iQOO 12 is the best-value flagship phone of 2024

The iQOO 12 features a modern design that makes it appear much more exquisite than its predecessors, and despite its large size, it is easy to grasp and use. Aside from that, the iQOO 12 offers significant upgrades over its predecessor, the iQOO 11, in areas such as software, cameras, display, cooling system, and more. The hardware changes give it a noticeable advantage, and it excels as a gaming phone. You also get one of the brightest AMOLED panels on any device today, which is noticeably better than anything I’ve tried previously. The same applies to the cameras; thanks to updated modules and a new 3x telephoto lens, the iQOO 12 shoots fantastic images in almost every condition. With cleaner software and more software upgrades, this phone is turning out to be an excellent bargain.

The iQOO 12 is the quickest Android smartphone currently available. It also gets high ratings for its excellent viewing experience, loudspeakers, fantastic cameras, long battery life, and blazing-fast charging times. However, there is no wireless charging support, and while the software has been polished, there is still space for improvement.

iQOO 12 KEY FEATURES

The iQOO 12 is a visually appealing smartphone with an impressive design, whether in the Legend (BMW, White) or Alpha (Black) versions. The phone has an IP64 rating, indicating complete dust and splash resistance.

The regular iQOO 12 features a beautiful 6.78-inch E7 AMOLED panel with 1280p resolution and a dynamic 144Hz refresh rate. There is also support for 10-bit color depth, HDR10+ streaming, and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits.

iQOO claims that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip is well-cooled, with a big vapor chamber for superior heat dissipation and long-term performance. We’ll see about it!

The iQOO 12 boasts an unusual flagship-style camera on the back. There is a big 50MP primary with OIS, a 50MP ultrawide with autofocus, and a 64MP camera hidden behind a periscopic lens with OIS for 3x optical zoom and up to 10x lossless zoom. This iQOO 12 camera, like the Vivo phones, has Vivid and Natural color settings for the cameras, as well as a new one called Cinematic.

The iQOO 12 features a graphite 5,000mAh battery with an alleged extended lifespan of 1,600 cycles (before reaching 80% capacity) and 120W super-fast wired charging. Finally, the iQOO 12 runs Android 14 and includes Funtouch 14, a performance-optimized launcher with little bloatware. The phone also promises three major Android updates and four years’ worth of security patches.

iQOO 12 UNBOXING

The white iQOO 12 comes in a black matte box with a 120W power converter and a 6A USB-C-to-C connection.

The retail package also includes a clear silicone cover and a double-sided BMW M printed card.

CAMERA

The iQoo 12 features three back cameras: a 50-megapixel primary camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor and optical image stabilization (OIS), a 64-megapixel (OIS) periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 120-degree field-of-view. There is a 16-megapixel selfie camera on the front with an f/2.5 aperture.

The camera interface on the iQoo 12 with Funtouch OS 14 is simple to use, and the majority of the settings and functions are easily accessible with a few clicks. Some capabilities are stashed away in the interface, but the app will automatically recommend different camera modes based on the scene. You can also use a slider to switch between camera modes. The primary camera produces clear images with mostly true colors, and it operates best in well-lit environments.

The primary camera’s portrait mode defaults to f/1.4, so you may want to change it to f/4.5 or higher for better results.

The iQoo 12’s 50-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera is the least capable of the three. While it can catch a lot of information, it cannot capture colors as well as the primary camera. It also overexposes the sky throughout the day. There are no problems with warping around the edges.

On several occasions, I found myself moving back and using the primary camera rather than the ultra-wide-angle camera. This camera does not let in enough light in low-light circumstances, resulting in gloomy photographs — another reason to utilize the more powerful primary camera instead.

On the other hand, the telephoto camera is pretty amazing when shooting photographs at up to 10x — or even 30x if you have firm hands. The camera app features a horizontal slider that allows you to select custom zoom values, and when you zoom over 30x, you will notice stabilization concerns.

There is a useful preview that indicates which section of the scene you are zooming in on. Pushing the camera up to 100x digital zoom necessitates the use of a tripod, and the final photo appears a little overprocessed and smoothed, but the subject is identifiable.

The portrait mode in the camera app includes three settings: 1x, 2x, and 3x. The first two use the primary camera, and the third uses the telephoto camera. The latter produces superb portrait shots of people and pets, with just the appropriate amount of bokeh — but you can also tweak this for portrait images taken with the primary camera using the built-in gallery app.

In low-light conditions, the smartphone uses the primary camera for both 1x and 3x images (digitally reduced), but during the day, it switches to the telephoto for the latter. The camera urges you to use the built-in night mode, but only photographs taken with the primary camera (1x zoom) are usable. Further zooming in results in hazy shots with minimal clarity; we used a tripod to get these images.

The telephoto camera also includes a helpful Super Macro mode, which captures very detailed photographs. Selfies taken with the iQoo 12 are reasonably crisp, and skin tones are mainly true, but you must manually disable the skin smoothing function, which was enabled by default. If you want to shoot a video of yourself, you’re better off using the back camera and a tripod, as it had some focus and exposure issues while transitioning from brightly focused to dim locations, and vice versa.

The primary camera can record up to 4K at 60fps with OIS, but 8K recording is limited to 30fps and does not have OIS. Videos captured in daylight with the iQoo 12 are smooth and free of tearing or artifacts, and stabilization works as expected when recording at up to 4K at 60fps. In low-light circumstances, use the built-in Night Mode to record at 1x – it allows for digital zoom up to 3x utilizing the same primary sensor.

The camera app offers a motion autofocus feature that can be set to auto or manual; in my experience, the auto option performed nicely. Once you start filming, you cannot switch between the front and rear cameras. There’s also a useful microphone selection tool hidden in the settings area that lets you choose between the phone’s microphone, an external microphone connected via the USB Type-C connection, or one connected via Bluetooth.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

The iQOO 12 design has been updated to look more aesthetically pleasant and premium. That’s how it feels when you hold the smartphone. The glass rear panel and glossy aluminum frame provide a secure grip. I must confess that the frame may have benefited from a matte coating to reduce fingerprints, smudges, and slipperiness. However, the back panel remains quite clean, at least on the white variant I received for evaluation.

Speaking of the back panel, there is a visible camera platform that protrudes somewhat from the surface. However, the glass blends in with the raised platform, so it does not rub against your index finger while you hold the gadget. The platform is completely black with a chrome finish around the edges, and the words ‘100x Tele Lens’ are neatly carved onto it, giving the phone a nice contrasty look. An extended cutout next to the platform houses the LED flash.

The back panel also includes iQOO and Fascination Meeds Innovation words etched onto it, as well as tricolor patterns. Furthermore, the handset’s IP64 water and dust resistance grade is highly regarded. In terms of I/O, the phone’s bottom edge features a USB Type-C connection for charging and data transfer. The phone includes an optical fingerprint scanner that unlocks the smartphone quickly. However, I wish it was positioned a little higher on the screen for easier access.

The iQOO 12 has a power-efficient 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display that dynamically alternates between 1Hz and 144Hz depending on the content. The display has a resolution of 1,200 x 2,800p, brightness of up to 3,000 nits, PWM dimming at 2,160Hz, and HDR10+ support. Except for the selfie camera punch-hole, which appears to take up more screen real estate than the standard punch-holes found in phones in this price range, there is little to criticize about the display.

Aside from that, its resolution may appear lacking for a flagship, but the display delivers clean graphics with vibrant colors. The images are also pretty pleasing when viewed from an angle, and the sunlight legibility is just superb. I had minimal issues watching a movie or playing a game outside in direct sunshine. Furthermore, the device is Widevine L1 certified, which ensures FHD playback with HDR support for streaming services like Netflix.

The audio quality on the iQOO 12 enhances the watching experience even further. The handset includes stereo speakers that, while not Dolby Atmos compatible, provide excellent audio output even at high volumes.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

In terms of hardware, the iQOO 12 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. It has a one-of-a-kind 1 + 5 + 2 core configuration, all-new Cortex X4, A720, and A520 cores, and significant enhancements to the Adreno 750 that improve gaming performance.

In daily use, the phone is fluid, and I had no latency or overheating during my week with it.

However, it does not feel as well-optimized as the iQOO 11, but this can be easily resolved with firmware updates — Vivo rolled out two updates with stability fixes during the testing period, so by the time the phone is released to retail customers, it should be able to fully utilize the hardware. Regardless, I’ll check in on the phone after a month to see if anything has changed.

Aside from that minor gripe, there are no concerns with the iQOO 12. It performs well in demanding games and does not choke easily, allowing for high sustained framerates. It scored 55.9% stability in 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme stress test, which is very acceptable. During extended gaming sessions, the phone will get heated, but this is not unusual for modern phones.

The rest of the hardware is quite impressive, with the iQOO 12 starting at 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. I’m using the 16GB/512GB version, and it has performed well in this regard. You’ll also receive cutting-edge connectivity, such as Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, the AptX Lossless audio codec, NFC, dual-band GPS, and global Sub-6 5G bands.

The vibration motor is also quite decent, and while it does not provide the same amount of granular feel as real flagships, this is only noticeable when comparing the phone to the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The only physical issue I have is the positioning of the in-screen fingerprint module, which is once again too low on the screen, making it difficult to access when using the phone one-handed. I’m not sure why brands keep doing this; if anyone from Vivo is reading this, please relocate the sensor a little higher next year. However, the sensor itself is quick to authenticate and dependable in everyday use.

The iQOO 12 features a 5000mAh battery that can easily last a day. There’s no need to be concerned about battery life with this phone; even on days when I used it heavily, the battery never dropped below 15%. This has proven true for most of the phones I’ve tried in the last 15 months, except foldable, where battery life remains an issue.

In terms of charging, the iQOO 12 uses Vivo’s 120W charging technology and takes little more than 28 minutes to fully charge. It charges to 50% in just over 11 minutes, so if you run out of juice during the day, it only takes a few minutes to recharge for several hours. On that topic, there is no wireless charging on the smartphone, which is fine because this is not a phone that you would leave charging overnight. In addition, like with all Vivo and iQOO phones, the charger is included in the box.

Buy it if...

• Excellent design, IP64 certified.
• Excellent AMOLED, really dynamic, and HDR10+.
• Excellent battery life and super rapid charging.
• The best chipset on the market, with consistent stability.
• Overall, the back cameras provide excellent photo quality.
• Excellent video stabilization.
• All-around connectivity choices.
• Android 14 has three significant improvements expected.

Don't buy it if…

• Bloatware comes pre-installed.
• Inconsistent image processing.
• Low-quality selfie camera with 1080p video only and no EIS.
• No wireless charging.

FULL SPECIFICATION