Introduction: A Tough Quarter for Tech Enthusiasts

It is no secret that the last quarter of 2025 has been rough for flagship-loving tech enthusiasts in India. Prices are climbing, and the global memory chip crisis is finally catching up with brands. We saw it first with the OnePlus 15, and now the iQOO 15 also arrives with a noticeably higher price tag compared to last year’s iQOO 13.

The good news? Even with the price hike, the iQOO 15 still undercuts several other Android flagships launched this year. The bad news? Expectations are higher than ever at this price point. So the big question is simple:

Does the iQOO 15 offer enough to justify its flagship price in India – especially for power users and gamers?

On paper, the phone looks like a dream for performance enthusiasts: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, a huge 7,000mAh battery, 144Hz LTPO display, upgraded cooling and OriginOS out of the box. I have been using the iQOO 15 as my daily driver for over two weeks, and this is my complete, real-world iQOO 15 review for Indian buyers.

iQOO 15 Price in India & Positioning

The iQOO 15 I tested is priced at ₹72,999 in India. That definitely places it in the premium flagship segment, competing with phones from Samsung, OnePlus and Xiaomi.

Compared to the iQOO 13, the new model is clearly more expensive, but it also packs significant upgrades in display tech, battery capacity, cooling and software experience. Whether that is enough to justify the jump is what we’ll answer by the end of this iQOO 15 review.

👉 You can check the latest iQOO 15 price and offers on Amazon India here.

Design & Build: Familiar Yet More Refined

The design language of the iQOO 15 closely follows the iQOO 13, with flat sides, a boxy look and a slight curvature on the edges of the frame. It feels premium in hand without digging into your palm like some aggressively flat-edged phones (looking at you, Galaxy S25 Ultra).

The back has a silky matte texture that feels great to touch and does an excellent job at hiding fingerprints and smudges. It also helps with grip, reducing the chances of accidental slips.

In terms of durability, the iQOO 15 feels solid. It features Schott Xensation Alpha protection and comes with IP68 and IP69 rating, meaning you get serious dust and water resistance. During my testing, the phone survived a few accidental drops without a scratch, which adds a lot of confidence.

One change fans may not like: the BMW Motorsport branding is gone. There is no M Motorsport badge at the back this time. Instead, you get a “Monster Inside” text. Honestly, I do miss those iconic BMW racing stripes – they gave previous iQOO flagships a unique personality.

On the practical side, iQOO continues to include an IR blaster, which I used often to control TVs and ACs. The haptics have been improved compared to the iQOO 13 – they now feel tighter, more precise and more in line with other premium flagships.

Display: 144Hz A+ Visual Experience

The iQOO 15 display is easily one of its biggest highlights. iQOO has used a Samsung M14 OLED panel crafted with high-quality light-emitting materials and has tuned it jointly with Samsung for clarity, colour accuracy and eye comfort.

Whether I was standing under harsh Delhi noon sun or watching movies in a dark room, the brightness and legibility were top-notch. Colours are punchy yet not overly saturated, and the contrast makes content consumption – especially movies and OTT shows – a delight.

Scrolling feels buttery smooth, thanks to the high refresh rate. However, do note that 144Hz is only enabled in certain supported games and benchmarking apps. For regular UI navigation, social media and web browsing, the refresh rate usually tops out at 120Hz.

Since it’s an LTPO panel, the refresh rate can drop as low as 1Hz when the screen is idle or showing static content, helping reduce power consumption and improving battery life.

The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is another win. It’s extremely fast, reliable and even works when your finger is slightly wet or oily – a common struggle for optical fingerprint sensors. The registration process is also cool: you simply glide your finger once, instead of repeatedly lifting it.

Overall, I would easily rate the iQOO 15 display as an A+ panel for both gamers and multimedia addicts.

Performance & Gaming: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Beast

The biggest talking point of the iQOO 15 is, without doubt, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. Paired with fast RAM and storage, it turns the phone into a performance powerhouse.

In day-to-day usage, everything feels instant. App launches are snappy, multitasking is smooth and animations are fluid. I didn’t face any noticeable lag or stutter – exactly what you expect from a flagship in 2025.

On the gaming side, I tested Call of Duty: Mobile and BGMI extensively:

• BGMI: Smooth graphics + Ultra Extreme frame rate (up to 120fps)
• BGMI: HDR graphics + Extreme+ frame rate – perfect for competitive gamers
• CoD Mobile: High graphics and frame rates without signs of frame drops

Even during 1-hour long heavy gaming sessions, the iQOO 15 did not show noticeable thermal throttling in real-world use. The new larger vapor chamber (VC) cooling system clearly helps, and the relatively cooler Delhi weather during testing might also have contributed. The back gets warm, but never uncomfortably hot.

The only time the phone heated significantly was during benchmark testing – particularly the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test. The stability score of around 45% shows that it throttles under synthetic stress. But unless you run benchmarks for a living, this won’t impact your real-world gaming or daily performance.

In short, if you’re looking for a gaming phone in India with top-tier performance, the iQOO 15 easily sits in the top tier.

Software: OriginOS Is a Breath of Fresh Air

This is the part many Indian iQOO and Vivo fans have been eagerly waiting for. The iQOO 15 is the first iQOO phone in India to ship with OriginOS out of the box, and it is a massive upgrade over Funtouch OS.

OriginOS brings:

• Smoother animations and transitions
• A cleaner, more modern UI with logical layouts
• Useful AI features like AI Retouch, AI Eraser, AI Expand and more
• Better control over notifications and background apps

The best part is that the UI does not feel heavy or bloated. During my usage, I did not receive any spammy notifications from the default browser or “Hot Apps” – an issue that previously plagued Funtouch OS.

There are still a few pre-installed bloatware apps, but the good news is that you can easily uninstall most of them. After a quick clean-up, the iQOO 15 feels like the kind of polished, premium software experience you expect from a flagship.

Camera Review: Triple 50MP Setup with a Few Quirks

When I first received the review unit, the camera performance was underwhelming. Initial samples looked inconsistent and not flagship-grade. Thankfully, a software update later, things improved significantly.

iQOO 15 Camera Specs

Daylight Performance

After the update, the daylight performance is genuinely impressive. All three 50MP cameras capture detailed, sharp and vibrant photos. The main camera delivers good dynamic range, and HDR generally handles harsh lighting well, especially in backlit scenes.

Low Light & Colour Accuracy

In low light, things become a bit more mixed. While the main camera still holds up well with usable details, I noticed the ultra-wide camera occasionally struggles with reds. For example, when shooting the Levi’s store logo, the red sometimes shifted towards an orangish tone. I saw similar behaviour with other signboards like the “Social” logo.

In a few tricky scenes, exposure control wasn’t perfect – some lightboards and signages had blown-out highlights, which takes away from the otherwise solid imaging performance.

Portraits & Selfies

Portrait mode is generally very good with accurate edge detection and pleasing background blur. However, there were instances where the phone made faces look a bit too fair or whitish, especially when there was a bright light source behind the subject. Skin tones can therefore look slightly off in such situations.

The 32MP selfie camera, on the other hand, performs well. Selfies look sharp, with near-natural skin texture and colour as long as the lighting is decent.

Video Recording

On the video front, the iQOO 15 can shoot 4K 60fps videos from all three rear cameras and 8K 30fps from the primary sensor. Stabilisation is good enough for social media reels and vlogs, though it’s not the absolute best in the segment. Overall, video quality is solid but not class-leading.

Battery & Charging: A True Marathon Runner

If there is one area where the iQOO 15 absolutely nails it, it’s the battery. The phone packs a massive 7,000mAh battery, which is rare even among 2025 flagships.

Combined with the efficient LTPO 144Hz display and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the iQOO 15 turns into a marathon device. In my usage, which included:

• Heavy gaming (BGMI / CoD Mobile)
• Lots of YouTube and OTT streaming
• Regular camera use (photos + videos)
• Social media, calls and messaging

The phone easily lasted for more than 36 hours on a single charge. For most average users, this is comfortably a two-day phone.

Charging Speeds

The iQOO 15 supports:

• 100W wired fast charging (charger included in the box – big relief)
• 40W wireless charging

With the bundled 100W charger, the iQOO 15 can go from 0 to 100% in just under 30 minutes, which is extremely convenient for heavy users and gamers on the go.

iQOO 15 Pros & Cons

Verdict: Is the iQOO 15 Worth ₹72,999 in India?

FAQs About the iQOO 15 in India