The iQOO 9 Pro offers flagship triple-camera array, complete with Samsung GN2 sensor, for under $900: Digital Photography Review

iQOO, a sub-brand of Vivo, has announced the international release of its latest flagship smartphones, the iQOO 9 series. The iQOO series includes the iQOO 9, iQOO 9 Pro and iQOO 9 SE, and the smartphones promise big performance gains over previous models.

The iQOO brand has traditionally focused on gaming smartphones, and the iQOO 9 series doubles down on performance. The iQOO 9 and 9 Pro include Samsung’s V6 UFS 3.1 memory chip, which promises faster file transfers, and an extended RAM 2.0 feature allows apps to run simultaneously with minimum lag. The iQOO 9 series phones are equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 9 series processors, with the 9 Pro including the fastest chip of the three new phones, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

iQOO 9 Pro

To ensure high performance during extended, demanding use, the iQOO 9 series includes what iQOO calls an ‘industry-leading’ vapor chamber liquid cooling system. iQOO writes, ‘iQOO 9 Pro boasts a Vapor Chamber Liquid Cooling System, and iQOO 9 comes with a Full Coverage Vapor Chamber Liquid Cooling System, which keeps each internal section in a state of high-speed thermal dissipation at any time, effectively accelerating even dissipation of CPU-generated heat to reduce the phone temperature and ensure long-term device performance.’

The iQOO 9 Pro features a 6.78-inch 1440p 120Hz OLED panel. The display supports a variable refresh rate. The iQOO 9 instead includes a 6.56-inch display, although it is still a 120Hz OLED panel.

iQOO 9 SE

In terms of photography features, the iQOO 9 Pro is the best of the bunch. The iQOO 9 Pro has a triple rear camera setup. The main camera features a 50MP Samsung GN5 sensor and includes Gimbal Stabilization technology. The sensor is 1/1.57-inch and the paired lens has a max aperture of F1.75. The iQOO 8 Pro’s main sensor is a 48MP IMX598 and the lens is F2.2. There’s also a 50MP Wide Angle camera with 150-degree field of view, and a 16MP telephoto/portrait camera. The wide-angle camera supports macro shooting. The iQOO 8 Pro’s ultrawide camera was only 114 degrees. You can learn more about the iQOO 9 in TechNick’s video review below.

On the iQOO 9 and 9 SE, there are also triple rear camera arrays, although with different cameras and specs than the iQOO 9 Pro. The iQOO 9 has a 48MP main camera, 13MP super wide-angle camera and 13MP portrait camera. The iQOO 9 SE has a 48MP main camera—which doesn’t have Gimbal Stabilization technology—and 13MP and 2MP (monochrome) cameras.

The iQOO 9 series will be available in India starting from March 2, 2022. The iQOO 9 Pro starts at Rs. 64,990, which is around $870 USD. The iQOO 9 starts at Rs. 42,990 (about $575) and the iQOO 9 SE, the most affordable phone in the series, starts at Rs. 33,990 (about $455).