It’s evident that this year’s sub-brand flagship phones are all remarkably well-equipped. They boast large batteries， flagship processors， and camera systems mirroring their main brand counterparts， making them exceptionally compelling purchases. Among these， the iQOO 15 stands out as particularly noteworthy.
For those who follow our video content， you might recall our “One Year In” review of the iQOO 12 Pro from June. At that time， we posited that as brands increasingly focused resources on their main lines， the iQOO 12 Pro might be the last of its kind – a sub-brand flagship with Pro-level capabilities.
However， with the iQOO 15 generation， my perspective needs a slight adjustment. While the “Pro” designation might be absent， its spirit has clearly been infused into this standard model.
After extensive hands-on experience， I can confidently say that despite its “standard” naming， the iQOO 15’s performance， display， imaging， and overall specifications are on par with what we’d expect from a previous Pro-level device. It represents a comprehensive upgrade in a standard package. Let’s delve into how it achieves this.
We’ll start， as usual， with the design. The rear of the iQOO 15 retains its familiar， gamer-centric aesthetic.
The speed-inspired stripe design and the ring-shaped “energy halo” light strip below the camera module are designed to be eye-catching， even offering a “running light” effect during critical in-game moments like casting a spell or securing a kill.
Some might question the utility of a rear light strip， but it’s a clear statement to showcase its gaming prowess and add a touch of flair. Beyond these gamer-focused touches， the standout feature of the iQOO 15’s design is its front-facing 6.85-inch 2K resolution flat display.
iQOO collaborated with Samsung to develop this screen， which debut’s the latest M14 luminous material. Notably， the polarizing layer found in typical OLED screens has been removed， enhancing light efficiency and display quality. It’s anticipated that next year’s Samsung flagship， the Galaxy S26 Ultra， will feature the same luminous material， underscoring the significance of this “first.”
Our real-world tests confirm the “first-release” value. The iQOO 15’s screen achieves a manual peak brightness of an impressive 1200 nits， with a full-screen peak brightness of 2800 nits and a local peak brightness reaching 6010 nits. This performance even exceeds their own stated specifications， effectively placing it in a league of its own when it comes to brightness.
Beyond peak brightness， a critical aspect many flagship phones are focusing on this year is low-brightness screen performance. The iQOO 15 excels here， offering a minimum display brightness of 1 nit. Importantly， when scrolling at low brightness， there’s no noticeable ghosting， significantly reducing eye strain when using the phone at night.
Compared to the iPhone 17 (right) when scrolling at low brightness:
A particularly impressive feature is the inclusion of three ambient light sensors within the phone’s compact chassis. This addresses a common complaint about Android phones: slow or inaccurate brightness adjustments.
Consider this: in bright outdoor conditions or when suddenly entering a dimly lit room， a slow brightness response can lead to a worse user experience， even with superior specs. The iQOO 15 mitigates this by placing sensors on the front， back， and crucially， on the phone’s side frame. This ensures accurate ambient light detection regardless of how you hold the device， allowing for precise automatic brightness adjustments when moving between environments， such as walking from indoors to a sunlit window.
Actual shot comparison with iPhone 17 (right):
Furthermore， the iQOO 15 comes factory-equipped with an AR anti-reflective protective film， delivering a “low-reflection” experience similar to the iPhone 17 series displays.
Additionally， in its default mode， the iQOO 15 utilizes a DC dimming strategy at high brightness. At low brightness， it switches to a high-frequency 2160Hz PWM dimming， further enhancing eye protection.
Given these impressive display features， I highly recommend experiencing the iQOO 15’s screen in person. If display quality and eye care are your priorities， the iQOO 15’s screen is likely a monumental upgrade over your current device.
Now， for the performance specifications that gamers will undoubtedly be eager to know. I can confidently say that iQOO 15 delivers an abundance of power. Rather than listing raw specs， let’s look at the results.
The iQOO 15 is among the first to feature Qualcomm’s flagship processor， the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. In our tests with high graphics and 60fps settings across several demanding mobile games， the iQOO 15 consistently performed at the top of its class， according to PerfDog data. Coupled with a generously sized VC vapor chamber， its thermal management and frame rate stability are virtually unmatched.
Adding to its robust feature set， the iQOO 15 incorporates Vivo’s renowned 7000mAh “Blue Sea” battery and 100W ultra-fast flash charging. In our three-hour endurance test under heavy usage， the phone retained an impressive 79% battery， easily capable of lasting a full day.
When it comes to charging， the iQOO 15 also supports 40W wireless charging.
Furthermore， the “direct power supply” feature， which was highly praised in the iQOO 13， has been expanded to all scenarios. This technology bypasses the battery to power the motherboard directly while playing and charging， significantly reducing heat generation and prolonging battery lifespan.
In essence， for gamers， the iQOO 15 has every feature they could desire.
Thanks to its hardware and display capabilities， the iQOO 15 elevates the gaming visual experience through three key advancements: ray tracing， super-resolution， and ultra-high frame rates.
How is this achieved?
Firstly， ray tracing is powered by iQOO’s proprietary gaming chip， the Q3. This dedicated chip utilizes specialized ray tracing algorithms and hardware accelerators/denoisers to implement global illumination and realistic high-light reflections.
Source: GeekBay， self-developed gaming chip Q3， TSMC 12nm process.
iQOO is the first manufacturer in the Android ecosystem to develop ray tracing technology for smartphones， effectively bringing PC-level ray tracing to mobile gaming. Initially， I harbored some skepticism about “mobile ray tracing，” considering the small screen size and the known performance demands of ray tracing on PCs.
However， upon enabling the Q3 gaming chip’s ray tracing option in a demanding open-world mobile game， I observed a tangible improvement in the overall light and shadow layering. Reflections on surfaces， the spread of light from sources， and the definition of shadows were all noticeably enhanced.
[Ray Tracing OFF]
[Ray Tracing ON]
We inquired with iQOO about this technology. Their ray tracing implementation doesn’t simply use AI to overlay lighting effects on existing rasterized graphics. Instead， it accesses underlying rendering engine data， such as color， depth， and normal maps， to compute a true ray-traced layer. This physically-based rendering results in more natural and realistic lighting.
Source: GeekBay， self-developed gaming chip Q3， with dedicated circuitry for ray tracing calculations.
Moreover， testing revealed that enabling ray tracing on the iQOO 15 only increased power consumption by approximately 1W compared to normal rendering. This minimal impact is negligible for players.
With the Q3 gaming chip’s assistance， the iQOO 15 can also upscale games like Genshin Impact from their native 864P resolution to 2K， utilizing iQOO’s QNSS Super Rendering Engine. Enabling the “Extreme Resolution” option in settings visibly sharpens texture details.
[Extreme Resolution: OFF]
[Extreme Resolution: ON]
In addition to visual upscaling， the iQOO 15 supports frame interpolation up to 144fps.
To clarify: the Q3 chip， as a dedicated gaming processor， handles complex physical calculations like light reflection and refraction directly， enabling true ray tracing effects in mobile games for the first time. iQOO’s established super-resolution and frame interpolation technologies have also been upgraded on the iQOO 15， now supporting 2K resolution upscaling and 144fps frame interpolation for a wider range of games with enhanced visual quality.
iQOO’s dedication to optimizing the gaming display experience is significant. For consumers， it means enjoying PC-level graphics on their phones. For the industry， it represents a push towards wider adoption of mobile ray tracing through the development of self-made gaming chips.
The iQOO 15 also features symmetrical 1511 speakers for immersive surround sound and a dual-axis vibration motor (capable of X and Z-axis movement) instead of the common single-axis (X-axis) linear motor. This allows for more nuanced haptic feedback tailored to in-game actions， such as different vibrations when performing skills in various directions.
While the gaming features are extensive， it’s crucial not to pigeonhole the iQOO 15 as solely a performance device. As previously stated， it’s a well-rounded flagship. The imaging system also boasts notable improvements.
The much-requested periscope telephoto lens has made a comeback.
From a user-value perspective， this addition is significant. For instance， a user might have held onto the iQOO 12 Pro specifically for its 3x periscope telephoto lens， which they find essential for capturing text and scenery in their daily work. To balance its gaming focus with ergonomic grip， the iQOO 15 employs an inverted periscope telephoto design， which helps manage protrusion and reduce overall lens thickness.
The main camera and ultra-wide sensors are consistent with the previous generation. Let’s examine some sample photos.
One pleasant surprise is that the iQOO 15 has adopted many of Vivo’s advanced algorithms and filters. Upon opening the camera interface， I did a double-take， wondering if it was indeed an iQOO device， given its close resemblance to Vivo’s photographic prowess.
For gamers， the iQOO 15 also includes fun creative shooting modes， such as the “Dimensional Card” mode for Honor of Kings.
Beyond these features， the iQOO 15 also boasts IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance， ultrasonic 3D fingerprint unlocking， and dual-frequency GPS. In its price segment， the iQOO 15 offers a remarkably comprehensive hardware configuration.
In conclusion， on the surface， the iQOO 15 appears to be a performance-oriented device that excels in peripheral gaming experiences.
However， the inclusion of features like the periscope telephoto lens， wireless charging， and enhanced gaming peripherals transforms the iQOO 15 into a device that， despite its standard designation， rivals previous Pro-level offerings.
Historically， iQOO has been perceived primarily as a performance brand. However， recent generations of iQOO’s numbered series demonstrate a shift. They are not only strengthening their core competency in performance but also actively addressing and improving upon their weaker areas.
The perception of iQOO flagships is evolving from purely performance-focused to that of well-rounded， “all-around” flagships.
