iQOO has always positioned itself as the brand for people who care about powerful performance. While other flagship makers lean into photography, design minimalism, or ecosystem perks, iQOO’s premium devices have one clear goal: run fast. Even the brand name, I Quest On and On, showcases this performance-driven philosophy. So when the iQOO 15 hit the market, expectations were clear about it being one of the fastest phones you can buy.
Over the past generation, the company has meaningfully improved cameras, battery endurance, and software polish. That shift already separates it from brands that treat annual flagships as minor refreshes. I did question whether gaming phones still matter in 2026, but the iQOO 15 isn’t just for gamers anymore.
Refined, Sober, & Yet Distinct
At first glance, the iQOO 15 looks familiar. The design language carries forward from its predecessor, but the execution is sharper. The subtle curved back is gone, replaced by a flat glass panel paired with flat metallic sides and a flat display. The only remaining curves sit in the corners, giving the silhouette an iPhone 17 Pro Max.
But this isn’t a cheap imitation; it is refinement. You get IP68 + IP69 certification for protection against the elements, and a Schott Diamond Shield panel on the front for scratch resistance. iQOO even includes a pre-applied anti-reflective screen protector. Another bonus is the third-generation ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which can even work with the thicker tempered glass.
Then there’s the fun part. If you miss the LED notification lighting, the iQOO 15’s Halo light ring around the camera module brings it back. It is larger than the old implementation and far more customisable. It reacts to notifications, NFC transfers, charging states, and much more. You can tweak colours and patterns, and even leave it on permanently (though your battery won’t love that).
That said, not everyone will love the aesthetics. The black variant uses a fibreglass rear, while the white “Alpha” option keeps things clean — until the “Monster Inside” branding and checkered flag detailing give away its gaming DNA. Some might find that tacky at this price. And at 220 grams, it’s not light. Extended gaming or long video sessions can make the weight noticeable.
Big, Bright, and Sharp
In this price segment, you’ll find base models like the Galaxy S26 or iPhone 17. But when it comes to display hardware, the iQOO 15 doesn’t just compete, it dominates. While it might seem unfair to compare compact flagships with such a tall phone, the hardware on offer is simply superior.
You get a big 6.85-inch Samsung M14 8T LTPO AMOLED display with a 2K+ resolution, a 144Hz variable refresh rate, and a 20:9 aspect ratio. Colours are vivid, punchy, and customisable. HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support ensure proper streaming compatibility, and certifications for YouTube and Netflix are present. Peak brightness hits 6,000 nits, but the more meaningful number is the 2,600 nits in High Brightness Mode, which makes outdoor visibility excellent even under harsh sunlight.
You also get 2160Hz PWM dimming and DC dimming for eye comfort in low light. Bezels are slim, and the viewing experience for games and movies is top-notch. It is worth noting that the iQOO 15 defaults at a 1-120Hz refresh rate, only hitting 144Hz in select games like COD: Mobile.
Making Mobile Gaming Fun Again
I’ve been a hardcore PC gamer for two decades now, and while I see the appeal of mobile games, playing on my phone never seemed like an immersive experience. So, getting into the iQOO 15 review, I tried to go all in. Slapping on a smartphone controller, I expected to get a decent experience, but was genuinely surprised by the amount of fun I had. This isn’t only because of the cutting-edge hardware.
Speaking of which, the iQOO 15 is equipped with Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, and the unit I received had 16GB LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage. All of this confirms a smooth, high-fidelity gaming experience and enough performance to meet any of your daily demands and multitasking needs. Before we get into the gaming bit, here are the synthetic benchmarks:
- AnTuTu – 3,891,344
- AnTuTu (CPU) – 1,123,996
- AnTuTu (GPU) – 1,464,157
- Geekbench: 3,527 (single) / 10,391 (multi)
COD Mobile and BGMI run effortlessly at triple-digit frame rates. Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact are where things get serious. Genshin even supports ray tracing, and iQOO’s Super FPS feature pushes frame rates up to 120fps, well beyond the usual 60fps cap. So you can see a noticeable bump in gameplay.
Cooling is handled by India’s largest 8K VC system, and thermals are generally well managed. Only extended sessions with ray tracing enabled make the phone noticeably warm. Dual-axis vibration motors add strong and immersive haptics, which is another aspect that enhances the gaming experience. For the first time in a while, I found myself enjoying gaming on a phone without feeling like I was settling.
Pair this with a huge 7,000mAh battery, and you get an uninterrupted gaming session for hours. But when it’s not running any games, the iQOO 15 offers an impressive battery life of around 1.5 days. It had a solid battery backup and a screen-on time of around 9 hours with mixed use.
This includes gaming, streaming high-resolution content, scrolling social media, and using the cameras. The only small drawback of such a large battery is the hour-long charging downtime. Although the 100W wired charging support does offer quicker top-ups, if you’re not looking to run the battery dry and hit 100%. The 40W wireless charging support is another bonus.
Cameras Showcase Maturity
When talking about performance-centric smartphones, photography is usually seen as a common weak point. These devices were built to go fast, not ‘capture the moment’. Except, iQOO shows a surprising amount of maturity with its cameras. It makes meaningful upgrades in the hardware and software, which shows in the pictures you take.
Camera setup:
- 50MP 1/1.56″ Sony IMX921 main sensor (f/1.8 aperture, OIS, PDAF)
- 50MP 1/2.76” ultra wide angle lens (f/2.0)
- 50MP 1/1.95” Sony IMX882 periscope telephoto shooter (f/2.65, 3x optical zoom, OIS)
- 32MP 1/3.1” selfie camera (f/2.2)
Despite lacking Vivo and Zeiss’ special tuning, iQOO 15’s main camera produces some really pleasing shots in good lighting. The main camera performs impressively. Daylight shots are sharp, detailed, and well-exposed. Colours lean punchy and occasionally oversaturated, but most images look instantly social-media ready.
While performance in the evening is respectable, noise creeps in under very dim lighting, and fine detail can soften, but sharpening isn’t overly aggressive. The biggest improvement is the 3x periscope telephoto. This is the same sensor you find on the Oppo Find X9. So you get that natural compression with good clarity on Zoom photography. Details are solid till the offers 6x lossless zoom, but anything above 10x introduces that aggressive sharpening. I’d suggest avoiding anything past that as well.
The Portrait mode is slightly frustrating, as just like the Motorola Signature, iQOO doesn’t allow you to take portrait shots from the telephoto’s native focal length (around 73mm). Rather, you’re stuck with 85mm (3.7x?), which adds digital cropping into the sensor. This is alright in most cases, but details do take a hit in the evening and under artificial lighting.
The ultra-wide remains average. It’s fine in good lighting but struggles at night, with soft edges and visible noise. The lack of autofocus is noticeable. Selfies and video calls are handled by a tiny camera on the front, which is competent in daylight. Colours aren’t as vibrant with the rear cameras, and skin tones do get slightly lighter. All-in-all, it is just a decent front-facing shooter that gets the job done.
Every camera gets support for 4K video recording at 60fps, and the primary sensor tops out at 8K30fps. Videos have good stabilisation and no apparent stutters when panning. But shooting in the dark isn’t great on any sensor. Overall, the iQOO 15 has definitely shown some much-needed improvements in the camera department. iQOO offers a reliable and capable camera system. Considering how photography was never a main focus here, I can appreciate how well-balanced the iQOO 15 feels in use cases outside of its expertise.
OriginOS Makes a Big Difference
Apart from just the hardware upgrades, iQOO has also worked on improving the software experience. This isn’t just an Android 16 update, but an overhaul to the entire system thanks to the shift from FuntouchOS to OriginOS 5. It is the same custom skin running on the flagship Vivo X300 Pro model.
What this means is you get a more modern look, in line with other custom skins. Animations are smoother, visuals are modern, and the UI feels closer to Vivo’s flagship experience. Customisation is extensive, from AOD tweaks to icon shapes and fingerprint animations.
Yes, there’s pre-installed bloatware, but most of it can be removed. There is no multipurpose shortcut button here, and looking at the limited implementation on some models, I don’t really mind its absence. The brand has added a bunch of gaming features and functions.
This lets you add game light effects on the back, turn on ray tracing in supported games, bump up resolution to enjoy QHD gaming, customise the vibrations, and even add sound effects. Similar to most other Android brands, AI is a big part of the feature-set, offering tools to edit images, write text, AI translation, and much more. So the software experience finally matches the flagship hardware.
Verdict
The iQOO 15 proves that gaming phones are still relevant — just not in the way they used to be. This isn’t This isn’t a flashy RGB-heavy niche device anymore. It is a balanced flagship that happens to be absurdly powerful. The display is top-tier, performance is class-leading, and the camera systems, while not the best, show genuine maturity. Add OriginOS 5 into the mix, and the overall experience feels far more refined than older iQOO flagship generations.
Yes, it is heavy, and the camera system leaves more to be desired. The gaming aesthetics may not appeal to everyone. But if you want a device that delivers uncompromised performance, offers one of the best displays in the segment, and still has a unique design flair with the LED strip, the iQOO 15 is a performance-focused flagship that can meet your regular balanced needs. Starting for Rs 72,999, it competes with the likes of a proper premium phone like the Oppo Find X9. While it may have started as a gaming phone, it now feels more rounded as a flagship device that just happens to love gaming.
Pros
- Best-in-class Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performance
- Improved main and telephoto cameras
- Excellent gaming optimisation and cooling
- The Halo lighting systemOriginOS 5 feels refined
Cons
- Heavy at 220g
- Portrait mode is inconsistent
- Gaming aesthetics may not appeal to everyone
- Pre-installed apps out of the box
