iQOO 3 overview: Experience the #MonsterInside

iQOO 3 is now official in India, and boy-o-boy is it loaded. Not only is it the most aggressively priced Snapdragon 865-phone, but is backed by a long list of impressive specs including LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.1 storage, ultra-fast in-display sensor, AMOLED display, and 55W fast charging.

But as history has taught us, there is only so much faith you can put in the raw specifications, no matter how impressive they read. So, we went up-close with the iQOO 3 to test if the real-world experience can match up to the spectacular hardware. And here’s what we think.

Impeccable Design meets Immersive Display

As they say, how you dress is a reflection of your personality. So for a fresher on the field, iQOO pulls of a palatable design. Be it the 6.44-inch FHD+ fascia or the curvy glassy rear, the phone looks classy. Thanks to the use of a teeny punch-hole (which BTW is the smallest in the segment) and tapered edges, the visuals cover almost the entirety of the expanse. Plus, it being an HDR10+ compatible AMOLED panel, you get real-life colors and all-in-all engrossing experience.

And it’s not just about looks, as the display sports 180Hz Super Touch Response rate. ELI5; this gins up the sensitivity and accuracy of display upon input from your fingers. This means a fast and responsive screen during games and every other touch interaction you have with the iQOO 3.

Speaking of which, this is armored with capacitive shoulder buttons (christened Monster Touch) on the right side. Then there is the 4D vibration motor, that offers tight and crisp haptics during gameplay. Clearly, with iQOO 3, you are at a vantage point.

You can pick the iQOO 3 in three outfits viz. Volcano Orange, Tornado Black, and Quantum Silver. Each of them is a feast to the eyes. That’s all ’bout the outie, now into the innie.

Flawless performance

iQOO 3 is an out and out beast on the performance frontier. Be its the benchmark scores, driving heavy-duty games or snappy day-to-day performance – the handset outshines all its rivals,  thanks to the Snapdragon 865 #monsterinside.

What helps it sustain that peak performance is up to 12GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. Adreno 640GPU handles graphics without breaking a sweat. 

Furthermore, advantages like the Monster Touch button, 4D vibrations, and sensitive 180Hz  touch display lend additional leverage to competitive gamers. 

The top-notch hardware is complemented by thoughtfully designed and Android 10-based iQOO UI. The software is quite intuitive and integrates a tonne of features to serve every purpose without being overwhelming.  

One notable highlight is Monster Mode, which lets you push the full pedal on system resources for the very best gaming experience.

Shutterbug’s choice

Camera performance is a very important parameter that distinguishes flagships. The rear quad-camera arrangement on the iQOO 3 includes a 48MP primary camera, 13MP Telephoto camera with 20X Digital Zoom, 13MP super wide-angle (120-degrees) and a Macro camera, and a 2MP Bokeh camera.

On the front, the iQOO 3 has a 16MP snapper to handle selfies. The handset also has Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) that helps shoot stable handheld videos.

The primary camera can capture stunning details even in tricky lighting conditions and the performance is comparable to high-end flagships like iPhone 11, OnePlus 7T Pro and Samsung Galaxy S20.

The Zoom camera lets you get closer to objects (up to 20X) and this is extremely fun. The 13MP wide-angle camera comes in handy for shooting wide, picturesque backdrops with minimal distortion on the edges.

The 3 can also shoot stunning portraits with creamy DSLR like bokeh.

In a dark ambience, the camera software smartly adjusts the image capture setting for minimal noise.

Huge Battery and Hi-Fi Audio

To sustain all that cutting-edge tech, the iQOO 3 houses an assuring 4440mAh battery. In fact, the power unit is good enough to last 2 days of moderate to heavy usage. The icing on the cake is the 55W Super FlashCharge that can top up 50% of the tank in just 15 minutes.

As for Audio, the iQOO 3 is Hi-Res audio certified and is equipped with AK4377A Hi-Fi independent chip, which is a stereo 32VELVET high-quality audio DAC. The audio via loudspeaker is loud and distinctly clear. The handset also retains 3.5mm Audio jack and a pair of decent headphones is also bundled in the box. The iQOO 3 has what it takes to please hardcore audiophiles.

Should you buy it? Yes!

The iQOO 3 is a truly impressive debut that certainly lives up to the hype. Everything on the phone runs extremely snappy, it’s a treat to enjoy multimedia content on the lively display, the in-display sensor is blazing fast and dependable, the amazing quad-cameras are a lot of fun, and thanks to the super-fast charging, we never had to worry about running out of charge.

Whether you are looking for a top-shelf gaming phone or an exception mainstream phone, the iQOO 3 has you covered.

And if you are fretting about the state of After sales support from a debutant brand. Well, don’t. iQOO provides free pick and drop service for any repair issues across the country covering more than 15000+ pin codes. For any on-call assistance, iQOO service experts are available 24*7 over the toll-free number 1800-572-4700.

#iQOO3 will go on sale starting from March 4, 2020, at 12 noon on Flipkart and iqoo.com. The three variants are priced at INR 36,990 (8+128GB 4G), INR 39,990 (8+256GB 4G) and INR 44,990 (12+256GB 5G).