iQOO 3 In-Depth Review

With OnePlus, Vivo, OPPO, and Realme under its realm, you would think BBK Electronics has enough brands to satisfy the Indian customer, but that’s not true. The latest sub-brand from BBK, called iQOO, is all set to disrupt the Indian smartphone market by launching a rather revolutionary smartphone — iQOO 3. It packs so many features and performance inside that it competes with almost every smartphone brand, including its sister brands. In this article, we have prepared an in-depth review of iQOO 3, exploring how this package translates to real life.

Design and Build

iQOO has managed to craft an elegant and sturdy-built design without disrupting the philosophy much. The iQOO 3 looks almost like many of the medium-performance-segment smartphones from Realme or OnePlus, but the finish is what makes this device a monster, as the company calls it.

Available in three finishes, namely Quantum Silver, Tornado Black, and Volcano Orange, there are plenty of options when it comes to looks. In addition, the Polar View Display adds charm to how the device looks from the front. Overall, the device feels quite premium when you hold it, and the extra weight is awesome too.

Display

What powers the visual real estate of iQOO 3 is a 6.44-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display. The company calls it the Polar View display, as it offers a truly immersive viewing experience. With a maximum brightness of up to 1200nits HDR 10+ support, you can enjoy not only movies but also games in the best quality possible.

At the same time, Corning Gorilla Glass 6 offers the best protection, even with the hole punch camera on the front. All these things considered, you wouldn’t miss a single detail when you are playing PUBG or COD using the brand-new iQOO 3. The display is also home to a brand-new fingerprint scanner that unlocks your phone in just 0.29 seconds.

Performance

First things first, iQOO 3 is one of the first 5G-enabled smartphones to be launched in India. So, when 5G arrives, you will be ready for lightning-fast speeds and cloud gaming services. Powered by the latest pick from Qualcomm — the Snapdragon 865 —, you are getting a well-crafted combination of performance and scalability. The chipset offers 25% of performance improvement and 30% of extra power savings.

Coupled with the SD 865 is up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 flash storage. While the richness of RAM lets you multitask like a God and play even those hefty games, UFS 3.1 storage ensures the best transfer speeds, all day. iQOO 3 makes use of the Carbon Fiber Vapor Cooling System so that your device keeps itself steady during those lengthy game-streaming sessions.

Performance is one of the many areas where iQOO 3 becomes revolutionary.

Gaming Experience

iQOO has done a great job at optimizing the device for gaming that we need to cover this separately. And, we are talking about a never-seen-before gaming tech here. Even without the optimization, the Snapdragon 865 can offer you the best performance, thanks to the included Adreno 650 GPU. However, where iQOO 3 excels is how the design complements the overall gaming experience.

180Hz Super Touch Response rate is one of the first things that we notice. Since the device scans the screen more frequently, you can experience the lowest latency and best speeds, be it PUBG or Fortnite. The L-shaped charger and earphones help you get rid of the common issues with wires too.

Last but probably the best, the device has Monster Touch Buttons and 4D Vibration. Arranged on the side of the frame are two pressure-sensitive buttons that can be customized as per your gaming needs. 4D vibration brings more life to your gaming experience, as you can really feel the haptic feedback.

Like icing on the cake, the Polar View display works flawlessly with the performance specifications. You can’t go wrong with the iQOO 3 if you are looking for an affordable smartphone with superb gaming capabilities.

Camera and Photography

The iQOO 3 brings so many good things into the camera that you can expect the best shots every single time. You will be getting a 48MP AI Quad Camera setup — which offers a 48MP main sensor, a 13MP telephoto sensor, a 13MP wide-angle sensor, and a 2MP bokeh camera. The telephoto camera offers up to 10x zoom while the wide-angle camera can be used for macro shots as well.

With these four different sensors, the iQOO 3 offers one of the most comprehensive photography designs we have ever seen. When it comes to video recording, the device can shoot 4K video at 60FPS. However, it is even enhanced by the EIS Super Anti-Shake feature. This super-effective algorithm gives you non-shaky videos, even in the worst light conditions.

We also loved how iQOO UI deals with the camera app design. Making the best use of the hardware, it can bring one of the smoothest camera experiences.

Battery and Charging

Coming from the company that is behind and Dash Charge and VOOC, iQOO 3 doesn’t disappoint here.

The iQOO 3 is powered by a 4440mAh battery that can last for quite some time. Even if you run out of juice, there is no need to worry, thanks to the 55W iQOO FlashCharge technology. The charging tech is so effective that you can get 50% of charge in just 15 minutes. From the usability perspective, this can’t get any better.

Because it’s using dedicated cooling tech, you can keep gaming or watch videos while charging without extra heat. In our testing, however, the device managed to last through a date, even with moderate gaming and consistent social media usage.

User Interface and Experience

Probably the best thing about the iQOO 3 is that the UI complements the hardware richness. When it comes to iQOO UI, things have been kept simple and elegant. However, there is a Monster Mode that you can turn on by long-pressing the AI button. This boosts your device into a super-performance mode with best-in-class results.

iQOO UI 1.0 is based on Android 10, and it means you are not missing out on any big features. On the other hand, additional customizations from the company make this UI more suitable for games and apps that take up a lot of resources. At the end of the day, you can choose not to turn on the Monster Mode but that means consistent performance only.

The Miscellaneous

There are also some other awesome features in the iQOO 3 package. For instance, the sound system is one of the best in the industry, thanks to the Hi-Fi AK4377A & Hi-Res Audio tech. With or without headphones, you can have the best sound experience on any day.

Also, did we say that the iQOO 3 is a 5G-enabled Dual-SIM phone? One of the slots supports 5G while you can put the 4G LTE SIM on the other. On the connectivity front, you are getting a Type C port for charging and a dedicated 3.5mm audio jack too.

The Bottom Line

After spending a few days with the iQOO 3, we can say it’s one of the best smartphones in the market right now. You don’t need to be a gaming enthusiast, but it’d be a lot cooler if you did. iQOO has done a great job in combining performance, build quality and performance-friendly software at an affordable rate. And, you will be 5G ready, taking a step further!

iQOO 3 starts at a price tag of 36,990 INR, for the 4G version and you can purchase it from Flipkart or official e-Store of iQOO.

iQOO provides free pick and drop service for any repair issues across the country covering more than 15000+ pin codes. For any on-call assistance, iQOO service experts are available 24*7 over the toll-free number 1800-572-4700.

Link: https://www.iqoo.com/in/support