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iQOO Neo5: March 2021 launch confirmed; new leak points to a Snapdragon 870 SoC for the phone

The Neo5's new launch trailer. (Source: Weibo)
The Neo5's new launch trailer. (Source: Weibo)
The smartphone brand iQOO has finally acknowledged the successor to its Neo3 flagship, following a slew of leaks hinting at its high-end specs. It will now launch on March 16, 2021 in China. There is now more evidence the allegedly Snapdragon 870-powered phone might be seen outside this country soon as well, thanks to a new Geekbench leak.

A slew of leaks have pointed to an upcoming successor to the iQOO Neo3 smartphone. However, while that device was launched as a (however well-priced) full-on Snapdragon 865-powered flagship, the brand is rumored to switch away from the 888 in 2021. Some fans might be disappointed, although the potential move might help iQOO to really clean up in the upper-mid-range space this year.

Despite all this speculation, iQOO (a sub-brand of the OEM Vivo) has never stepped forward to claim the Neo5 as a real thing - until now. Its latest teaser on Weibo uses this name officially for the first time and, furthermore, announces that it will launch on March 16, 2021. Then again, its first poster gives no real hint as to the specs now firmly linked to it in recent leaks.

They include the Snapdragon 870 SoC, which has popped up yet again in the latest tip attributed to it on SlashLeaks. It consists of a new Geekbench 5 listing with this processor, as well as the 8GB of RAM and Android 11-based OS seen in earlier leaks.

Then again, this set of results is for a device called the vivo I2012, whereas the Neo5 has allegedly leaked as the V2055A up until now. Then again, this might be its Chinese-market model number, whereas this new "I2012" could be destined for a different country - India, perhaps.

The Neo5 has indeed been implicated in a rumored renewed onslaught on this market, slated to occur in April 2021. Similarly, the brand's actual 888-powered flagship, the AnTuTu-leading 7, is now projected to launch in the same country, also in March 2021. 

Accordingly, it could be the "I2009" also recently found on Geekbench. It has this top-end 2021 SoC as well as 12GB of RAM; therefore, it could indeed be a regional variant of the iQOO 7 (heretofore only sold as the Vivo V2049A in China).

Hopefully, should these leaks pan out, they will be followed by even more international availability for the iQOO Neo5 and 7, both of which would be eligible for fairly exclusive clubs on launch in so many countries thanks to their respective Qualcomm platforms.

Then again, the 7 can be ordered now via Amazon.com.

The "international iQOO Neo5" on Geekbench. (Source: Geekbench via SlashLeaks)
The "international iQOO Neo5" on Geekbench. (Source: Geekbench via SlashLeaks)
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2021 02 > iQOO Neo5: March 2021 launch confirmed; new leak points to a Snapdragon 870 SoC for the phone
Deirdre O'Donnell, 2021-02-26 (Update: 2021-02-26)