Hello iQOO Fam! 👋

It's a big day for iQOO India! Team just announced the iQOO 15R, a completely new proposition from the brand. The tagline says it all: "Flagship Power, Perfect Fit." This isn't just a spec upgrade; it's iQOO going after a wider audience.

Someone who wants a phone that fits comfortably in hand, is ideal for daily commutes, yet isn't too small for media consumption. How did iQOO pull that off? More on that in a bit. First, let's unbox it!

A big thank you to the @iQOO Connect team for the sample unit. 🙏 My unit is the Dark Knight colour, same matte black finish as my iQOO 15, 12GB + 512GB variant.

There's also the Triumph Silver with a unique square pattern on the back that a lot of people seem to love. The box itself looks premium and very much reminds me of the flagship iQOO 15 box, that's a good sign before you even open it.

What's in the Box of iQOO 15R?

• iQOO 15R smartphone
• 100W FlashCharge adapter
• Transparent TPU case
• USB Type-C to Type-C cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Quick Start Guide

Unlike many other brands, iQOO hasn't cut corners here; you get everything you need right out of the box, including a protective case. Kudos :)

iQOO 15R Design & Build: The Tagline Makes Sense the Moment You Hold It

Honestly? The tagline "Flagship Power, Perfect Fit" perfectly suits this device. The moment I picked it up, it was immediately comfortable to hold, curved edges, uniform weight distribution, and at 202g, it doesn't even feel like you're holding a 7600mAh battery phone. Well done, iQOO team.

I compared it side by side with my iQOO 15, and the size difference is clearly visible. For someone with smaller hands or someone who travels frequently, a one-hand-friendly device matters a lot, and the 6.59" form factor feels like the sweet spot.

The volume rockers and power button sit on the right side. The dual SIM slot, USB Type-C port, and speaker grille are on the bottom. The top has a secondary microphone and speaker grille. Antenna bands are visible on both the left and right sides, and there's also an IR blaster on the back. 

The phone has IP68 + IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance, built to handle whatever your daily commute throws at it.

iQOO 15R Display: Brighter Panel & Thin Bezels

Starting with the screen, the iQOO 15R has a 6.59-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with up to 144Hz refresh rate and a local peak brightness of 5000 nits. As soon as you turn on the device, you immediately notice the thin, uniform bezels and the clean OriginOS6 welcome page.

Quick tip for first-time setup: You'll be asked for consent on a few OriginOS service recommendations, Lockscreen Poster (changes wallpaper on every power-on, downloads over Wi-Fi), Personalised Recommendations, Global Search, and User Experience Evaluation. Read each option carefully and turn them ON or OFF based on your preference!

Performance & Software: Smooth From the Start

The device feels super fast with smooth animations right away, thanks to the Origin Smooth Engine, Dual Rendering that significantly boosts rendering efficiency while reducing power consumption. The phone runs Android 16 out of the box and will receive 4 Android OS updates and 6 years of security updates.

Powering the iQOO 15R is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (3nm), and what's interesting here is that iQOO worked directly with Qualcomm to optimize the chip for this device. The Q2 Gaming Chip handles 1.5K gaming quality at 144 FPS concurrently, and you get up to 12GB LPDDR5X Ultra RAM with 512GB UFS 4.1 storage, so multitasking feels effortless.

Thermals are well thought out too -- 6500mm² IceCore VC cooling, Dual-Layer Graphite Sheet, and 14,000mm²+ Thermal Conductivity Area together bring down temperature by up to 15°C in just 10 minutes, according to iQOO. Oh, and there's a dedicated network chip that gives a 5% signal boost overall, and 12% in elevators. If you're someone who commutes daily, you'll appreciate that one!

There are also some interesting AI features on board

AI Features on board:

• AI Captions
• AI Erase
• AI UHD Upscaling
• AI Image Expander
• AI Color Adjustment for photos

iQOO 15R Camera

The iQOO 15R has a 50MP main camera with a Sony LYTIA 700V sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 32MP front-facing camera with a 90-degree FOV for wider selfies. The main camera supports up to 4K 60fps video recording, and is powered by vivo's NICE camera algorithm. Note that the ultra-wide lens doesn't support video recording. Detailed camera testing coming in the full review!

Few Camera Samples of the iQOO 15R for now:

iQOO 15R Battery

Powering the device is a 7600 mAh battery, and as I mentioned, you genuinely won't feel it in hand. It comes with 100W FlashCharge that gets you to 50% in just 33 minutes. Multi-day battery with quick top-ups, that's a very compelling daily driver combo for busy professionals. 

iQOO 15R Pricing & Availability

• 8GB + 256GB -- ₹44,999
• 12GB + 256GB -- ₹47,999
• 12GB + 512GB -- ₹52,999

iQOO 15R Launch Offers

• Rs. 4000 instant discount with HDFC and Axis Bank credit and debit cards, & EMI transactions. 
• Free iQOO TWS 1e, worth Rs. 1899, for pre-bookings
• 6-month no-cost EMI starting at Rs. 6,833/month

Sale begins March 3rd (March 2nd for pre-bookers) on Amazon.in, iQOO.com, Reliance Digital Stores, and offline stores.

 More of my iQOO 15R content is coming soon. If you have any doubts/questions, drop them below. 

Signing Off, 

@Vishwa_24, Ranger, Coimbatore.