The iQOO 8 Pro emerges as a flagship with Snapdragon 888+ power and a DisplayMate A+ rating

The iQOO 8 series have been touted as new 50+48+16MP rear camera, 120W-charging, Snapdragon 888+ vehicles with 2K LTPO 10-bit displays that have 1-120Hz variable refresh rates and new E5 luminescent technology on top of that ahead of its launch. As it turns out, its Pro variant is the only one to feature all of these specs.

The new iQOO 8 Pro packs its impressive screen specs into a 6.78-inch panel with curved sides (of course) and minimalist bezels. It is the first flagship of its brand to have been sent to DisplayMate, which may well have been worth the Vivo subsidiary's while: its latest top-end offering now has a score that not even the Mi Mix 4 has attained (yet).

Therefore, the new 8 Pro might indeed prove a serious contender to the new Xiaomi flagship, even if it still has its predecessor's punch-hole selfie camera while the 2021 Mi Mix has moved on to an under-display solution. Then again, iQOO has made the uncharacteristic decision to price the 8 Pro to match.

It starts at 4,999 yuan - same as the Mi Mix 4's base model - for a unit with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage (which is double that of the Xiaomi alternative, admittedly). iQOO does ask 5,499 to 5,999 yuan for 12GB RAM SKUs with 256 to 512GB in storage though, thereby undercutting its competitor in this respect.

Fans of slightly more affordable specs and a possibly more compact form-factor can look to the vanilla iQOO 8. It has the same SoC and cameras as the 7, admittedly - however, its FHD+ 6.56-inch display is still also AMOLED and 120Hz.

It is rated for a maximal brightness of 1,200 nits (even if this is 1,500 in the Pro) and 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. The 8 also has the potential advantage of being its series' flat-screen option. It can also charge using its OEM's 120W Flash Charge tech, although it lacks the 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse charging of the top-end model.

It also offers more traditional iQOO prices: 3,799 yuan for an 8GB RAM SKU or 4,099 yuan for one with 12GB, both of which have 256GB of internal storage (which both remain LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 respectively). Finally, the brand has announced that the 8 series will shore up its predecessors' gaming chops by becoming the first phones to support the upcoming 120fps mode of the mobile title King of Glory later in 2021.

iQOO fans located in China now have until August 24, 2021 to decide if they want to go with a vanilla 8, or hold out until August 26 to order a new 8 Pro instead. The OEM has yet to mention more worldwide availability for the world's latest Snapdragon 888/888+ phones; hopefully, they will follow the 7 to India at the least.