The iQOO Neo 12 launched in China on 28 October 2026. The main novelties are a flat 6,83-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 3200 × 1440 and a refresh rate of up to 185 Hz, an active Ice Dome cooling fan and a battery with a capacity of 9000 mAh.
The smartphone became the successor to the Neo 11. Compared with its predecessor, the display refresh rate increased from 144 to 185 Hz, the battery capacity from 7500 to 9000 mAh, and for the first time in the series a mechanical fan was built into the body. The device is aimed at gamers and those for whom long operation without recharging matters.
The display uses a Visionox panel with fourth-generation pTSF technology, a peak brightness of 2200 nits and HDR support. In games it is capable of running at 2K resolution and 185 frames per second simultaneously with super-resolution and frame interpolation. The fan, measuring 17 × 17 mm with 59 blades, has three operating modes and is paired with the largest vapor chamber in the Neo lineup at 8200 mm². The manufacturer claims a 15 % increase in cooling performance compared with the Neo 11.
The heart of the device is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 paired with a proprietary Q3 gaming chip. RAM capacity is 12 or 16 GB of LPDDR5X Ultra, and storage ranges from 256 GB to 1 TB of UFS 4.1. Battery charging is 100 W wired. The cameras remain unchanged: a 50 MP main camera with OIS and a 8 MP ultra-wide camera at the rear, and a 16 MP front camera. The body has received an IP68/IP69 rating and a metal frame.
Among the weak points are the absence of wireless charging, a zoom camera and a microSD slot. The maximum display and frame rates are available only in supported games, of which there are currently more than 50. Prices in China start at 4399 yuan for the 12/256 GB version.
In the gaming smartphone segment, the Neo 12 competes with the iQOO 16 and realme GT 8. It beats its predecessor in battery and cooling, but falls short of flagships in cameras and wireless charging. For those who value long battery life and stable operation in demanding games without throttling, this is one of the most interesting options in the price range up to 6500 yuan.
