 3.0 battery benchmark, the cellphone achieved a formidable time of 15h 22 minutes, which is sort of two hours longer than I achieved on my Honor Magic5 Professional, which had a fractionally bigger battery.
Actual-world use has this simply lasting a day of reasonable to heavy use, and it’s considerably higher than my Pixel 8 Professional, which has been my fundamental cellphone for the previous couple of months.
Funtouch 14 & Android 14
This is likely one of the first telephones to launch with Android 14 after the Pixel 8 sequence. It then makes use of Funtouch OS 14, which is used on the worldwide variants of Vivo telephones.
I’d say Funtouch OS 14 is the worst a part of this cellphone, it comes with a variety of bloatware and among the software program nags you with suggestions.
Specifically, I don’t like V-Appstore, which tries to push apps on you. Fortunately, throughout the settings, you’ll be able to disable notifications and the annoying scorching apps and scorching video games options.
Sadly, it’s not attainable to delete or disable apps reminiscent of V-Appstore and iManager, your finest wager is to attempt to cut back the notifications, permissions and limit battery utilization.
Apps that I may uninstall have been:
- Agoda
- Lazada
- Netflix
- Shopee
- Tiktok
- Journey.com
- Viu
It’s value noting that this degree of bloat is kind of regular for telephones launched into the Asian market, it’s only Western telephones which have a cleaner OS.
Past these points, the general OS expertise has been good, I’ve skilled no points with glitchy behaviour, and I used to be in a position to get Google Pay to work with one in all my playing cards, which is one thing that’s not all the time attainable on none-western telephones (for instance Infinix).
Value and Various Choices
iQOO 12 is being launched in Malaysia and Thailand in the present day, December 6, Indonesia on December 7, and India on December 12.
On the time of writing, I have no idea the official worth. Early leaks point out the worth in India shall be round 57,000 Indian Rupees, which works out to about £540.
In China, the bottom iQOO 12 mannequin, with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, begins at roughly 3999 CNY, which works out at about £445.
It’s unlikely to be launched within the UK or US.
Some gray import websites listing the Vivo iQOO 12 Professional 5G Twin SIM 16GB/512GB at $889/£700.
The Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Professional are the one two different telephones obtainable with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the general specification and worth is much like the iQOO 12 sequence. The Xiaomi 14 has a smaller show of 6.36 inches, with a decrease refresh fee, the bottom RAM is just 8GB, it additionally has a smaller battery of 4610 mAh and slower charging at 90W. Nonetheless, the charging is PD3.0 QC4 providing you with higher efficiency with third-party chargers, it additionally has 50W wi-fi charging, sooner USB Sort-C 3.2 and the next 32MP megapixel selfie digital camera. It seems that the iQOO 12 and Xiaomi 14 are priced equally.
General
It’s all the time troublesome to type an total opinion on telephones like this and choices from Infinix, as a result of there isn’t a official UK/US availability, so I can’t touch upon the general worth for cash, which is one thing that closely influences my opinions.
If this launched within the UK for £540 (similar because the reported Indian worth), I’d extremely advocate it.
Equally, my fundamental criticism of this cellphone can be the bloatware and the V-Appstore that pesters you with app suggestions. Nonetheless, it is a widespread downside for Asian markets so it’s a bit exhausting to closely criticise this when competing telephones will seemingly have the identical points.
With these caveats apart, I believe the iQOO 12 is a wonderful cellphone.
The efficiency is clearly spectacular, contemplating it’s utilizing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This chipset appears to be a major improve from its predecessor.
I’ve been significantly impressed with the digital camera. I received’t attempt to declare it’s the finest available on the market, however it’s considerably higher than I anticipated for an reasonably priced flagship cellphone with it having excellent low gentle and zoom efficiency.
Although I’m not eager on the bloatware, I’ve discovered the OS to be secure and completely usable.
General, I’d be more than pleased to make use of this as my fundamental cellphone.
This Vivo iQOO 12 review was initially revealed on Mighty Gadget
Vivo iQOO 12 Evaluate
Abstract
I believe the iQOO 12 is a wonderful cellphone.
The efficiency is clearly spectacular, contemplating it’s utilizing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This chipset appears to be a major improve from its predecessor.
I’ve been significantly impressed with the digital camera. I received’t attempt to declare it’s the finest available on the market, however it’s considerably higher than I anticipated for an reasonably priced flagship cellphone with it having excellent low gentle and zoom efficiency.
Although I’m not eager on the bloatware, I’ve discovered the OS to be secure and completely usable.
General, I’d be more than pleased to make use of this as my fundamental cellphone.
Execs
- Excellent efficiency.
- Main and zoom lens are glorious
- Ultrafast 120W charging
I’m James, a UK-based tech fanatic and the artistic thoughts behind Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Keen about all issues know-how, my experience spans from computer systems and networking, to cell, wearables, and good residence gadgets.
As a health fanatic who loves operating and biking, I even have a eager curiosity in fitness-related know-how, and I take each alternative to cowl this area of interest on my weblog. My various pursuits enable me to deliver a singular perspective to tech running a blog, merging life-style, health, and the newest tech developments.
In my educational pursuits, I earned a BSc in Info Programs Design from UCLAN, earlier than advancing my studying with a Grasp’s Diploma in Computing. This superior research additionally included Cisco CCNA accreditation, additional demonstrating my dedication to understanding and staying forward of the know-how curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has constantly ranked Mighty Gadget as one of many prime know-how blogs within the UK. With my dedication to know-how and drive to share my insights, I intention to proceed offering my readers with partaking and informative content material.
