iQOO is a Vivo sub-brand, and if there's one thing that I've always liked about them, it is the designs that they bring to the smartphones they make. The iQOO Neo9 was a very good-looking phone to me because it is as minimalist as phone devices get these days.
The iQOO Neo9 and Neo9 Pro are the only devices in the current Neo9 series, but recent leaks tell us that we can expect a third model to join the fray: an iQOO Neo9 Racing Edition (or at least that's what it seems set to be called).
The iQOO Neo9 Racing Edition Will Launch With The Upcoming Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
The iQOO Neo9 was a very solid smartphone, bringing high-end specifications in all the places where they matter the most. However, it seems that the brand wants to bring more performance to the table, with the imminent iQOO Neo9 Racing Edition. The company isn't new to Racing Edition smartphones, as there was a Neo7 Racing and a Neo 855 Racing.
These smartphones tend to kick the performance up a notch without elevating into full-blown flagship devices. It's no surprise then that the Neo9 Racing Edition looks set to come with Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 under the hood, which should be something of a light Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It'll also be able to max out at 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage and 16GB of RAM.
The screen will be a really good unit, with a 1.5K 6.78-inch diagonal, 144Hz refresh rate, and 2160Hz pulse width modulation (which should mean it is a lot easier on the eyes, especially at lower brightness levels). The main camera is going to be a 50MP sensor, and it will likely come with an 8MP ultrawide as the secondary cam, just like the other Neo9 devices. I also expect a sexier paint job but we'll see about that.
It Will Be Similar To The iQOO Neo9 In Most Ways
The Racing Edition won't be dramatically different from the iQOO Neo9, as it will likely share dimensions, have the same screen, and come with a similar camera setup.
However, the Neo9 Racing seems set for a newer and faster chip as the main perk, though it may come with different colorways and some minor upgrades here and there.
Read: IQOO 12 Review: Racy Performance in a Classy Design
When Can We Expect It To Launch, And Where?
So, when can we expect the iQOO Neo9 Racing Edition to launch? We don't have an official date, but with all the buzz, the phone looks set to introduce itself to us sometime in April, and we're excited to see exactly what it is going to bring to the table.
However, it is going to launch in China first. This doesn't mean that you should rule out an international launch entirely, but at the moment, that doesn't seem to be in the cards, so if you want it that bad, you're going to have to pay to have it shipped over. Might as well go for a higher-end device in that case.
