The iQOO 15 feels familiar at first glance, yet noticeably more mature. Here’s our review.
The iQOO 15 price in India begins at Rs. 72,999 for the base variant
With most flagships now offering similar hardware and near-identical benchmarks, the real differences are starting to come from polish, efficiency and long-term usability rather than numbers on the spec sheets. The recently launched iQOO 15 fits into that shift, presenting itself as more than just another performance-focused device. The brand, however, isn't attempting to reinvent the flagship formula but to refine the experience in key areas that matter day-to-day.
The iQOO 15 price in India begins at Rs. 72,999 for the base variant with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. This puts it almost at par with other 2025 flagships, such as the OnePlus 15, the Oppo Find X9, and the Realme GT 8 Pro. The iQOO 15 aims to close the gap with its competitors. The result feels familiar at first glance, yet noticeably more mature. Here's why.
The iQOO 15 builds upon the signature look of its predecessor with a metal middle frame, rounded corners, and a square-shaped floating rear camera deco. Compared to other flagships, it leans toward a more mature design. It features the signature square-shaped, slightly raised camera module with a clean layout, which sits in the top-left corner of the back panel. Fortunately, it doesn't cause the phone to wobble much, even when placed flat on a table.
The camera island on the iQOO 15 does not protrude too much
This year, iQOO has removed the micro-curved glass back, and the handset now features a completely flat surface. It has a silk-like texture that resists fingerprints and feels soft to the touch. The rear panel is slippery, but the glossy frame offers a secure grip. You can get the iQOO 15 with either a glass or fibre-glass back panel, depending on the colour variant.
We received the Legend variant, which is essentially the same white shade as the one we saw on the iQOO 13 in 2024. However, the rear panel now features “Monster Inside” branding and styling elements, instead of the BMW M Motorsport logo from last year. The company has also introduced another shade, which is Alpha (black).
The BMW M Motorsport logo has been replaced by a new branding this year
The most notable aesthetic upgrade this year is the new Energy Halo, which is essentially the RGB light that now subtly surrounds the camera module. It introduces some quirky features. For example, a light effect can be activated when playing music, where the Energy Halo lights up in sync with the sound. Further, it responds to certain in-game scenarios in specific games, including Genshin Impact.
Tipping the scales at 220g, the iQOO 15, by no means, falls into the ultra-light smartphone category. The weight, however, is nicely balanced, giving you confidence to hold it without feeling too heavy. The curved edges do not dig into your palms, and long usage sessions remain comfortable. Overall, the handset feels solid and well-built.
The iQOO 15 comes with an IP68/IP69 rating for dust- and water-resistance, which means you can even spend the day at the pool without too much worry.
For the second year in a row, the display on iQOO's flagship has received a meaningful upgrade. It features a 6.85-inch 2K (1,440 × 3,168 pixels) LTPO AMOLED screen with a 130Hz touch sampling rate, up to a 144Hz refresh rate, and a 508ppi pixel density. It now uses Samsung's new M14 AMOLED panel, the same type we recently saw on the iPhone 17.
The iQOO 15 comes with Samsung's brand new M14 AMOLED panel
But what does this mean for you? It is essentially an even brighter screen (up to 6,000 nits) that delivers vibrant and sharp visuals, making it perfect for binge-watching content. Colours pop off the screen, and the outdoor legibility is excellent. What's also noticeable is the effect of the third ambient light sensor. Unlike most phones, which have two sensors, the iQOO 15 comes with a triple ambient light sensor array. It enables the handset to shorten the adjustment time and quickly adapt to the changing lighting conditions, maintaining adequate brightness levels.
In terms of features, you get 10-bit colour, HDR10 support, and Widevine L1 for HD streaming. The handset also offers several eye-protection features. There are three refresh rate modes on the iQOO 15 – Smart Switch (Auto), Standard (60Hz), and High (144Hz). You can also switch between full-HD and QHD resolution, with the latter resulting in even sharper visuals, at the cost of battery life.
The pre-applied screen protector has anti-reflective properties
The new M14 panel means that the traditional polarising layer has been replaced by a nanolithography filter layer and an integrated anti-reflective coating. While this does translate into higher brightness levels, I noticed the black levels weren't as deep as those of some other flagships. Further, the iQOO 15 has uniform bezels on three sides, but the bottom bezel is considerably thicker. This is slightly disappointing, especially after experiencing minimal borders on the latest OnePlus and Oppo flagships.
The iQOO 15 boasts an excellent 3200Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate, which results in a more responsive and accurate touch experience, especially during fast-paced gaming. It reduces the input lag and delivers better control. You'll find an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on the iQOO 15, placed at a comfortable height from the bottom of the phone. It's accurate and snappy.
The iQOO 15 is the first iQOO device in India to ship with OriginOS, replacing FuntouchOS, and it is a change for the better. The phone runs OriginOS 6 based on Android 16. The refreshed design is noticeable right from the lock screen. There are Dynamic Glow and Translucent Colour elements in the UI, similar to Apple's new Liquid Glass design, that add a premium touch. The notification panel and the quick settings window now have a blurred backdrop, delivering a deeper sense of immersion. They can be operated in either two-split parts or a single, extendable window.
iQOO 15 comes with Android 16-based OriginOS 6
Notifications use a stacked-card layout, and recent apps appear in a 3D layered format. These are small adjustments, but they add to the overall refinement. You'll also find new charging and fingerprint animations, redesigned power menus, rounded windows, soft icons, and an updated iQOO Sans font.
The new OS also offers several AI features for creativity and productivity. New and improved features include AI Retouch, AI Erase, AI Image Expander, AI Photo Enhance, Smart Call Assistant, DocMaster, AI Creation, and AI Search. On top of that, there are upgrades to Gemini and Circle to Search, too. Most of these have now become a staple on flagship smartphones, and they work pretty well.
OriginOS 6 brings plenty of customisation options, new icons, and improved UI effects
The biggest improvement, however, is the reduced bloatware. OriginOS 6 removes many preinstalled apps that were common in FuntouchOS. Block Blast remains, but hopefully a future update removes it as well.
With five years of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates, the software support on the iQOO 15 is excellent.
The iQOO 15 is the second smartphone in India to come with the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, following the launch of the OnePlus 15 earlier this month. The iQOO 15 matches the performance of the latter on all metrics and then takes it a step forward in some scenarios. In day-to-day use, the iQOO 15 runs flawlessly and handles almost anything you throw at it. You get snappy animations, apps load quickly, they stay in memory longer, and it supports multitasking.
iQOO's latest flagship gets Qualcomm's top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip
The chipset is paired with the Q3 supercomputing chip for enhanced gaming. It uses frame interpolation to analyse gameplay and adjust frame rates. In Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), the phone maintained over 145 FPS with 2K upscaling. In Genshin Impact at high graphics and 120FPS mode, it stayed close to 119FPS in most cases. There was, however, one instance where FPS dropped to about 59, but it seemed like an isolated incident.
To handle such a powerful chip, iQOO has provided an 8,000 sq mm VC cooling system, which is claimed to be the largest in the segment. It proves to be useful here and keeps the phone cool in most situations. I noticed heat buildup only after about 35 minutes of Genshin Impact at the aforementioned settings.
The iQOO 15 is able to sustain a high fps count even in demanding games like Genshin Impact
The company's proprietary AI Lab feature adds new gameplay features such as auto-pickup, auto-skip cutscenes, and auto-unlock in Genshin Impact. These proved helpful and allowed more focus on gameplay. While iQOO doesn't brand this as a gaming phone, it feels close to becoming one.
Audio performance is strong, too. The symmetrical dual speakers offer loud output with minimal distortion and good stereo separation. The bass could be deeper, but overall clarity is high.
What's excellent are the haptics, courtesy of the new Warhammer MAX dual-axis linear motor. It has varied levels of strength, enhancing the sense of immersion. The iQOO 15 delivers a superior tactile experience compared to some other flagships, namely the OnePlus 15. That said, its system-wide implementation leaves a bit to be desired. There are several actions where there are no haptics.
For example, the sliders for the flashlight and volume lack haptic feedback, something Apple implements brilliantly on its iPhone.
iQOO has made clear improvements to the camera system on the iQOO 15. The 50-megapixel primary sensor delivers sharp detail, controlled contrast, and accurate exposure even in challenging lighting. Highlights remain intact, while shadow detail remains visible without excessive noise.
Colours are more balanced than before. They remain vibrant but no longer feel artificially boosted.
iQOO 15 daylight and low-light primary camera samples (tap to expand)
The ultra-wide-angle camera also feels like one of the big upgrades this year. Sharpness holds up surprisingly well across the frame, and colours match the main sensor closely, which gives the camera system a more unified feel. Dynamic range is handled confidently, and distortion correction is subtle enough that buildings and straight lines stay clean rather than warped.
In lower light, there is a slight increase in digital noise compared to the primary camera, but it stays manageable and doesn't distract from the overall image.
iQOO 15 daylight and low-light ultra-wide-angle camera samples (tap to expand)
The new 50-megapixel IMX882 periscope telephoto lens performs well once you start zooming. While Zoom can reach 100x, the most reliable range is 20x to 30x. Anything above that noise starts to creep in. In most scenarios, details hold up well, and textures remain clear.
The Portrait mode feels more refined this year. Edge detection is accurate, blur falloff is natural, and details like hair remain sharp. The 85mm and 100mm portrait presets, especially, add a cinematic feel.
iQOO 15 daylight and low-light telephoto camera samples (tap to expand)
I noticed an instance where portrait shots occasionally brightened faces too much in low artificial lighting, creating a beauty-mode-like effect.
Moving on, the 32-megapixel front-facing camera delivers selfies with a good balance of detail and tone. Skin texture remains fairly accurate, with no excessive smoothing, giving selfies a more realistic look.
iQOO 15 daylight and low-light selfie camera samples (tap to expand)
Overall, the iQOO 15 camera setup feels like a meaningful step forward for the brand. It feels more mature, consistent and better calibrated.
Most of the 7,000mAh+ smartphones have returned excellent battery life not only on paper, but in real-world usage, too. We saw that with the OnePlus 15 earlier this month, and it is the same case with the iQOO 15.
Battery life on the iQOO 15 is excellent
It packs a 7,000 mAh battery that lasts almost a day and a half with casual use, slightly lower than its OnePlus rival. It, however, still has excellent endurance, and casual users will not need to search for a charger even at the end of the day. With heavy use, the iQOO 15 still lasted for almost an entire day. In the PC Mark Work 3.0 Battery Life test, the handset achieved a battery life of about 23 hours and 12 minutes.
While the charging speeds on the iQOO 15 aren't as blazingly fast as those on the OnePlus 15, they are still excellent. A 30-minute charge gets it up to about 62 percent, with the provided 100W charger. Meanwhile, a full charge session takes about one hour and one minute. The iQOO 15 now supports 40W wireless charging. But what's disappointing is that the brand does not officially sell a 40W wireless charger in India, which means you'll have to rely on third-party devices.
The iQOO 15 feels like an evolution rather than a redesign. The flatter back, cleaner finish, brighter display and more refined software all contribute to a device that feels more premium and cohesive than last year's model. Performance remains its strongest point, and the battery life holds up well even under heavy use.
There are still a few compromises. The bottom bezel looks a bit outdated, the phone is on the heavier side, and while the camera system is noticeably better this time, low-light portraits can still be inconsistent.
The iQOO 15 will suit users who value performance, display quality and battery reliability above everything else. If a balanced performance is your main priority, the OnePlus 15 (review) remains a better fit, and options like the Oppo Find X9 or Vivo X300 will offer stronger imaging overall.
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