This time, it’s Vivo’s sub-brand iQOO stepping into the Snapdragon 8 Elite flagship arena with the iQOO 13. But unlike many of its rivals, the iQOO 13 takes a slightly different approach. There’s no Pro variant in sight, and it comes with a surprisingly aggressive price tag.
Rather than packing in unnecessary extras, iQOO has streamlined the experience to focus squarely on raw performance. But don’t mistake the lower price for a stripped-down, Poco F1-style compromise. The iQOO 13 still delivers premium features like an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, IP68 water and dust resistance, and a sharp 2K display.
In today’s review, we’ll start by unboxing the iQOO 13 and then dive deep into everything it brings to the table. Let’s jump right in.
iQOO 13 Price
In India iQOO 13 has launched at the price of Rs. 54,999 for 12GB/256GB and Rs. 59,999 for 16GB/512GB model. This makes the iQOO 13 one of the cheapest Snapdragon 8 Elite phones today.
- Display: 6.82″ AMOLED (QHD+)
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
- Memory: 16GB RAM, 1TB Storage
- OS: …
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iQOO 13 Unboxing
I opted for the 12 GB/256 GB base model, and when you lift the lid, the first thing you see is the iQOO 13 itself in black. iQOO also offers three additional colours.
I chose black because the back panel is matte-finished fiberglass, so it stays free of fingerprints and smudges. The metal frame, however, is polished and will pick up a few marks. The other finishes use standard glass backs: the Legend Edition and white variants have glossy metal sides, while the green and grey models feature matte-finish frames.
The front is flat with only a subtle 2.5D curve at the edges, but the rear glass sweeps gently on all four sides. The metal rails are fairly sharp but don’t dig into your hand, and the rounded corners help with overall comfort.
This black colourway is also the slimmest—just under 8 mm thick—and it’s about 6 grams lighter than the other options.
On the back, iQOO retains its signature Mi-style camera island, though there’s no periscope lens this time, so the module stays incredibly slim. You’ll also spot an IR blaster built into that housing, plus an RGB ring around the camera for a touch of flair. We’ll dive into that feature soon.
Back in the box, you’ll find a BMW partnership card, the SIM-eject tool, a quick-start guide, and a snug black TPU case. Tucked underneath are a USB-C to USB-C cable with white accents and the 120W Vivo FlashCharge adapter.
iQOO 13 Battery
The iQOO 13 packs a hefty 6150 mAh silicon carbide battery, and with the bundled charger, it can reach 50% in just 12 minutes and top up fully in about 30 minutes—an impressive feat.
Although wireless charging is gone, the phone carries both IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance. Its ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and touchscreen both works flawlessly with wet hands, and the scanner’s placement makes it a breeze to unlock comfortably.
iQOO 13 Display
In front, there’s a 6.82-inch 10-bit OLED panel with QHD+ (2K) resolution, delivering about 510 ppi. The manufacturer hasn’t specified which protective glass is used.
This display runs at up to 144Hz thanks to 8T LTPO technology, letting the refresh rate scale dynamically. iQOO advertises an 1800 nit peak brightness, and in my tests, it actually hit around 1,850 nits. It also supports Wide vine L1 for HD streaming.
Even in manual mode, the screen can climb to 850 nits, making it easy to read outdoors. For low-light viewing, it uses 2,592 Hz PWM dimming, which helps if you’re prone to noticing OLED flicker.
I really appreciate that iQOO stuck with a full 2K display instead of downgrading to a cheaper 1.5K panel just to hit a low price point.
On the audio side, you get asymmetrically placed stereo speakers that produce rich sound and ensure you won’t block both drivers while gaming, no matter how you hold the phone.
iQOO 13 Performance
On the gaming front, the iQOO 13 ships with Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite, powered by the new custom Orion cores that have been blowing up synthetic benchmarks. Almost every 8 Elite handsets so far have grappled with heat and throttling, but iQOO’s tuning delivers one of the best balances: in our stress test it sacrificed just under 50 percent of peak output—a smaller drop than most rivals. It ran warmer than the Honor Magic 7 Pro but stayed cooler than the Xiaomi 15 Pro, and even with some throttling, the chip still handles demanding games smoothly. iQOO has also added its in-house Q2 gaming chip for optional frame interpolation and generation if you want an extra boost.
Under the hood, storage comes in UFS 4.0 flavours of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB, while memory options are 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X “Ultra” RAM. The “Ultra” designation reflects its 9,600 MT/s speed—faster than the 8,533 MT/s modules most other 8 Elite phones use, even though the platform supports up to 10,667 MT/s.
iQOO 13 Software
When you pair those high-end components with FunTouch OS 15 on top of Android 15, the day-to-day experience feels top-notch.
The UI largely mirrors what we saw on the Vivo X200 Pro Mini, but with one cool twist: you get full control over the rear LED ring. You can assign it to light up for charging, notifications, incoming calls—or even sync it with in-game events for a bit of flair (even if only you—and anyone watching your phone—will notice).
FunTouch OS 15 also bundles a suite of AI tools, like an AI eraser that removes unwanted objects from photos after the fact, plus an AI-powered wallpaper generator that works smoothly.
iQOO 13 Cameras
Over the years, iQOO flagships have leaned hard into sheer performance. Last year they briefly pivoted to improve optics, but with the iQOO 13 they’ve dialled that back—in fact, the main camera is actually a step down.
Instead of last year’s 50 MP 1/1.3″ Omnivision OV50H sensor, the iQOO 13 uses a smaller 1/1.56″ Sony IMX921 (a.k.a. LYT-702) behind an OIS-equipped f/1.88 lens. In bright light it holds its own—dynamic range is solid, if not flagship-level—but in low light it trails behind leaders like the OPPO X8 Pro or OnePlus 13.
I also ran into an odd lens-fogging issue in cool conditions, which led to hazy and blurry shots. This happened during multiple sessions and really shouldn’t be happening at any price point.
Video, on the other hand, impressed: 8K@30 fps is steady and usable, and although 4K@60 fps drops frames occasionally, footage remains detailed and smooth. That makes Xiaomi’s recent flagship struggles even more baffling—iQOO’s downgraded optics still deliver gorgeous video.
The selfie camera can now record 4K@60 fps after an update, but it’s jittery in motion; its 32 MP stills are detailed with a slight saturation boost.
Rounding out the setup is a 50 MP Samsung JN1 ultrawide (with AF that doubles as a macro), plus a 1/2.93″ Sony IMX816 sensor (f/1.9, OIS) offering 2× optical zoom for portraits. I’m partial to the black-and-white portrait mode, and the “Humanistic Street Snap” pro mode unlocks full controls and presets for quick, on-the-go shots.
In short, the iQOO 13’s cameras are competent but unremarkable—clearly where the budget got trimmed. If photography is your top priority, this probably isn’t the handset for you. Its sweet spot is users happy to trade camera prowess for a more aggressive price tag.
Final Thoughts
I’m genuinely impressed by iQOO’s approach—no Pro variant, no corners cut on the display, an IP68 rating, and a charger still in the box.
That’s it for the iQOO 13 rundown. What are your thoughts on this phone? Share them in the comments below!
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