iQOO 15 launched in China with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with triple 50 MP cameras

As we head toward the end of 2025, the flagship season is heating up. Xiaomi’s 17 series has launched, OnePlus 15 is getting ready, and iQOO has also released its flagship phone for 2025. Interestingly, just like OnePlus and Xiaomi, iQOO skipped a number — there’s no iQOO 14, going straight to iQOO 15. At the same time, the phone seems to be a massive success. According to iQOO, the iQOO 15 sold as many devices in the first 30 minutes as it did in an entire day last year. Now, let's dive into everything about the iQOO 15, including its major specs.

iQOO 15 Overview

Display and Design

The iQOO 15 features a 6.85-inch QHD Samsung AMOLED display, dubbed the “Triple Peak Screen”. This guy comes with an M14 luminescent material and boasts a 98.1% screen-to-body ratio.

The display is rated at 2,600 nits peak brightness, up 100% from previous generations, with anti-glare layers and eye protection 2.0 hardware. According to iQOO, glare is 40% lower than that of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and readability at very low light (4.4 lux) is very much possible. It is available in Lingyun, Track Edition, Wilderness, and Legendary Edition color options.

Performance and Software

Inside, iQOO 15 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (Qualcomm's newly launched flagship chipset of the year). It is coupled with the "Q3 gaming chip", their new take on a mobile “graphics card”. The numbers they’re giving are eye-catching, with "+60% performance, +400% AI capability, and improved efficiency", and so much more, but only after a full review will their actual capability be revealed.

Similarly, it supports 2K native gaming in select titles with low frame variance and around 144FPS average. Multi-game support is also baked into the iQOO 15, and there’s deep game recognition and frame insertion in over 180 games.

Camera

But, letting that aside, all these stats only matter if you are buying for gaming. Unlike Vivo's flagship phones, such as the X200 Ultra and the upcoming X300 series, iQOO phones have never been a proper flagship material, considering their camera capabilities.

But here iQOO has given a modest triple rear camera real setup that, while featuring a RGB LED strip around the camera module, features a 1/1.56-inch sized 50MP IMX921 sensor with OIS.

Similarly, you are also getting a nice 50MP ultrawide camera and a decent 50MP Sony IMX882 periscope telephoto camera that offers 3x optical zoom instead of the 2x zoom that was provided in the iQOO 13. Other than that, you are getting a 32MP Selfie camera on the front.

• Also, read
• Vivo V60 Lite series is here in Nepal with a massive 6,500 mAh battery
• Vivo Pad 5e launched with Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and a 144Hz display
• Vivo TWS 5 series goes official with up to 60dB ANC!

Audio, Haptics, and Durability

iQOO upgraded audio and haptics with dual X-axis vibration motors and wide dual speakers.  For durability, iQOO 15 carries IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is apparently faster than the iQOO 13’s, and the USB-C port supports USB 3.2.

Battery and Charging

Like most smartphones now competing in the market, iQOO also provides a massive 7000 mAh Si-Ca battery, which iQOO says improves lifespan by 50%. Alongside a big 100W charger juicing the iQOO 15, the device now also supports 40W wireless charging for the first time in the series. Similarly, the iQOO 15 now also supports smart bypass and reverse charging.

iQOO 15 Specifications

• Design & Build: 163.7 x 76.8 x 8.1 mm, 215–220 g, dual Nano-SIM, IP68/IP69, color-changing rear panel
• Display: 6.85-inch LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 144Hz, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 1440 x 3168 pixels
• Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm), Octa-core CPU, Adreno 840 GPU
• Memory: 256GB/512GB/1TB storage, 12GB/16GB RAM, UFS 4.1, no card slot
• Software & UI: Android 16, OriginOS 6 (China)
• Rear Camera: Triple 50 MP (wide), 50 MP (periscope telephoto, 3x zoom), 50 MP (ultrawide), 8K video
• Front Camera: 32 MP wide, HDR, 4K@30/60fps video
• Security: Under-display ultrasonic fingerprint
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, USB-C 3.2, infrared
• Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
• Battery: 7000 mAh, 100W wired, 40W wireless charging

iQOO 15 Price in Nepal and Availability

Vivo, which owns the iQOO brand, does not sell iQOO phones in Nepal, nor are there any current talks about it. That said, an iQOO flagship would be a welcome addition here. And if it ever were to make it here, I would expect its price in Nepal to start at no less than NPR 114,900.

• Meanwhile, check out our iQOO 13 review