iQOO 15 Ultra Design Teased With Gaming-Focused Features, February Launch Confirmed

iQOO has officially unveiled first design details for its upcoming iQOO 15 Ultra gaming smartphone, confirming an early February 2026 launch in China through a Weibo announcement. The successor to last year's gaming-focused flagship introduces significant hardware innovations tailored for mobile gamers.

The rear design maintains the iQOO 15's core aesthetic but upgrades it with a hexagonal honeycomb texture pattern across the back panel. More significantly, the redesigned camera housing incorporates functional cooling vents for the device's active cooling system—a thermal management solution rare in smartphones that enables sustained peak performance during extended gaming sessions.

Physical gaming controls return with pressure-sensitive shoulder triggers flanking the right-edge power and volume buttons. Two colorways were revealed: a black variant with orange accents (marketed as "2077") and a white model with blue highlights ("2049"). Both feature contrasting metallic camera bezels and textured finishes likely designed for improved grip during gameplay.

While specifications remain unconfirmed, credible leaks suggest Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset will power the device alongside iQOO's proprietary Q3 gaming co-processor. Display rumors point to a 6.85-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with 144Hz adaptive refresh rate—critical for balancing smooth visuals with battery efficiency in graphically intensive games.

This hardware configuration positions the iQOO 15 Ultra within vivo's expanding gaming ecosystem. The device leverages vivo's HyperOS optimizations while introducing gaming-specific enhancements like frame interpolation and touch response algorithms. However, its China-first launch strategy and gaming-centric design create potential ecosystem limitations—global users may face delayed availability, and non-gaming users might find the physical triggers intrusive for daily use.

The active cooling system warrants particular attention. Unlike passive heat dissipation in conventional flagships, the iQOO 15 Ultra's fan-assisted thermal management could enable unprecedented sustained performance for titles like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. Early AnTuTu benchmarks suggest scores exceeding 4.5 million points—roughly 35% higher than current Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 devices—though real-world performance remains dependent on software optimization.

iQOO's continued investment in dedicated gaming hardware signals mobile gaming's growing importance in the premium smartphone segment. As manufacturers balance thermal constraints against increasing performance demands, solutions like active cooling could become more prevalent—especially as cloud gaming and AR/VR applications push hardware limits further.