iQOO Neo 11 Ultra Builds 2K Gaming on a Cut GPU

iQOO put a Dimensity 9500M, a 9,100mAh cell, and a 2K 144Hz panel in the Neo 11 Ultra, then sold the 12GB model from 3,399 yuan in China. The chip is a Dimensity 9500 with one GPU core removed, and the 2K gaming mode leans on iQOO’s Q2 upscaler rather than a full 12-core Mali block.

That is the trade that keeps a fan out of a sub-9mm body. The phone went on sale August 18, 2026, as a China-only OriginOS 6 device, model V2573A, with no wireless charging and the same dual rear cameras as last year’s Neo 11.

The Dimensity 9500M Drops One GPU Core

iQOO and MediaTek jointly tuned the 9500M for this chassis, then wrote iQOO’s Monster scheduling engine into the chip. The CPU layout matches the full Dimensity 9500: one C1-Ultra core at 4.21GHz, three C1-Premium cores at 3.5GHz, and four C1-Pro cores at 2.7GHz, on TSMC’s 3nm node.

The graphics block does not. NanoReview lists an 11-core Mali-G1 Ultra running at 1,716MHz, with 1,408 shaders and 4,832.2 GFLOPS. The standard Dimensity 9500 uses a 12-core Mali-G1 Ultra with 1,536 shaders and 5,271.5 GFLOPS, so the M SKU is literally one core short.

iQOO still quotes a 32% single-core lift and a 37% multi-core efficiency gain on this platform, and it pairs the chip with LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, in 12GB or 16GB and 256GB or 512GB. NanoReview’s AnTuTu 11 run on this phone is 3,579,952, with Geekbench 6 at 3,633 single-core and 11,035 multi-core. The 9500M is the first chip in this phone, not a lesser CPU; the cut is on the GPU side, where heat and 2K fill rate actually live.

Q2 Upscales Games to 2K and 144fps

The 6.83-inch panel is 3,200 x 1,440 at 144Hz, so a native 2K game is a brutal fill-rate job for an 11-core GPU sitting next to a 9,100mAh cell. iQOO’s answer is the same Q2 gaming chip it already used on the Snapdragon Neo 11, now tasked with super-resolution and extra frames at once.

On the product page, Q2 is sold as 2K plus 144fps running together, “original-quality” 2K texture upscaling, and “native-level” 144fps frame generation. That is how a cut GPU still puts 2K on a 144Hz sheet. Honor of Kings is listed at 144fps with extreme quality, Delta Force in a native 144 high-frame mode, CrossFire at 2K plus 144 concurrent upscaling, and Dark Zone at 120fps ray tracing across the map. The phone also passed KPL match-handset testing.

Q2 GAME MODES

• 2K plus 144fps: Super-resolution and extra frames run at the same time on supported titles.
• 2K textures: Q2 rebuilds scene detail toward the panel’s 3,200 x 1,440 grid.
• 144fps generate: Frame gen is sold as close to native output, not as a sharpness guarantee.
• Open-world hold: vivo’s lab quotes a 60fps average at 26°C in an unnamed open-world title, extreme quality, with bypass charging on.

Touch hardware is built for that overlay. Instant sampling hits 4,000Hz in a match, multi-finger sampling 500Hz, and the gyroscope polls at 400Hz. iQOO says click latency in Delta Force is 26.05ms and swipe latency 30.83ms. The 2K 144Hz price in China is not a promise that the Mali block paints every pixel itself.

A 9,100mAh Cell in a Sub-9mm Shell

The battery is the other half of the GPU cut. Typical capacity is 9,100mAh at 3.74V, or 34.04Wh, using fourth-generation silicon anode chemistry and a second-generation semi-solid stack at 886Wh/L. That is the 9,100mAh endurance pitch in a body that still looks like a regular slab.

vivo’s own sheet puts the black model at 8.60mm in black and 225g with a glass-fiber back. Wind Chaser and white use glass, 8.69mm and 230g. Height is 163.42mm and width 75.88mm, with a horizontal camera bar so a clip-on cooler sits flatter. There is still no fan.

VIVO LAB BATTERY CLAIMS

• MOBA run: vivo quotes 13.7 hours of MOBA on a continuous session.
• Short video: The same lab sheet quotes 23 hours of continuous short video.
• Campus day: A student-use model leaves 56% after 9 hours.
• Cycle life: 1,200 lab cycles, framed as four years, with health at or above 80%.

Charging is 100W wired with bypass (Direct Drive 2.0) switched off by default. The 8K Ice Dome stack uses a 3D vapor chamber, and vivo quotes a 5% gain in heat spreading, a 15°C drop in 10 seconds, and a 2.2°C gap between hot and cold zones. Those figures are lab claims, not a street teardown, but they explain why iQOO would rather lose a GPU core than add a blower.

The panel is an F2 AMOLED, 4500 nits peak, 2000 nits full-screen HBM, 1000 nits as the manual cap in pro mode, 514 ppi, with 2160Hz PWM at low brightness and DC-like dimming when the screen is bright. iQOO says F2 cuts screen power 24% versus the Neo 11. IP68 and IP69 sit on an aluminum frame, with an ultrasonic fingerprint reader, stereo speakers, an IR blaster, NFC, and Wi-Fi 7.

Last Year’s Cameras and USB 2.0 Remain

The rear module is a 50MP Sony LYT700V, 1/1.56-inch, f/1.88, OIS, CIPA 4.5, plus an 8MP ultrawide at f/2.2. The front camera is 16MP at f/2.45. That is the same two-lens idea the Snapdragon Neo 11 shipped in October 2025, and it still records 8K on the back. Zoom is 20x digital. There is no telephoto.

The ports tell the same story. The spec sheet lists USB 2.0 on Type-C, OTG reverse wired charging, and no wireless coil. A 2026 gaming Ultra with USB 2.0 and no Qi pad is the cost of 34.04Wh in 8.60mm. Pre-launch sheets had already flagged the 11-core GPU; the camera pair is the quieter clone.

WHAT THE ULTRA LEFT OUT

• A 12th GPU core: The 9500M’s Mali block is 11 cores, not the 12 on the standard 9500.
• Wireless charging: Wired 100W and reverse wired only; the spec sheet does not list a coil.
• USB 3: Data is USB 2.0, which caps offload speed for 8K clips.
• A third rear camera: No telephoto, same 50MP plus 8MP layout as the regular Neo 11.
• A global radio: Bands are China-centric, and iQOO has not announced another region.

The regular Neo 11, launched October 2025, used Snapdragon 8 Elite, a 7,500mAh cell, and a 6.82-inch 2K 144Hz panel, from 2,599 yuan. The Ultra adds 1,600mAh and a newer MediaTek part, then reuses the camera recipe. On August 18 iQOO also launched the Z11S with a 10,000mAh cell and a Dimensity 7500, from 1,799 yuan, so the giant battery is now a family habit, not an Ultra exclusive.

What the 3,399 Yuan Config Includes

The 12GB + 256GB model is the 3,399 yuan ticket, about $504, and it is the trim most launch posts cited. vivo’s suggested retail on that SKU is 3,699 yuan, 300 yuan above the first-sale tag. China’s national subsidy drops the same phone to 2,899 yuan, 800 yuan under list. Four memory mixes exist, not two.

CHINA PRICE LAYERS

The first-sale window ran August 18 through August 24, 2026. Colors are Wind Chaser, black, and white. Software is OriginOS 6 on Android 16. Campus Wi-Fi is a three-chip setup iQOO rates at 220 meters on an open quad and four interior walls, with a game-network trial for two years after activation. That does not change the hardware bargain: 3,399 yuan buys 2K, 9,100mAh, and an 11-core GPU, not a 12-core 9500 and a wireless pad.

Why Redmi’s Fan Phone Still Matters

Redmi’s answer, on sale since June 30, 2026, is the opposite machine: last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, a physical fan, a 165Hz 1.5K panel, and a lower sticker. The K90 Ultra started at 2,999 yuan for 12GB + 256GB, 400 yuan under the Neo 11 Ultra’s launch 12GB price, and it keeps an 8,550mAh cell, 550mAh smaller, plus 100W wired charging and IP68/IP69.

TWO CHINA GAMING BETS

Redmi rates the fan at 32dB and a 10°C drop in 100 seconds, a different test from vivo’s 15°C in 10 seconds on the vapor chamber. The fan-cooled Redmi K90 Ultra also uses a D2 display chip for upscaling and extra frames, so both phones outsource 2K-or-better pictures to a side chip. iQOO wins the panel and the cell. Redmi wins refresh rate, a blower, and 400 yuan.

OriginOS 7 Already Lists the Extreme Edition

FROM LAUNCH TO THE BETA LIST

1. August 18, 2026: iQOO opens China sales of the Neo 11 Ultra and the Z11S.
2. August 18 to 24, 2026: First-sale pricing holds the 12GB + 256GB model at 3,399 yuan against a 3,699 yuan list.
3. September 7, 2026: OriginOS 7 internal beta sheets name the Neo 11 Extreme Edition beside the X300 series and iQOO 15 line.

A global model is still unannounced. The Extreme Edition is already on an OriginOS 7 beta list, still a China SKU, and the 2K gaming claim still runs through Q2 on an 11-core GPU.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rated capacity of the iQOO Neo 11 Ultra battery?

The rated figure on vivo’s sheet is 8,905mAh at 3.74V, or 33.31Wh, under the 9,100mAh typical rating. Both describe the same single-cell pack; typical is the marketing number, rated is the lower certified value. Theoretical 4G standby is listed at 36.5 days, and 4G VoLTE talk at 33.5 hours, both lab figures.

Does the iQOO Neo 11 Ultra support wireless charging?

No. Charging is 100W wired, with reverse wired OTG, and the published spec list does not include a wireless coil. Bypass Direct Drive 2.0 is present but off until you turn it on, so charge-while-play heat control is a software switch, not a default.

How does Dimensity 9500M differ from Dimensity 9500?

CPU clocks match. The M part’s sustained power limit is listed at 9W, and MediaTek’s NPU 990 is rated at 100 TOPS on this SKU. The graphics cut is the live difference: 11 GPU cores and 4,832.2 GFLOPS against 12 cores and 5,271.5 GFLOPS on the full 9500, at the same 1,716MHz GPU clock.

Which iQOO Neo 11 Ultra color is lightest?

Black is the light trim at 225g and 8.60mm, because it uses a glass-fiber back. Wind Chaser and white use glass, 230g and 8.69mm. All three share the 163.42 x 75.88mm footprint and the horizontal camera bar.