iQOO has announced that it will provide 2022 with one of its last Android smartphone launch events of 2022. Then again, the device in question appears to be a refresh of the existing high-end Neo7. This version is slated to come with a switch to Qualcomm silicon – and, with it, an improved chance of getting onto the global market.
Vivo’s performance-focused brand iQOO has announced a last-gasp finishing touch for its premium mid-range Neo7 series of Android smartphones. It is to be known as the Racing Edition of its line, which seems to translate to a change to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor in place of the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ of the original release.
The device may have the same specs otherwise, down to the secondary Pro+ chip for its E5 AMOLED display. Then again, the Neo7’s 9000+ could be seen as one of its most unique selling points, as smartphones with that top-end contender platform are still thin on the ground, even in the dying days of its launch year. Then again, iQOO’s decision to refresh it with the more common 8+ Gen 1 might imply that this may also become a global version of the phone.
iQOO does tend to take Qualcomm-based handsets to markets such as India: for example, it has also announced that its latest 8 Gen 2-powered flagship will launch there in January 2023; perhaps the Neo7 Racing Edition will join it there soon. However, it will have to be unveiled in China beforehand, on December 29, 2022.
Deirdre O’Donnell – Senior Tech Writer – 5855 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018
I became a professional writer and editor shortly after graduation. My degrees are in biomedical sciences; however, they led to some experience in the biotech area, which convinced me of its potential to revolutionize our health, environment and lives in general. This developed into an all-consuming interest in more aspects of tech over time: I can never write enough on the latest electronics, gadgets and innovations. My other interests include imaging, astronomy, and streaming all the things. Oh, and coffee.
Deirdre O’Donnell, 2022-12-25 (Update: 2022-12-25)