Alright, so the iQOO 15 is almost here — but before it even launches in India, iQOO has already introduced the Neo 11 in China.
And that’s interesting, because this phone might just shake things up in the Indian mid-range smartphone market.
So in this video, let’s talk about the iQOO Neo 11 — how it stacks up against the Neo 10 — and more importantly, if it’s actually worth upgrading to when it does make its way to India.
Ok, so let’s start with fun stuff. The Neo 10 was already a surprisingly powerful phone for its price. Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, 16 gigs of LPDDR5X RAM, up to 512GB UFS 4.1 storage — that’s legit flagship-tier performance for ₹32,000. It flew through everyday use, gaming was smooth, and thermal control was honestly impressive for the hardware it packed.
Now, the Neo 11 basically looks to take that formula and dial it up. Instead of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, it’s got the Snapdragon 8 Elite — that powered nearly every Android flagship from late 2024 to mid 2025.
iQOO claims the Neo 11 scored 3.54 million on AnTuTu — which is kind of insane, considering most Snapdragon 8 Elite phones we’ve tested hover around the 2.7 to 2.8 million mark.
The phone also supports up to 16GB of LPDDR5X ULtra RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage. This time iQOO’s thrown in their Q2 gaming chip for even better sustained performance and stability in longer sessions.
That new Q2 gaming chip, combined with frame interpolation, should technically push gameplay up to 144fps on select titles — just like the Neo 10.
Add to that an 8,000mm² liquid cooling system, and you’re looking at a phone purpose-built for extended gaming without throttling. iQOO even claims it can reduce temperatures by up to 15°C,
So performance-wise, the Neo 11 clearly wins on paper. It’s newer, faster, cooler and better optimized for gaming.
But real-world testing will show how much that actually translates — because the Neo 10 was already smooth as butter for most users.
Moving to the display — this is where iQOO has made some of the most interesting upgrades.
The Neo 10 already had a great screen for its price — a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with a 1.5K resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. It can hit up to 4,400 nits of peak brightness, which makes it great to use outdoors. Colors are vivid, blacks are deep, and the overall viewing experience felt far more premium than the price tag suggested.
The Neo 11 takes that foundation and pushes it even further. You’re now looking at a slightly larger 6.82-inch AMOLED display, still with that buttery-smooth 144Hz refresh rate, but now upgraded to a QHD+ resolution. That means sharper text, crisper visuals, and better detail across the board.
It’s using a BOE Q10+ panel, which, for some context, is an upgrade over the Q10 display found in the OnePlus 13. That’s a meaningful improvement — especially in color accuracy, contrast, and HDR tone mapping.
iQOO hasn’t confirmed the exact peak brightness yet, but there are two notable new features: a 3200Hz touch sampling rate, which should make a real difference in gaming response times, and a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor — a major upgrade over the optical scanner on the Neo 10.
Other specs include Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7, NFC, stereo speakers.
Now, let’s talk design and build. The Neo 10 went with a solid, slightly heavy design that felt premium despite being plastic. It has that squircle camera module, a polished frame, and a subtle matte finish that gives it a nice hand feel.
The only major downside was the IP65 rating — not bad, but not great either.
The Neo 11, on the other hand, fixes that. rated IP68 and IP69, meaning it’s dustproof and can handle both water splashes and high-pressure jets.
But perhaps the biggest upgrade is that the iQOO Neo 11 finally gets a metal frame, a major step up from the plastic build on the Neo 10
Now, despite housing a massive 7,500mAh battery, it’s just 8.13mm thick, which is impressive engineering. Oh, and it comes in four colors — including one called Facing the Wind that changes color in light.
That’s the kind of flair iQOO was missing last time around, and I’m here for it.
On to battery and charging. The Neo 10 has a 7,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging — which is already crazy. It easily lasted a day and a half in our testing and charged from zero to full in under 45 minutes.
The Neo 11 bumps the capacity to 7,500mAh, which sounds even better — but the catch is that charging speed drops slightly to 100W. That’s still fast, but you might notice a small difference.
There's no wireless charging either, which would’ve been nice given the rest of the spec sheet.
Still, for a gaming phone, endurance is key — and the Neo 11 should comfortably outlast the Neo 10 in raw battery life.
Now, camera. The Neo 10’s 50MP Sony main sensor was genuinely good — not flagship good, but consistent. It handled daylight shots well, maintained color balance, and avoided over-processing. The ultrawide and front cameras were the weak points, with a bit of color shift and that odd reddish skin tone from the selfie cam.
The Neo 11 sticks to a similar dual setup, but upgrades the primary sensor to the Sony LYT700V — that’s a more modern sensor with faster readout and better HDR handling. There’s also OIS onboard and the same 8MP ultrawide camera.
So, while it’s not a huge leap in versatility, expect better low-light and motion shots.
Finally, let's talk about software and pricing. The Neo 10 shipped with Android 15 and Funtouch OS 15 — and let’s be honest, Funtouch has never really been everyone’s favorite Android skin. That’s why I’m genuinely glad to see OriginOS 6, based on Android 16, coming to the Neo 11.
I’ve had a chance to test it briefly on the upcoming iQOO 15, and I’ve got to say — I’m impressed. The focus on smooth animations, translucent layers, and snappy feedback finally gives iQOO’s UI the level of refinement it’s been missing
As for price, in China the Neo 11 starts at roughly ₹30,000 converted, so expect an Indian launch around the ₹32K to ₹42K mark — right where the Neo 10 sits today.
So, to wrap it up —The Neo 10 is still an excellent buy. It’s powerful, efficient, and feels premium without the premium price.
But if you’re holding out for the Neo 11, you’re getting a more refined package — faster chip, sharper display, bigger battery, and better water resistance. It’s not a reinvention, but it’s a smart, evolutionary upgrade.
And when the Neo 11 finally lands in India which will be probably be sometime in May 2026, I have a feeling it’s going to make a lot of mid-range phones suddenly look a little too expensive.
