Buy the iQOO 15 if you game, stream, and want a flagship that stays fast for years. Do not buy it at today’s price without checking the Realme GT 8 Pro first, because the price tag moved and the phone did not. That is the short version of this iQOO 15 review. The long version is more generous to the phone, and less generous to its pricing.
The price moved. The phone did not
iQOO launched the 15 in India on 26 November 2025 at Rs 72,999 for 12GB and 256GB, according to Smartprix’s launch timeline. That price made sense. It undercut the OnePlus 15 and gave gamers a flagship chip without the flagship tax.
That price is gone. Gadgets360 lists the iQOO 15 from Rs 83,499 at Flipkart as of 28 October 2026, and 91mobiles lists the 12GB/256GB model at Rs 85,999, with the 16GB/512GB model at Rs 93,999. Call it roughly Rs 11,000 to Rs 13,000 over launch, depending on where you shop. The phone did not get faster in the meantime. The market just got more expensive, and iQOO passed the bill on.
This matters because the rival did not move. Our Realme GT 8 Pro vs OnePlus 15 comparison has the GT 8 Pro at Rs 72,999 for the same 12GB/256GB configuration, running the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. So the iQOO 15 now asks you to pay around Rs 11,000 more than a phone with the same chip, a sharper camera story, and a lower bill. That is the trade-off at the heart of this review: the phone is excellent, the deal is not what it was.
A screen you forgive the chin for
The display is the part you will notice first, and it earns the praise. Beebom and Gadgets360 list a 6.85-inch Samsung 2K M14 LTPO AMOLED panel at 1440 x 3168 pixels and 144Hz. In plain terms: text looks razor sharp, scrolling looks liquid, and outdoor visibility is not something you think about.
Gadgets360’s review is honest about the catch, and it is worth repeating. The bottom bezel is noticeably thick, and black levels are not the deepest in this class. On a phone pushing past Rs 83,000, a visible chin feels like a typo someone forgot to fix. Here is the thing, though. After a day of use, you stop seeing the chin and keep seeing the screen. The panel is that good. Buyers who stare at spec sheets will hate the bezel. Buyers who stare at the phone will forgive it.
Cameras: good enough is the honest grade
Three 50MP sensors sit on the back, per 91mobiles: a main camera with optical stabilisation, an ultra-wide, and a periscope telephoto with 3x optical zoom stretching to 100x digital. The front camera is 32MP. On paper that reads like a flagship camera system. In practice, the reviewer consensus lands one notch lower.
Gadgets360 lists improved cameras as a plus, then flags inconsistent low-light portraits as a minus. Beebom calls the cameras surprisingly capable, which is praise with a ceiling built in. Translation: daylight shots and portraits in good light will please almost anyone. Night portraits will occasionally miss, and if that is your main use, you are shopping in the wrong aisle. If portraits are the priority, our Pixel 11 review explains what a camera-first phone at a similar price does differently.
The periscope is the genuinely useful piece here. A 3x optical zoom changes how you shoot at events, markets, and school functions, where stepping closer is not an option. Digital zoom past 10x is mostly for showing friends, not for keeping photos.
Speed is not the question. Stamina is the answer
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 runs the show, with 12GB or 16GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of storage, per Gadgets360 and 91mobiles. Gadgets360’s benchmark table puts AnTuTu at 3,844,437. Numbers aside, Beebom’s gaming tests tell the real story: roughly 119 frames per second in BGMI and 120 in COD Mobile, with Genshin Impact holding 60. That is the kind of consistency that makes a phone feel expensive in the hand, not just on the bill.
The battery backs it up. A 7,000mAh silicon-carbon cell with 100W wired charging and 40W wireless charging, per 91mobiles and Smartprix, means a heavy day ends with charge to spare, and a flat battery is a short problem, not a ruined evening. iQOO also commits to five years of OS updates and seven years of security patches, per Smartprix, which matters more than any benchmark if you plan to keep the phone for three or four years.
One jab, because it is earned: rival flagships now ship bigger cells, and the iQOO 16 is already confirmed for India with an 8,400mAh battery, as our OnePlus 16 vs iQOO 16 comparison notes. Buying the 15 today means accepting that a bigger-battery successor is months away. If your current phone still works, waiting is a rational move, not a cop-out.
iQOO 15 review: who should actually buy it
The software helps the case. Android 16 with OriginOS 6 is, per Gadgets360, a cleaner and more refined experience than iQOO’s older skins. That used to be the brand’s weak spot. It is not anymore.
So, plainly. Buy the iQOO 15 if you play demanding games daily, if you want a sharp 2K screen and a battery that outlasts your day, and if you can find it near its launch price or with a bank discount that closes the gap. Gamers and heavy users, this is your phone, and the long update promise makes it a safe four-year buy.
Do not buy it at Rs 85,999 or more without a hard look at the Realme GT 8 Pro, which matches the chip and undercuts the price. Do not buy it if portrait photography is your top priority, and do not buy it if a thick bottom bezel will annoy you every time you unlock the phone. Small detail, daily irritation, real reason.
The verdict, then: the iQOO 15 is the most polished performance flagship iQOO has made, per Beebom’s review consensus, and a genuinely easy phone to live with. It just stopped being the obvious value pick the day its price crossed Rs 80,000. At launch money, buy it without hesitation. At today’s money, buy it only if the gaming and the screen matter more to you than the Rs 11,000 gap, because that gap now buys a very good rival.