If you wanted a powerful gaming smartphone with decent cameras at Rs 49,999 then the Vivo IQOO 9T 5G makes more sense.
| Launch date | Released | October 21, 2022 | |
| Price | ₹ 49,999 | ||
| Processor | Chipset | Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm) | |
| CPU | Octa-core (1×3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) | ||
| GPU | Adreno 730 | ||
| Memory | RAM | 8/12GB, LPDDR5 | |
| Storage | 128/256GB, UFS 3.1 | ||
| Body | Dimension | 165 x 77 x 8 mm (6.50 x 3.03 x 0.31 in) | |
| Weight | 206 g | ||
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame, glass back | ||
| Water Resistant | Dust and dripping water resistant | ||
| Colors | Alpha, Legend (BMW M branding) | ||
| Display | Type | AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) | |
| Size | 6.78 inches, 111.0 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) | ||
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio | ||
| PPI | ~388 PPI density | ||
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | ||
| Camera | 50 MP, f/1.9, (wide), 1/1.57″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.0, 47mm (telephoto), PDAF, 2x optical zoom 13 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), AF | ||
| Videos | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS | ||
| Selfie | 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide) 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | ||
| Capacity | Li-Po 4700 mAh, non-removable | ||
| Charging | Fast charging 120W, 50% in 8 min, 100% in 19 min | ||
| Wireless | No | ||
| OS | Version | Android 12, Funtouch 12 | |
| Updates | 3 years system 4 Years Security | ||
| Sound | Speaker | Dual stereo speakers | |
| Audio Jack | Dual stereo speakers USB Type-C | ||
| Connectivity | Sim | Nano-SIM and/or eSIM | |
| 5G Bands | 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 40, 41, 77, 78 | ||
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | ||
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | ||
| NFC | Yes | ||
| AnTuTu Scores | Overall | 857984 | |
| CPU | 463653 | ||
| GPU | 191681 | ||
| UX | 177516 | ||
| Geekbench Scores | Single-core Multi-core | 1317 4082 | |
| USP/Highlights | If you wanted a powerful gaming smartphone with decent cameras at Rs 49,999 then the Vivo IQOO 9T 5G makes more sense. |
Design
The Vivo IQOO 9T 5G has a 6.78-inch (1080 x 2400 pixels) Full HD+ 20:9 aspect ratio E5 AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The display is bright, thanks to, up to 1500 nits brightness, and the color output is good as well since it has 1.07 billion colors, and the sunlight legibility is good as well.
No matter which paints the job you get, the Vivo IQOO 9T 5G comes in a BMW M Motorsport-branded box, which in turn is quite rich in content. At least compared to other retail boxes. In addition to the 120W charger and USB-C to USB-C cable, there’s also a transparent silicone case and a 3.5mm audio to USB-C dongle.
You can select from standard (default), professional and bright screen color modes. The 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, and 1200Hz instant touch sampling rate offer a smooth user experience, especially when you are scrolling through the UI and when gaming. You can select a smart switch or force it to 60Hz or 120Hz.
Visual enhancement in the Vivo IQOO 9T 5G optimizes the color and contrast of some pictures for more vivid display effects, says the company. It also has HDR 10+ support, which works for YouTube and Netflix. There is an earpiece on the top edge which also works as a secondary speaker. You can also notice a small bezel below the screen. The haptic feedback is good as well, thanks to the Dual X-Axis Linear Motors.
Camera
The Vivo IQOO 9T 5Ghas a 16MP front camera inside a notch. There is an earpiece on the top edge which also works as a secondary speaker. The camera UI is the same as other phones running Funtouch OS 12. It includes several features such as AR stickers, Pro Sports mode, double exposure, dual view, 64MP mode, and more.
Even though the phone has a 50MP rear camera, the final output is 12.5MP in size after pixel binning, and the front camera output is 16MP. There is a V1+ chip for Real-Time Extreme Night Vision. The 13MP ultra-wide camera does a good job, and also lets you capture macro shots.
There is also a 12MP portrait camera that offers 2X zoom. The 16MP camera is good in daylight, and the front camera portrait is decent as well, but it is not the best when it comes to low light. Vivo IQOO 9T 5G can record videos at 4k resolution at up to 60 fps from the rear camera and the front camera supports 1080p 30 fps recording.
Software
Coming to the software, the Vivo IQOO 9T 5G runs on Android 12 with Funtouch OS 12 on top. It has an Android security patch for July 2022. The company has promised 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of monthly security updates.
Out of 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, about 11.07GB is usable, out of which 7GB is free when the default apps are running in the background. Out of 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, 221.71GB is free out of the box. We got about 1806.83MBps sequential read speed on Android Bench.
Performance and Gaming
The Vivo IQOO 9T 5G is one of the first phones to launch in India with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. It has 1 x Kryo Prime CPU (Arm Cortex-X2-based) at up to 3.2GHz, compared to 3GHz in the Snapdragon 8, while retaining the 3 x Kryo Performance CPUs (A710-based) at up to 2.50GHz, 4x Kryo Efficiency CPUs (A510-based) at up to 1.80GHz. TSMC’s 4nm fabrication processor, promises a 30% power reduction in the CPU.
This chipset also offers 10% faster GPU performance. The phone has large 3930mm² vapor chamber liquid cooling, and the company said that it has high-power graphite which increases the density by 10% compared with the common graphite.
Battery
The Vivo IQOO 9T 5G packs a 4700mAh (typical) battery, which is decent for a mid-range phone. It can easily last for a day with heavy use and for 2 days with typical use with 4G enabled and multimedia, thanks to the optimization.
We got over 5 hours of screen time with 2 days of use, mostly on Wi-Fi. Since the Vivo IQOO 9T 5Ghas support for 120W fast charging, it can charge from 0 to 50% in about 10 minutes and up to 100% in about 25 minutes.
Verdict
At a starting price of Rs. 49,999, the Vivo IQOO 9T 5G is an all-rounder that ticks all the boxes. Compared to the iQOO 9, the 9T is a good improvement when it comes to displaying, SoC, camera, and battery. Wish it had retained the gimbal stabilization. The Vivo IQOO 9T 5G is priced at Rs. 49,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model and the 12GB + 256GB model costs Rs. 54,999. The OnePlus 10T is a direct competitor at the same price.
Older models like Realme GT 2 Pro offer QHD+ 120Hz LTPO 2.0 panel, a slightly bigger battery, and an attractive PaperTech Master design.
Also, check out Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and Google Pixel 7 Pro