iQOO Neo7 is the world's latest Dimensity 9000 Plus-, Android 13- and 5,000mAh battery-powered smartphone

iQOO has used most of the Neo7's upgrades over its 6-series predecessor up for the new smartphone's teasers already; nevertheless, the brand has of course not mssed the opportunity of its official launch to re-hype its combination of a flagship-grade Dimensity 9000+ SoC and "Pro+" dedicated chipset for its FHD+ 120Hz E5 AMOLED display, not to mention the step up to 120W charging for its large battery.

The Neo7, like its 10-series flagship counterparts, also comes with the power brick required for this new top wired charging speed in the box. It will be regulated by Vivo's OriginOS Ocean skin that, gratifyingly enough, doesn't require waiting for an upgrade to Android 13.

On that note, another updated aspect of the new smartphone is its camera hump that has clearly been handed down from iQOO's parent OEM; however, those hoping for a periscope zoom lens to peep out of the square cut-out that gives that away may be disappointed to learn that it is actually occupied by the same 2MP macro camera from the Neo6.

On the other hand, the remaining 2 circular lenses cover an 8MP ultra-wide camera with an improved 120° field of view and a Sony IMX766V primary/wide-angle camera with OIS. 

Accordingly, iQOO touts its latest Neo-series flagship as "gaming gold" with the thermal management to match. Nevertheless, the brand has also ushered new accessories, a "cooling back clip" ostensibly meant for the Neo7 included, onto the market alongside its new smartphone.

They also comprise the phone-flanking Lightning Gamepad 2 controller and iQOO TWS Air, the latter of which pack impressively large ~14mm drivers for "Monster Sound" into an unassumingly generic form-factor. The new add-ons cost 109 (~US$15), 229 (~US$32) and 169 (~US$23) yuan on their own, although visitors to Vivo's online store can get them for even less when added to an order for a Neo7.

On that note, the new flagship-challenger is available in a dark navy colorway in addition to the orange and light blue options from prior leaks. They have 8 to 12GB of RAM and 128GB to 512GB of internal storage, in SKUs that start at 2,699 yuan (~US$374) and top out at 3,299 yuan (~US$489), and can be pre-ordered from today (October 20, 2022).

Therefore, one can now buy 2 12/512GB Neo7s for less than the price of a single 128GB iPhone 14 Plus. Then again, one can only do so in China, unfortunately, as iQOO has yet to mention international availability for the currently nearly unique smartphone.

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