iQOO Neo12 Gets an Oct. 28 Launch Date, a Built-In Cooling Fan and a 9,000mAh Battery

Vivo's gaming sub-brand showed the phone in three colors and confirmed it goes on sale in China the moment it is announced.

DONGGUAN, China - iQOO will launch the Neo12 in China on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. local time, and the phone goes on sale as soon as the event ends. The vivo sub-brand confirmed the date on Monday, opened reservations across its sales channels and revealed the design, including a square camera module with an active cooling fan built into its lower-right corner.

iQOO’s launch poster for the Neo12, dated Oct. 28 at 19:00 Image: iQOO

The Neo12 comes in three finishes: Fierce Edge, a white version with a textured rear panel; Shadow Black; and Frost Blade Blue. All three use a polished metal frame, GSMArena reported. The fan is part of what iQOO calls its Ice Dome air-cooling system, a break from the passive cooling earlier Neo models used.

Frost Blade Blue Image: iQOO

Inside is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 paired with iQOO’s own Q3 gaming chip. The company says more than 50 games already run natively at 185 frames per second, and that the phone can run 2K upscaling and frame interpolation to 185 fps at the same time. The battery is rated at 9,000mAh with 100W wired charging, and the touch layer samples at up to 5,000Hz, matching the iQOO 16.

The Neo12’s polished metal frame Image: iQOO

The display is a 2K OLED panel that refreshes at up to 185Hz. iQOO says a new light-emitting material and pTSF technology extend screen lifespan by 50 percent over the previous Neo and cut power draw by 6.5 percent, with full-screen peak brightness of 2,200 nits, according to AnTuTu’s summary of the announcement.

The square camera module, with the cooling fan grille in its lower-right corner Image: iQOO

Fans are becoming a fixture of China’s gaming-phone season. Honor’s Win2, due on Oct. 21, also packs an active cooling fan and a 10,100mAh battery, GSMArena reported. iQOO has not announced Neo12 pricing or any release outside China. Its flagship iQOO 16 went on sale in China on Sept. 29 at 5,999 yuan.

Sources: GSMArena, Siddharth, “iQOO Neo12 set to launch on October 28, design and color options revealed,” Oct. 19, 2026, https://www.gsmarena.com/iqoo_neo12_will_launch_on_october_28_design_and_color_options_revealed-news-75103.php; AnTuTu, “iQOO Neo12官宣：10月28日发布即开售,” Oct. 19, 2026, https://www.antutu.com/doc/138015; vivo community, iQOO official, “iQOO Neo12全渠道预约开启,” Oct. 19, 2026, https://bbs.vivo.com.cn/newbbs/thread/39881879; GSMArena, “OnePlus 16 is official with 9,000mAh battery, Week 42 in review,” Oct. 18, 2026, https://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_16_is_official_with_9000mah_battery_week_42_in_review-news-75092.php; 91mobiles on X, Oct. 13, 2026, https://x.com/91mobiles/status/2109868054977163305.

Kenji Watanabe, Asia desk. Kenji Watanabe is a senior correspondent covering Asia tech, handsets, and platform software. Previously reported from Tokyo and Shenzhen for regional outlets; based in Tokyo.