iQOO 15R First Impressions: A Gaming Phone That Plays to Win

Earlier this year, I reviewed the OnePlus 15R which seemed like the best gaming smartphone in 2026. But now that the iQOO 15R is out, I think I might have to reshuffle my thoughts again. It aims to deliver an exceptional gaming performance, with huge battery packed into a compact design. But is it enough to take on the OnePlus? Well, I have used this phone for two weeks as my primary device, and let me settle the debate in this iQOO 15R first impressions. 

Box Contents

The iQOO 15R ships with all the necessities inside the box. Here's a list of everything included: 

• iQOO 15R smartphone
• Transparent silicone case
• 100W SuperVOOC charger adapter
• USB Type C to C cable
• SIM Ejector tool
• Paperwork

iQOO 15R Key Details

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

• Adreno 830

Display

6.59" (144Hz)

• 1.5K AMOLED
• LTPO
• HDR10+

Battery

7600mAh (Silicon Carbon)

• 100Watt (wired)
• Charger in the box

RAM/Storage

8GB (LPDDR5X Ultra)

• 256GB (UFS 4.1)

Rear Camera

50MP (Wide-angle)

• Sony LYT 700V

8MP (Ultra-wide)

OIS

4K@60fps

Front Camera

32MP (Wide)

• Galaxycore GC32E1
• 4k@60fps

Design

Schott Xensation (Front)

• Glass (Back)
• Aluminium Frame (Side)
• IP68/69 (Dust and Water Resistant)

OS

Android (Origin OS)

• 4 year(s) of OS Update

See full specifications

Build and Design 

• 157.6 x 74.2 x 7.9 mm, 211 grams weight
• Aluminium alloy frame, glass back, USB Type-C 2.0
• IP 68/69 dust and water tight protection (survive underwater for 30 min)

I have been using the Triumph Silver variant of the iQOO 15R for this review, and it does not look anything out of the usual. It is a slab phone with flat sides, rounded edges, and a chequered pattern covering the entire back. However, the highlight of the phone for me has to be its compact and thin design. It is smaller than most gaming phones by 2026 standards, making it easy to grip and carry around with you. 

This smaller size also makes it quite one-handed friendly. I could reach the menus, buttons, and the fingerprint sensor without having to stretch my thumb while my other hand was busy. Even in gaming, I could have a better grip on the phone and easily access all the buttons and triggers compared to larger devices like the iQOO 15. Plus, in everyday use, this one feels more comfortable to use. 

Moreover, it also has IP69 dust and water protection. This means it can survive an accidental drop in the pool and come out ready for another dunk. 

Display and Audio Quality 

• 6.59-inch (1272 x 2800) 1.5k LTPO AMOLED display
• 144 Hz refresh rate, HDR 10+ supported, 10-bit panel
• 1800 nits High brightness mode, 5000 nits peak brightness

The display is the same size as the Oppo Reno 15, but the quality here definitely holds its own. The panel is sharp, colors look vibrant without being overly saturated, and overall, it strikes a nice balance that makes content watching enjoyable. This is a 144Hz LTPO, so animations and scrolling feel very smooth.

However, in day-to-day use, the phone mostly stays around 120Hz and only pushes to 144Hz in supported games. OnePlus 15 also had this issue, since it supported a 165Hz refresh rate, but defaulted to 120. That said, its stereo speaker setup is genuinely impressive.

The audio gets loud, sounds full, and adds a lot to both gaming and media playback. Especially in games, where I could clearly tell the direction of incoming enemies from their footsteps, which shows how well-tuned the speakers are. I also binged a lot of shows during my iQOO 15R review period, and amazing experience on the device. 

Performance Tested

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (3nm), Adreno 830 GPU
• 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM + 512 GB UFS 4.1 storage
• Supercomputing Q2 Chip for Gaming, 6.5K Vapor Chamber Cooling

The iQOO 15R is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, a high-end SoC seen in other affordable flagship phones like the Motorola Signature. It is proven to deliver consistently strong performance, making it a great fit for a gaming-focused device like this. In benchmarks, the scores are on par with last year's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and slightly behind the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.

In day-to-day use, the phone feels fast and responsive. But let's skip to gaming now. I couldn't wait to test out how my favorite games perform on this phone, and honestly? The experience was not disappointing at all. Titles like BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile can run at 120 FPS on lower graphics settings. This can be bumped to 144 FPS with Super Frame rate, taking full advantage of the display's fast refresh rate. 

Even demanding games like Genshin Impact can run at 120 FPS on this device and offer a stable gameplay experience. My iQOO 15R review period was basically a way to slack off at work and just game. Match after match, I pushed my rank, but the phone showed minimal signs of heating. This was by far the best experience I have had on a phone in 2026, and the iQOO 15R has to be the best gaming phone under Rs 50,000 that you should go for.

Software Experience and Updates 

• OriginOS 6 based on Android 16
• Up to 4 Android updates, 6 years of security patches

OriginOS 6 feels like a significant step up from FuntouchOS and clearly shows how much software polish can change the overall experience of a phone. The interface feels more refined, with smoother animations, better haptic integration, and subtle visual elements that take some inspiration from the iOS 26 “liquid glass” style trend. 

One of my favourite additions is the Origin Island, which is essentially iQOO’s take on Apple’s Dynamic Island. It works surprisingly well in practice, showing music playback controls, Google Map updates, and even real-time order tracking in a compact floating interface. There are also plenty of lock screen styles and customisation options, which have always been a strong point of Vivo and iQOO devices.

The biggest annoyance, however, is the V-Appstore. It frequently sends unwanted notifications and sometimes labels them as “New Software Update,” which can easily mislead users into opening the app. If a smartphone veteran like me can fall for it, I can't even think of the regular peeps. It feels out of place in what is otherwise a polished and enjoyable software experience.

Camera Reviewed

• 50 MP (main), f/1.8, 1/1.56", OIS, video recording upto 4K 60 FPS
• 8 MP (ultrawide), f/2.2,1/4.0", 112˚, video recording up to 1080p 30 FPS
• 32 MP (selfie), f/2.2, video recording up to 4K 60 FPS

In terms of cameras, iQOO 15R goes only with the essentials. The main camera is the same seen sensor seen on the Vivo V70 Elite, paired with a standard 8 MP ultrawide. And here are the camera samples. 

The primary lens does most of the heavy lifting here, capturing some good-looking photos in both day and night scenarios. The images look clean, with mostly natural-looking colours and a decent dynamic range. But the results aren't as crisp as the OnePlus 15R, which took more scenic photos, as you could see in my review for that phone. 

I took the phone to my local spring festival to get some night samples for this iQOO 15R review, and the photos turned out better than expected for the most part. The main camera shot some quality images, despite the challenging and harsh light in some spaces. As you can see in the photo of the temple, the colours are close to the real thing, and the bokeh drop-off behind the flower is impressive. 

Even at 2x zoom, the camera samples turned out better and more pleasing than certain other phones with a dedicated zoom lens. However, zooming in further does result in soft photos that are over-sharpened by AI. 

The ultrawide lens can also take good images, but they are average at best. What I liked is the colour parity between the 2 lenses.

Coming to the front camera, the 32MP lens charms with its results, producing natural and strong selfies and portrait shots. And it is capable of recording in 4K 60FPS which is another great perk to have on the device.

Overall, as you can tell by the samples, the iQOO 15R won't be topping the list of the best camera mobile phones in 2026 whatsoever. 

Battery Life and Charging 

• 7600 mAh silicon carbon battery
• 100W FlashCharge wired charging, 50% charge in 33 minutes

I was just getting used to 7,000 mAh batteries on phones, and then the iQOO 15R shows up with a monstrous 7,600 mAh cell. I couldn't believe it was true, given how slim and compact this phone is. But the battery's longevity quickly proved me wrong. In one instance, the phone only dropped around 40% after roughly 8 hours of screen-on time, which is genuinely impressive for a device in this category.

During my iQOO 15R review period, I pushed the phone quite hard with hours of gaming, photography, even 7 hours of movie streaming, and plenty of doom scrolling on Instagram. Even then, I managed to get around 14.5 hours of screen-on time before the battery dropped to about 20%. 

And in case you want more out of this phone, then the provided 100W charger will be able to top it up from 0–50% in just 33 minutes or a full charge in 1.5 hours.

iQOO 15R First Impressions: Should You Buy It? 

It is tough to answer whether you should pick the OnePlus 15R or the iQOO 15R. One offers a larger display, and higher FPS but at a slightly higher price. While the iQOO delivers more sustained performance, barely gets warm and extra long battery life.  Both struggle with cameras, but the OnePlus takes a slight lead in that department. 

I would say, if you are fine with a big phone, then you can go with OnePlus 15R. But if you want a compact powerhouse of a device, with long battery endurance, maybe roll a dice on the iQOO 15R. I am sure you won't be disappointed at all. And if cameras are of the utmost importance to you, then I would recommend Motorola Signature or the Vivo X200 FE.