Poco F7 vs. iQOO Neo 10
n the fiercely competitive smartphone market, two devices have recently captured attention by offering the powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset at compelling price points: the Poco F7 and the iQOO Neo 10. Both promise flagship-level performance, but with distinct approaches to design, features, and overall user experience. After a thorough comparison, we break down which phone truly offers the best value for your hard-earned money.
Let’s dive deep into the key aspects to help you decide your next smartphone upgrade.
Design and Build Quality: Premium Feel vs. Practicality
Right off the bat, the Poco F7 makes a strong impression with its glass back and metal frames, giving it a distinctly premium feel and superior build quality. In contrast, the iQOO Neo 10 opts for a more practical polycarbonate back and frames .
In terms of ergonomics, both phones are around 8mm thick. The iQOO Neo 10 is slightly lighter at 209g, while the Poco F7 comes in at 223g. When it comes to durability, the Poco F7 boasts a superior IP66/68/69 rating, offering better protection against dust and water compared to the iQOO Neo 10’s IP65 rating .
Both devices feature dual speakers, dual microphones, dual nano-SIM support, optical under-display fingerprint scanners, and IR blasters. However, both still utilize the older USB 2.0 Type-C ports .
Display: Refresh Rates, Brightness, and Clarity
The display is often a make-or-break feature, and both phones offer compelling visuals:
- Size and Aspect Ratio: The Poco F7 has a slightly larger 6.83-inch display with a wider, iPhone-like aspect ratio, while the iQOO Neo 10 features a 6.78-inch display with a more standard aspect ratio.
- Resolution: Both rock a sharp 1.5K resolution. However, the iQOO Neo 10 offers the flexibility to switch to Full HD+ for battery saving, a feature absent on the Poco F7.
- Refresh Rate: The iQOO Neo 10 pulls ahead with a 144Hz refresh rate compared to the Poco F7’s 120Hz. Interestingly, despite the higher refresh rate, the Poco F7 showed a smoother touch response in testing.
- Brightness: On paper, the iQOO Neo 10 boasts an impressive 5500 nits peak brightness against the Poco F7’s 3200 nits. In real-world outdoor usage, the difference was minimal, especially with the Poco F7’s sunlight mode activated.
- Protection: The Poco F7 uses Gorilla Glass 7i, while the iQOO Neo 10 features Schott protection.
- HDR Support: Both support HDR on YouTube. The Poco F7 maintains more balanced colors with HDR content, whereas the iQOO Neo 10 tends to over-brighten whites.
- Bezels: The Poco F7 sports slightly thinner bezels, contributing to a more immersive viewing experience.
Software: Updates, Bloatware, and AI
Both devices run on Android 15, with the Poco F7 featuring HyperOS 2 and the iQOO Neo 10 running Funtouch OS 15 .
When it comes to software updates, the Poco F7 offers a more generous commitment: 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches. The iQOO Neo 10 provides 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security patches.
A common pain point for both phones is the presence of significant bloatware, unnecessary notifications, and ads (GetApps on Poco, V-Appstore on iQOO) . I express strong disapproval of these on premium devices . On the positive side, both include stock dialers for call recording and some AI features .
Performance: Raw Power and Thermal Management
Under the hood, both smartphones are powered by the same formidable Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset (4nm) .
- AnTuTu Scores: The Poco F7 edged out the iQOO Neo 10 in AnTuTu benchmarks, scoring around 2 million compared to iQOO’s 1.7 million.
- Thermals: During intense benchmark tests, both phones showed significant heating. The Poco F7 reached 47°C (and 50°C during CPU throttling), while the iQOO Neo 10 hit 48°C (and 47°C during CPU throttling) .
- Geekbench & 3D Mark: The iQOO Neo 10 showed better single-core and multi-core scores in Geekbench . In 3D Mark, both showed good stability, with Poco F7 at 83% , though the Poco F7 heated up more (53°C) than the iQOO Neo 10 (44°C) during this test.
- Memory: Both feature LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, ensuring fast data access. (Note: the 128GB variant of the iQOO Neo 10 uses UFS 3.1).
- RAM Management: Both phones demonstrated excellent RAM management, keeping apps in memory for extended periods.
- Gaming: Both offer a fantastic gaming experience. The Poco F7 achieves 90fps in BGMI, while the iQOO Neo 10 reaches a smoother 120fps. Both maintained good temperatures (43-44°C) during extended gaming sessions.
Battery and Charging: Endurance vs. Speed
- Capacity: The Poco F7 packs a larger 7550 mAh battery, while the iQOO Neo 10 has a 7000 mAh battery .
- Charging: The Poco F7 comes with a 90W charger, reaching 50% in 32 minutes and a full charge in 1 hour 17 minutes. The iQOO Neo 10, with its faster 120W charger, gets to 50% in just 20 minutes and a full charge in 37-38 minutes.
- Battery Drain: In continuous video playback, both performed similarly. However, in heavy usage tests (11 hours of gaming, 4K video recording, social media), the iQOO Neo 10 showed better optimization, retaining 15% battery compared to the Poco F7’s 7% .
Camera: Point and Shoot Differences
Both phones feature a dual rear camera setup with a 50MP Sony IMX 882 primary sensor with OIS and an 8MP ultrawide sensor. Both also support 4K 60fps video recording from the rear.
- Front Camera: The Poco F7 has a 20MP selfie camera with Full HD 60fps video. The iQOO Neo 10 boasts a higher resolution 32MP selfie camera with 4K 60fps video recording.
- Picture Quality: Across 16 different scenarios, the iQOO Neo 10 scored better, winning 11 points compared to the Poco F7’s 6 points. The Poco F7 sometimes exhibited excessive contrast or issues with night videos and sharpness in selfies. While the iQOO Neo 10’s camera isn’t exceptional, it is considered superior to the Poco F7’s.
Network Connectivity
The Poco F7 supports 15 5G bands, while the iQOO Neo 10 supports 16 5G bands. Both phones come with Wi-Fi 7 and NFC support. The iQOO Neo 10 has a slightly newer Bluetooth 5.4 compared to the Poco F7’s Bluetooth 5.2.
Price and Final Verdict
The Poco F7 starts at ₹32,000 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant . The iQOO Neo 10 also starts at ₹32,000, but for an 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant . To match the Poco F7’s base variant, the iQOO Neo 10’s 12GB/256GB variant costs ₹35,999, creating a ₹4,000 price gap.
Recommendation:
I ultimately recommend the Poco F7 as the primary choice due to its better overall value. It offers similar performance, an excellent display, and good battery life at a more competitive price point for its base configuration.
However, if camera performance is your absolute top priority, and you are willing to pay the extra cost, the iQOO Neo 10 is a viable option.
In summary, both phones are powerful contenders with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, but the Poco F7 appears to offer a more compelling package for most users, especially considering its aggressive pricing for the higher RAM/storage variant.