The iQOO 9 series prepares to come for Xiaomi and Realme with new main and ultra-wide cameras

The high-performance Vivo sub-brand iQOO has now confirmed that its new 9 series flagships will launch on January 5, 2022. Despite this announcement, it has also seen fit to keep right on hyping the 2 phones, revealing a potentially winning camera spec in advance.

The 9 and 9 Pro are now slated to be the first ever phones to debut with the Samsung ISOCELL GN5 as a main rear camera sensor. This new spec might drag the phones into the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s crosshairs, as it has the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and a new 50MP shooter of its own.

iQOO has also now revealed that the 9 Pro will have a new and extra-wide 150° lens, apparently ripe for unprecedented fish-eye effects right on a smartphone. We have also seen similar claims from Realme, an OEM poised to beat its rival to the launch of this spec by 1 day.

The GT2 Pro touted to be first to debut with this new mind of ultrawide-angle lens is also now officially in line for a 50MP main camera of its own. However, in this case, the sensor is the last-gen Sony IMX766 in this case. Nevertheless, the OEM has hinted at an extra party trick to set its own 8 Gen 1 vehicle apart.

This “Microscope 2.0” camera, as teased in Realme’s latest posters, seems to comprise the second generation of a spec from the brand’s sister company OPPO. It is described as capable of imaging features from the Gobi desert in high quality and extreme close-up detail, and may, according to the famous leaker Digital Chat Station, may even be used to analyze a display's pixel-matrix.

Therefore, Realme may stand prepared to compete in 2022’s mobile photography arena after all. The GT2 Pro is also slated to have the edge in terms of a sustainable appeal, to match iQOO and Xiaomi in terms of screen tech and even to have the option of going Super Saiyan with an appropriately-themed Special Edition. All in all, it will be interesting to see which device does best on their probably imminent release.