Keeping temperatures under control has become just as crucial as raw processing power for gaming smartphones. OEMs have been upgrading heat chambers in phones, and brands like OPPO have even introduced a phone with a built-in cooling fan. iQOO is looking to push things further with its upcoming iQOO 15, positioning it as a true gaming powerhouse. The company has teased a new, more efficient cooling system designed to help the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 perform at its peak during prolonged heavy workloads.
According to official posts on Weibo, the iQOO 15 will feature an 8K (8000 mm²) VC Ice Dome cooling system, which is said to be the largest vapour chamber ever installed in an iQOO device. For perspective, last year’s iQOO 13 used a 7K Ultra VC Cooling System. iQOO claims this new design delivers 47 percent better heat dissipation thanks to the enlarged VC heat sink and a dual-layer high-conductivity graphite sheet. The iQOO 15’s VC heat sink is also claimed to be over three times the size of the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s. This is something we’ll be able to confirm once we review and compare both phones.
The iQOO 13’s thermal performance was decent in comparison to rivals, but phones like the Realme GT 7 Pro, OPPO Find X8, and OnePlus 13 had better scores in our benchmark tests. With a bigger vapour chamber, the iQOO 15 is expected to handle heat more efficiently.
The iQOO 15 will also be equipped with the in-house Q3 gaming chip, which would be an upgrade over the Q2 in the iQOO 13. iQOO claims that the new Q3 chip offers full-scene ray tracing, PC-level super-resolution, and native-level super-frame rates. The phone will also feature a 091640 X-axis vibration motor for more precise haptics. The iQOO 13’s haptics were what impressed us on top of its stutter-free, smooth gaming performance at high frame rates. The 4D game vibration on the iQOO 13 provides customised character and skill feedback for top games, covering most titles in the industry and offering exclusive support for Genshin Impact and other popular games, creating a highly immersive experience.
As for the rest of its specifications, the iQOO 15 is confirmed to launch with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. It will feature a 2K display, claimed to deliver a 40 percent increase in brightness efficiency with 6,000 nits peak brightness. iQOO will also ship the phone with a factory-applied anti-reflective protective film, which the company says is a first in the industry, enhancing visibility under bright conditions. The iQOO flagship is also touted as the only phone to offer a 2K display with a 144 FPS refresh rate for gaming.
Other features include an IP68+IP69 rating, ultrasonic fingerprint scanning, and dual symmetrical speakers. iQOO has also finally added support for wireless charging, which was missing on the previous model.
The iQOO 15 will launch on October 20th in China, followed by a global launch most likely in November. If the specs hold up, it could easily stake its claim as one of the most technically advanced gaming smartphones of the year.
