Vivo iQOO 8 and 8 Pro Review, Pros and Cons – The iQOO line is specially designed for game-centric users and also offers exceptional support. The company recently launched its iQOO 8 series smartphones which offer impeccable flagship-level gaming capabilities. There are two entries in the lineup, the first is the Vivo iQOO 8 smartphone and the other is the top-level Vivo iQOO 8 Pro smartphone.
Unfortunately, both devices are currently available in China, but there is little hope that they will appear globally. They were unveiled to the world in August 2020, about 7 to 8 months after the release of the iQOO 7. But the company updates the spec sheet on paper and, in terms of features, you’ll get tons of new stuff. Let’s start with a detailed review of the Vivo iQOO 8 and 8 Pro smartphones.
Table of Contents
Vivo iQOO 8 and 8 Pro Review
Highlights
- The phone offers the first Samsung E5 panel that enhances color rendering and improves overall viewing quality.
- As for the camera section, you are getting the gimbal stabilization which brings out steady videos.
- While the iQOO 8 Pro or iQOO 8 phones set new performance records thanks to the Snapdragon 888+ and Sandpargon 888 chipset.
- Also, the software optimization is excellent with the fabulous OriginOS with Android 11 at the top.
- A 120W charger efficiently supplies power to the 4500mAh battery for the iQOO 8 Pro and 4350mAh battery for the iQOO 8 in less than 20 minutes.
Design and Display
The iQOO phone is known for its premium design layout in recent years, since collaborating with BMW’s design format, which looks amazing than the average of mainstream phones. It is one of the vital points that stands out from the rest of the competition as it provides a sense of superiority, something like you can feel with an Apple smartphone.
Anyway, if you’re looking for an engaging layout, both the iQOO 8 and 8 Pro smartphones won’t let you down, as the material used on the rear panel looks elegant and looks great at first glance. Color combinations such as White, Black, and Orange appear on the iQOO 8, while the Pro variant features the sleek white and black color scheme phone with the BMW branding on top. Although both models are slightly bulkier.
But the weight distribution is fine; the front screen combines impressive features. For starters, you’ll have a bigger fingerprint scanner under the display than any other phone, plus you’ll get a 120Hz refresh rate along with the HDR 10+. Not to forget, there is also Dolby Vision which improves the viewing experience and better pixel density.
In addition, the Vivo iQOO 8 Pro phone uses steroids with WQHD resolution and a 6.78-inches LTPO AMOLED display. At the same time, the iQOO 8 phone ships with the 6.56-inches AMOLED panel, although the entry-level variant may not have high-end specs like the superior variant. Still, it meets almost all the criteria needed to compete in the flagship gaming phone.
Memory and Internal
The performance aspect of both models is enough to reach an excellent level of play and, on the other hand, the processing won’t disappoint your feelings and brings exceptional results most of the time. In fact, the Snapdragon 888 chipset is a decent choice for the iQOO 8 phone as it easily achieves a clock speed of 2.84GHz that goes well with long gaming sessions.
But the Vivo iQOO 8 Pro phone Snapdragon 888+ chipset is three steps ahead of the competition, and not only has the best benchmark score but also offers 20% performance over the previous generation. To optimize all this performance-oriented hardware, the company deployed OriginOS which precisely brings a good amount of customization features with lots of customization on top.
Not to forget, the phone runs on the latest Android 11 configuration. The 5G connectivity can provide a fast connection without interruptions. So stream content at the highest quality and play online games without lags. As far as the UI experience goes, you’ll get an elegant result with an advanced refresh rate and 360 Hz touch sampling.
With this setup, you will have a smooth overall experience. On the other hand, you can choose 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR RAM with 128GB or 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage on an iQOO 8 smartphone. Still, the iQOO 8 Pro smartphone has the same RAM specs but with 256 or 512 storage support. However, it did not support secondary storage.
Camera
The camera feature is fabulous on both devices, but the question remains: doesn’t it fit the flagship range quality? The iQOO 8 didn’t have this unique feature, other than the 50 MP main camera, 13MP Ultrawide, and 13MP telephoto lens. Still, the phone tries its best to render high-quality results. The Pro variant features a 50MP main camera configuration with 48MP ultrawide and 16MP telephoto.
In terms of video recording, 4k videos are the limit for the iQOO 8. However, the Vivo iQOO 8 Pro offers 8K video recording where the basic variant is lacking. You’re getting gimbal stabilization along with a 50MP lens that will create stunning, ultra-stable 8k video. Plus you’ll also get tons of other features.
In terms of depth perception, both models can be considered the best as edge detection is improved compared to last year’s model. On both the iQOO 8 and 8 Pro smartphones secondary camera units, you’ll notice a 16MP lens that provides crisp detail in every shot. You can record 1080p resolution videos without gyro-EIS support.
Battery and Others
The battery department is one of the most important things when your device has several powerful hardware units under its hood. For starters, the iQOO 8 phone features a 4350 mAh battery that powers a 120W fast charger. It only takes 20 minutes to charge your phone 100%. On the other hand, the iQOO 8 Pro offers a 4500 mAh battery with the same charging speed.
But it also supports 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging. Also, there is no room for the 3.5mm connector because the devices need to retain their main figure but provide dual speakers. Finally, the price of the iQOO 8 starts at $590 (Rs 43,000), while the iQOO 8 Pro variant comes at $750 (Rs 55,000) approx.
Vivo iQOO 8 and 8 Pro Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Vivo iQOO 8 and 8 Pro smartphones.
| Specifications | Vivo iQOO 8 Pro | Vivo iQOO 8 |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G | Same |
| Announced | August 2021 | Same |
| SIM | Dual SIM | Same |
| Dimensions | 6.50 x 2.96 x 0.36 inches | 6.26 x 2.96 x 0.34 inches |
| Weight | 205 g | 200g |
| Size | 6.78 inches | 6.56 inches |
| Display | LTPO AMOLED 120Hz HDR10+ Dolby Vision 1500 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~518 PPI density | AMOLED 120Hz HDR10 ~398 PPI density |
| Protection | No | Same |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3200 pixels | 1080 x 2376 pixels |
| OS | Android 11, OriginOS | Same |
| Chipset | 5nm – Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888+ 5G | 5nm – Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G |
| CPU | Octa-core 1×2.99 GHz Kryo 680 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680 | Octa-core 1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680 |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Same |
| Card slot | No | Same |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB | Same |
| Internal | 256GB, 512GB UFS 3.1 | 128GB, 256GB UFS 3.1 |
| Camera | 50 MP (wide), PDAF, gimbal stabilization 16 MP (telephoto), OIS 48 MP (114˚ultrawide), AF Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama, gimbal stabilization Max – 8K@30fps | 50 MP (wide), PDAF 13 MP (telephoto) 13 MP (120˚ultrawide) Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama Max – 4K@30fps |
| Selfie | 16 MP (wide) HDR Max – 1080p@30fps | Same |
| Loudspeaker | Yes dual speakers | Same |
| 3.5mm jack | No 24-bit/192kHz audio | Same |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Same |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | Yes, with A-GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Same |
| Infrared port | No | Same |
| Radio | No | Same |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 | Same |
| Sensors | Under-display fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Same |
| Battery | Li-Po 4500 mAh Fast charging 120W Fast wireless charging 50W 10W reverse wireless charging | Li-Po 4350 mAh Fast charging 120W |
| Colors | White, Black | White, Orange, Black |
| Expected Price | $750 (Rs 55,000) approx. | $590 (Rs 43,000) approx. |
Vivo iQOO 8 and 8 Pro Pros and Cons
Down below you can see the list of pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of the Vivo iQOO 8 and 8 Pro smartphones.
Pros
- 50W wireless and 10W reverse wireless charging for iQOO 8 Pro.
- Beautiful design layout pattern.
- Decent battery life.
- Gimbal stabilization lens for Pro variant.
- Robust performance experience.
- 8K and 4K video recording options.
- Support for 5G connectivity.
- An impressive layer of OriginOS customization.
- Excellent colors and contrast on the screen.
- 120 Hz refresh rate display with 360 Hz touch sampling.
- 120W fast charging speed.
- NFC enabled and decent sound output.
- Handel high-end games.
Cons
- No sign of Corning gorilla glass protection.
- Few system bloatware may appear.
- No gyro-EIS support in iQOO 8.
- Missing secondary storage unit.
- Without dust/water resistance.
- No wireless charging support in iQOO 8.
Conclusion
Vivo iQOO 8 and iQOO 8 Pro smartphones follow their legacy and bring interesting features to their users. They have one of the best camera technologies on the market today, which will increase the number of photos and videos in multiple folds. At the same time, the screen, battery, and UI sections are noteworthy as they also have excellent features.
Overall, if you’re looking for a low-end flagship phone, the iQOO 8 is a good choice as it has the beauty of camera technology and has the power of a gaming phone. But if you want to make it all out, the iQOO 8 Pro is the best overall recommendation in the mainline; whether it’s about gaming performance or photography, you won’t disappoint. If you are looking for an alternative and want a little wilder go for the OnePlus 9 Pro which can give this phone fierce competition.
