The highly anticipated iQOO 15 Ultra has officially launched in China. While it shares much of its DNA with the standard iQOO 15 (review), the Ultra model pushes things further with a massive 7,400mAh battery and an upgraded display capable of peaking at astounding 8,000 nits of brightness. The handset also features a sci-fi-inspired design, along with iQOO’s Ice Dome Cooling system, which incorporates a 59-blade active cooling fan to keep thermals in check during extended sessions.
The iQOO 15 Ultra also introduces a redesigned set of gaming controls, including shoulder triggers, a built-in gyroscope, and additional enhancements aimed at delivering a more console-like gaming experience. Together, these additions underline the company’s ambition to position the iQOO 15 Ultra as a true, no-compromise gaming smartphone.
The company is yet to confirm whether the smartphone will make its way to India, but if it does, it is going to be an expensive buy. In China, the iQOO 15 Ultra is priced at 5,699 yuan (around Rs 74,290) for the base variant with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage. For context, the standard iQOO 15 launched in the country at 4,199 yuan (approximately Rs 51,780) for its 12GB + 256GB model and later arrived in India with a starting price of Rs 72,999. Going by this pricing gap, it’s easy to imagine just how premium the iQOO 15 Ultra could be if and when it launches in India.
Here are all the configurations that the iQOO 15 Ultra comes in, with their pricing:
| iQOO 15 Ultra RAM + storage variants | Pricing |
| 16GB+256GB | 5,699 yuan (~Rs 74,290) |
| 16GB+512GB | 5,999 yuan (~Rs 78,220) |
| 16GB + 1TB | 6,999 yuan (~Rs 91,235) |
| 24GB + 1TB | 7,699 yuan (~Rs 1,00,379) |
The handset is now available for order in China, with its sale starting from February 10th onwards.
Table of Contents
Sci-fi-inspired design & 8,000 nits brightness
The iQOO 15 Ultra borrows its visual identity from its younger sibling but elevates the design with a distinctive hexagonal honeycomb texture on the rear panel and a ‘transparent’ camera module. The handset also features extra-large R-angle corners for improved in-hand comfort, along with an L-shaped capsule charging cable that allows for a more comfortable gaming and usage experience while charging. The changes not only adds element to the phone’s design, but also enhance ergonomics.
The iQOO 15 Ultra display hasn’t undergone any changes, except for the higher 8,000 nits peak brightness as opposed to 6,000 nits on the vanilla iQOO 15. For those unaware, the iQOO 15 debuted with an impressive 6.85-inch Samsung M14 8T LTPO AMOLED display with 2K (3,168×1,440 pixels) resolution, 144Hz variable refresh rate, HDR10+ support, Dolby Vision, DCI-P3 colour gamut, and more. It’s already among the best smartphone displays available today, and there’s little doubt that the same visual excellence carries over to the iQOO 15 Ultra, now with even higher brightness to match.
Buit-in fan and gaming controls
At its core, the iQOO 15 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Elite chipset, a platform that has set the performance benchmark for smartphones since its debut. iQOO says the processor has been further optimised in close collaboration with Qualcomm, helping the device achieve an AnTuTu 11 score of over 4.51 million, surpassing the standard iQOO 15. Paired with up to 24GB of LPDDR5x Ultra Pro RAM, the iQOO 15 Ultra should deliver noticeably smoother performance during heavy multitasking and sustained, demanding workloads. Additionally, there is a native Q3 gaming chip to offer 2K gaming quality and 2K+144 FPS concurrent playback.
The iQOO 15 Ultra is also designed to keep temperatures firmly under control, thanks to its Ice Dome Cooling System. At the heart of this setup is a 59-blade active cooling fan measuring 17mm × 17mm, which works in tandem with an ultra-large 8,000mm2 vapour chamber heat dissipation plate. The system is further reinforced by double-layer, ultra-high thermal conductivity graphite and a one-click global cooling mode, to ensure no heat gets in the way during high-performance use, such as gaming, and throttle the device.
To meet the standards of its core audience, gamers, the iQOO 15 Ultra introduces a redesigned set of gaming controls. These include ultra-sensitive shoulder triggers with a 600Hz sampling rate and a tested response time of just 32ms in popular games, a 500Hz gyroscope enhanced by a speed algorithm to capture even subtle hand movements in real time, and an ultra-fast touch sampling rate of up to 4,000Hz for precise, lag-free inputs.
Beefier battery than ever before
Backing the powerful hardware is a substantial 7,400mAh battery with 100W wired charging and 40W wireless charging support. This capacity is bigger than the regular iQOO 15 and should deliver slightly longer endurance. Moving on, the OriginOS 6, layered atop Android 16, binds everything together. In optics, the iQOO 15 Ultra sports triple 50MP rear cameras, with a Sony IMX921 OIS primary sensor, a 50MP 150 FoV ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 50MP 3x OIS periscope telephoto unit. The front camera is a 32MP shooter for selfies and video calling. This is a promising camera setup whose primary focus is gaming.
Other features include a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, IP68+IP69 rated design, Warhammer Max dual-axis vibration motor, and new War Drum Master Coaxial Symmetrical dual speakers with Dolby Atmos. Looking at the specifications, the iQOO 15 Ultra deserves your attention and money, especially if you are a gamer. If and when it launches in the country, the iQOO 15 Ultra could easily become one of the most important additions to iQOO’s Indian portfolio.