iQOO has launched its latest mid-range smartphone, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro, which is expected to go big in the sub-40K mid-range segment. This is a performance-centric phone powered by last year’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, paired with Q1 Computing Chip for an enhanced gaming experience. And it’s drawing a lot of heat.
We are not questioning the thermals or even discussing the phone but are talking about an X (formerly Twitter) spat between iQOO’s CEO Nipun Marya and Nothing’s Co-Founder, Carl Pei.
Tipster Mukul Sharma posted a promotional poster of the iQOO Neo 9 Pro on X. The poster highlights that the iQOO Neo 9 Pro is the “Most Powerful Smartphone” but the disclaimer is written in a small font. The full quote is “Most Powerful Smartphone amongst smartphones launched till February 2024 under 35k,” as mentioned in Digit’s full review of the iQOO Neo 9 Pro.
What started the whole X drama was when Carl Pei commented “c r i n g e” to the original tweet. After a few hours, Nipun Marya fired back with a sarcastic reply to Carl Pei — who has changed his username to ‘Carl Bhai’ as a promotional campaign for the upcoming Nothing Phone 2A — “Bhai, something is better than Nothing.”
The story doesn’t end here. Soon after the official iQOO Neo 9 Pro launch, Carl Pei posted on X that if someone buys a non-flagship mid-tier smartphone, the bloatware that comes with it is so annoying. Pei didn’t mention anyone in the post but the post seems to allude to the iQOO Neo 9 Pro.
Not just that, Twitterati also joined this spat and made it even more exciting. Here are some of the popular responses:
Now, this doesn’t seem like a random social media exchange between two heads of smartphone companies. Rather, it seems like a well-timed spat. iQOO has gone all out currently trying to promote its new smartphone, the iQOO Neo 9 Pro, after its recent launch in the country. On the other hand, Nothing is also gearing up for the launch of its upcoming smartphone the Nothing (2a). Co-founder Carl Pei even changed his X username to Carl “Bhai” to connect and woo the Indian audience. However, commenting on iQOO Neo 9 Pro’s post has backfired on him. Feels like we will see more of Bhaigiri in the days building up to the Nothing (2a) launch. Users are really liking Nipun Marya’s reply to Pei, as you can see in the embedded tweets above.
This conveniently timed spat therefore seems more of a call for attention. As they say “all publicity is good publicity.” Will you call this a marketing stunt? Let me know your thoughts.
