iQOO 9 & iQOO 9 Pro launched with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

Both phones have a 50MP GN5 sensor for the main camera

Release Date
January 5, 2022
iQOO 9 Starting Price
¥3999 (~$629)
iQOO 9 Pro Starting Price
¥4999 (~$786)

iQOO has launched its newest flagships in China today, named the iQOO 9 and 9 Pro. As the names suggest, these are the successors to the iQOO 8 & 8 Pro that launched in August last year. If you do not know, iQOO, like most of the Chinese brands, follows a half-yearly upgrade timeline, so just 5-6 months after the launch of a phone, the company launches the successor. Last year as well, we got the iQOO 7 series in January, which was later upgraded with the iQOO 8 series.

Anyways, the iQOO 9 duo has a lot of similarities, some of which include the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, 120W fast charging, and a 50MP Samsung GN5 sensor on the back.

iQOO 9

iQOO 9

Design-wise, the iQOO follows the footsteps of Vivo, which is not a surprise considering iQOO is a sub-brand of Vivo. So, it has a camera module that covers almost the full width of the phone. On the left side of it, we have all the cameras laid out, whereas, on the right side, there is just some text that talks about the OIS, some camera specs, etc. The phone comes in three colors, and each of them is unique. There is one variant with a ‘Racing Track’ design, one with a ‘Carbon Fiber’ finish on the back, and one Orange color variant with a different texture than the other two. The sides are flat.

iQOO 9

On the front, iQOO 9 has a flat screen, and it is a 6.78-inch E5 AMOLED with Full-HD+ resolution, 1500 nits peak brightness, and up to 120Hz refresh rate. There is a hole punch cutout in the center that houses the 16MP camera. Under the hood, the phone has Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SOC, so, unlike other brands, iQOO did not opt for a less powerful chip for its non-Pro phone. There is 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 RAM paired with 256GB or 512GB UFS 3.1 storage.

iQOO 9

iQOO 9 comes with a 4,700mAh battery and supports 120W fast charging as well, again a feature that brands normally offer in their ‘Pro’ or ‘Ultra’ phones only.

Speaking of the camera module on the back, there is the main camera with OIS and a Samsung GN5 sensor, making it the first phone to launch with this sensor. It is a 1/1.57″ sensor that can output 50MP photos. The second camera on the back has a 13MP sensor, and it is for ultrawide shots with a field of view of 120-degrees. Finally, there is a 12MP camera for zoom shots, and the lens offers optical zoom of up to 2X. There is support for up to 4K video recording.

And finally, the phone runs on Android 12 out of the box with OriginOS Ocean running on top.

iQOO 9 PRO

iQOO 9 PRO

Speaking of the iQOO 9 Pro, it is no different than the iQOO 9 in terms of design. The only major design changes include a curved display on the front and the camera module having a text saying “Gimbal Stabilization.” And since there is a curved screen, the phone has curved sides, not flat ones like the vanilla model. The chip is the same as the vanilla model, i.e., Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. There is the same 4,700mAh battery as well with 120W fast charging.

iQOO 9 PRO

On the front, iQOO 9 Pro has a 10-bit 6.78-inch E5 AMOLED with a Quad-HD+ resolution (2K), LTPO tech, and up to 120Hz refresh rate. Also, there is an ultrasonic fingerprint reader, not an optical one. This is the same technology for the in-display fingerprint that we see on Samsung’s premium flagships. Inside that cutout on the front, there is the same 16MP selfie shooter as the iQOO 9.

The camera module on the back has the same main 50 Megapixel Samsung GN5 sensor, but this one has Gimbal Stabilization which is better than the traditional OIS system we see on phones. There is a second ultrawide camera with a 50 Megapixel sensor, and it has a field of view of 150-degrees. Finally, there is a 16MP camera for zoom shots, and the lens offers 2.5X optical zoom. This camera has OIS too. For macro shots, the ultrawide camera can be used, and that camera also allows you to take photos in Fisheye mode.

Just like the iQOO 9, Android 12-based OriginOS Ocean runs out of the box.

PRICING & AVAILABILITY

Finally, speaking of the pricing and availability, iQOO 9 comes in three colors and also three storage options. Here is the pricing for China –

  • 8GB + 256GB – ¥3999 (~$629)
  • 12GB + 256GB – ¥4399 (~$692)
  • 12GB + 512GB – ¥4799 (~$755)

There are only two colors to choose from for the iQOO 9 Pro and here is the pricing –

  • 8GB + 256GB – ¥4999 (~$786)
  • 12GB + 256GB – ¥5499 (~$865)
  • 12GB + 512GB – ¥5999 (~$945)

In China, the iQOO 9 will be available to buy from January 12, whereas the 9 Pro from January 10.