iQOO 15R first impressions: cheapest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 phone and a massive battery
The iQOO 15R has made its official debut in India, marking the introduction of the brand’s first ‘R’ badge within its flagship family. Positioned just below the iQOO 15, the smartphone’s primary focus remains the same: delivering a performance-centric experience tailored for serious mobile gamers. The iQOO 15R is doing that with its high-refresh-rate display, flagship-grade chipset, and a massive battery. In fact, the iQOO 15R houses the largest battery currently offered in both the flagship and sub-flagship segments.
After spending some time with the phone, here are my first impressions of the iQOO 15R – from how it feels in the hand and the in-box contents to the early performance and overall user experience.
iQOO 15R in-box content
- iQOO 15R
- Transparent case
- 100W Flash charger
- Type-C to Type-C charging cable
- SIM ejector tray
- Documents
We received the iQOO 15R in the Triumph Silver colourway. The handset is also available in Dark Knight, a more understated and minimal finish. Triumph Silver, however, is far more eye-catching. The rear panel features a subtle checkered pattern that shifts from a darker to a brighter tone as light hits it at different angles, creating a dynamic, almost reflective effect – drawing attention without feeling overdone. This colour variant remains a more appealing variant in my opinion. Although the brand calls it Silver, the hue leans slightly towards pale blue in certain lighting, giving it a cooler character.
The iQOO 15R features a squarish camera module reminiscent of its elder sibling, but in a more compact form, with dual sensors aligned horizontally. Moreover, there is a slight layering within the module, which adds a sense of depth and makes the camera lenses resemble those of a robot’s eyes. The module features chamfered edges that match the smartphone’s colour tone.
The Triumph Silver variant also features a glass back instead of fibre for a more premium in-hand feel. The glass does a good job of keeping fingerprints and smudges at bay.
Moving on, the device features flat edges with a matte finish and rounded corners. This makes it comfortable to hold. However, its 206-gram weight may make it slightly uncomfortable during prolonged use. While the iQOO 15R is not the most compact smartphone out there, its relatively small form factor and 7.9mm thickness ensure that you have no trouble carrying it around or slipping it in and out of tight pockets, such as jeans.
The iQOO 15R sports a 6.59-inch AMOLED display with 1.5K resolution, up to 144Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of up to 5,000 nits. This looks like a pretty standard display for the price range, and the OEM claims that the handset supports HDR10+ content out of the box. While the display seems bright enough to be viewed even in well-lit environments, it can also drop to as low as 1 nit in dimly lit environments to protect eyes. A thorough test will be conducted across different lighting scenarios to assess how well the display performs.
At the core of the iQOO 15R lies the sub-flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC, paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and 512GB UFS 4.1 storage. We saw a similar combination on the OnePlus 15R, which has been one of the most powerful smartphones in the segment. During our limited time with the device, it felt snappy. However, it will be interesting to see how that combination is optimised on the iQOO smartphone to handle demanding tasks, such as gaming.
The OEM claims 144 FPS for smooth gameplay with the Supercomputing Chip Q2, which is the same as the iQOO 13. Then, there is a large 6.5K IceCore VC cooling system to keep things running cool during intense activities. For an uninterrupted experience, the iQOO 15R boasts a network enhancement chip that helps you stay connected even in weak signal areas.
Binding everything together, the iQOO 15R houses a massive 7,600mAh battery and supports 100W FlashCharge wired charging. This should not only ensure a promising backup but also quick top-ups when needed. The handset supports bypass charging, which powers the internals directly without compromising on performance and affecting battery health. We will be testing its endurance along with its cameras, which include a dual 50MP OIS Sony LYT700V + an 8MP ultrawide setup at the back and a 32MP sensor on the front, in our full review. So stay tuned for that.
Software-wise, the iQOO 15R comes pre-loaded with OriginOS 6 layered atop Android 16 out of the box. The UI and features are almost identical to those of its elder sibling, the iQOO 15. Moreover, the device is future-proof with support for four major OS upgrades and six years of security updates, keeping it relevant until 2032.
The iQOO 15R is priced in India starting at Rs 44,999, making it the most affordable smartphone with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC. In addition, it features the largest battery in its segment. On paper, it appears to be a promising option with an impressive value proposition for anyone seeking a well-rounded yet performance-focused smartphone.
