Introducing the ikoo9: A Gaming Phone like no other
Are you a hardcore gamer looking for a phone that meets all your gaming needs? Then the ikoo9 might just be the phone you’re looking for. Unlike its siblings, the ikoo9 Pro and the ikoo9 SE, this phone has a more specific niche – gaming. So how does it compare to other models? And is it worth getting this over your typical dedicated gaming phone? Let’s find out in our full review.
Design
The ikoo9 doesn’t bring a flashy gamer style aesthetic, but it isn’t too bland thanks to aiku’s racing sub-theme. We have the dark cruise finish, which has a carbon-like texture. Despite its appearance, the back is made of glass, which tapers into the flat narrow aluminum frame. The orange power button is a neat touch, and the matte finish does an excellent job of masking fingerprints. Like the other iku9 phones, there’s ip52-rated protection against dust and light splashes.
Display
The ikoo9’s display is a 6.56-inch AMOLED with a 1080p resolution, panda glass protection, and a fast 120Hz refresh rate. It’s a little smaller than the iq9se’s panel, but this one has a 10-bit color and a very unique feature tailored towards gaming. It’s called Monster Touch, and it means that this panel has extra touch-based functionality on top of what you’d get on a typical smartphone.
Performance
Each phone in the iq9 lineup packs a different flagship-grade chipset, and the vanilla iq9’s is a Snapdragon 888 Plus. It’s a small upgrade over the regular Snapdragon 888 in the SE model but falls a bit short of the Pro’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Still, the iq9 is able to deliver some impressive scores in benchmark tests, and the performance is among the best out there, both CPU and GPU wise. Everyday tasks and heavy games run great.
Battery Life
The iq9 has a smaller battery capacity than the SE version at 4,350 milliamp-hours, but still, battery life is great – better than either the SE or the Pro – with an overall endurance rating of 105 hours in our tests. The ikoo9 gets a big 120-watt charger in the box, an upgrade over the SE model’s 66 watts. With it, we were able to charge the phone from zero to 100% in just 16 minutes. This sort of speed is great for topping up between gaming sessions.
Camera
The ikoo9 is not just about gaming; it has a pretty capable camera setup too. There’s a 48-megapixel main cam with Gimbal OIS, a 13-megapixel telephoto cam with two times zoom, and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide cam with autofocus. The main camera’s 12-megapixel photos are great with enough detail, high contrast, lively colors, and balanced dynamic range. Two-time zoom photos have a balanced look with likable colors and excellent contrast. The detail level is just average but better than what you’d get from a digital zoom. You can take portraits from both cameras, and those from the zoom lens have less than ideal subject separation, but other than that, these are nice in quality.
FAQs
Q: Does the ikoo9 have a good battery life?
A: Yes, with an overall endurance rating of 105 hours in our tests, battery life is great.
Q: Can you customize the ultra game mode menu?
A: Yes, you can customize the ultra game mode menu to your preference.
Q: Is the ikoo9’s display good for gaming?
A: Yes, the ikoo9 has a 6.56-inch AMOLED with a 1080p resolution, panda glass protection, and a fast 120Hz refresh rate. It’s perfect for gaming.
Q: Does the ikoo9 have a good camera setup?
A: Yes, the ikoo9 has a 48-megapixel main cam with Gimbal OIS, a 13-megapixel telephoto cam with two times zoom, and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide cam with autofocus.
Q: Is the ikoo9 worth buying for gaming?
A: If you’re a hardcore gamer looking for a phone that meets all your gaming needs, then the ikoo9 is definitely worth buying.