In an era where tech brands are busy bending, folding and slimming down their smartphones—often prioritising form over function—the iQOO 15 arrives as a refreshing exception. With its “monster inside” branding plastered across campaigns (and even etched on one variant), the company promises uncompromised performance powered by the most capable Android chipset available today. After using it as my primary device for two weeks, here’s a closer look at everything the “monster” gets right—and where it holds back—especially at a starting price of ₹72,999.
Design & Build
The iQOO 15 is a confidently understated device that focuses on comfort and durability. Its aluminium frame and satin-finish glass back (Fibre Glass on the Alpha Black variant) offer a premium in-hand feel. The phone is IP68 and IP69 certified, meaning it can handle spills and even high-pressure water jets.
The sizeable camera bump houses the signature “Monster Halo”—an LED ring that lights up for notifications and charging alerts, adding functional flair to a rock-solid design that feels sturdy enough to use without a case.
Performance: Truly Monstrous
At the heart of the iQOO 15 is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, and it delivers exactly what the branding promises. Whether it was multiple high-graphics rounds of Call of Duty Mobile or ray-traced gameplay in Genshin Impact, the phone showed zero stutters or dips.
The dedicated Supercomputing Q3 chip boosts performance when required, while the Q-Chip Zone lets gamers customise resolution and frame rate—even pushing settings to “Extreme”—at the cost of ray tracing. Given this level of control, iQOO 15 stands out as the best Android gaming phone available today.
Thermals are equally impressive with an 8000mm² vapour chamber—the largest in India—keeping the device cool during demanding sessions. On AnTuTu, it pulled in a score of around 3.9 million, validating its top-tier performance claims.
Display: Samsung’s Best on Board
The iQOO 15 features a 6.85-inch 2K Samsung 8T LTPO AMOLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. The Samsung M14 LEAD™ OLED display produces rich, crisp visuals with excellent contrast and punchy colours.
With a peak brightness of 6000 nits and 2600 nits HBM, sunlight visibility is effortless. The display also supports adaptive touch sampling and “wet finger control,” ensuring precise inputs during gaming or daily use.
Battery: A New Benchmark
Equipped with a massive 7000mAh battery, the phone comfortably lasts over a day and a half on mixed usage—including gaming, navigation, social media and calls. Standby performance is exceptional, barely dropping percentage points over several hours.
The 100W wired charger in the box and 40W wireless charging support round out an excellent power package.
Camera: High Quality, Familiar DNA
The 50MP triple-camera setup (main, telephoto periscope and ultra-wide) delivers consistently great images across lighting conditions. Backed by vivo’s imaging DNA—though without ZEISS tuning—the iQOO 15 captures detailed portraits, sharp landscapes and impressive night shots.
The main Sony IMX921 sensor includes OIS, while the 3X telephoto IMX882 periscope adds versatility. Video recording goes up to 8K 30fps on the rear and 4K 60fps on the 32MP selfie camera.
Software & AI
Running Origin OS 6 based on Android 16, the UI feels fluid and polished. AI features such as AI Erase, AI Retouch and AI Reflection Removal complement Google Gemini integrations.
Long-term support is strong—5 years of major OS updates and 7 years of security patches.
What Falls Short?
The only real drawback is the speaker performance. While loud, the audio lacks depth, richness and clarity at higher volumes—an area where rivals deliver better results.
Verdict
The iQOO 15 is a powerhouse flagship built for enthusiasts who want uncompromising performance, top-tier display quality, long battery life and reliable cameras. With few compromises and a user-first approach, it stands tall as one of the most well-rounded Android flagships of the year.
Prices start at ₹72,999 for the 12GB/256GB variant and go up to ₹79,999 for the 16GB/512GB model.
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