iQOO 15R hands-on review: A compact powerhouse with premium features

iQOO has expanded its lineup with the introduction of the 15R, marking the first 'R' model in the company's numerical series. Positioned specifically for young professionals seeking a smartphone that's compact enough for one-handed use while still packing flagship-level performance, the iQOO 15R aims to deliver a premium experience without the premium price tag. After extensive testing, we've found that this device largely succeeds in its mission, offering a compelling combination of power, display quality, and battery life in a manageable package.

Design and Build Quality

The iQOO 15R features a 6.59-inch AMOLED display surrounded by impressively slim bezels - just 1.25mm on the sides, with 1.46mm at the top and 1.77mm at the bottom. This minimal bezel design creates a modern, immersive viewing experience while keeping the device relatively compact for its screen size. The centered punch-hole houses a 32MP selfie camera, and the display incorporates a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint scanner that works reliably even with sweaty fingers.

The rear design features a distinctive squircle-shaped camera island that will be familiar to iQOO fans, as it mirrors the design language of the iQOO 15 and previous flagships. While some may desire more design differentiation, this consistency does create brand recognition. The camera island houses two horizontally aligned cameras - a 50MP primary and an 8MP ultrawide - with the LED flash positioned outside the island. Notably, the camera module doesn't protrude significantly, preventing the phone from wobbling when placed on flat surfaces.

The iQOO 15R is available in two color variants: Dark Knight and Triumph Silver. The Dark Knight version features a fiberglass back that has a stealthy appearance but smudges easily, while the Triumph Silver model sports a glass back with a distinctive checkered pattern design that's more resistant to fingerprints. Both variants measure 8.10mm in thickness, with the Triumph Silver version weighing 206g - 4g heavier than the Dark Knight model.

The flat metal frames with matte finish contribute to the premium feel, with the right side housing volume rocker and power buttons that offer satisfying tactile feedback. The bottom edge contains a USB-C port, SIM card slot, primary microphone, and speaker grille, while the left side features a secondary microphone with IR blaster and another speaker outlet.

Despite its 6.59-inch display, the iQOO 15R remains comfortable for one-handed use, aided by its IP68 and IP69 water and dust resistance ratings. However, the fully flat rear panel could have benefited from curved edges like those found on the iQOO Neo9 Pro and iQOO 12 for improved ergonomics.

Display Performance

The iQOO 15R's 6.59-inch AMOLED display boasts a 2,750x1,260-pixel resolution (459 ppi) and exceptional brightness capabilities, with a peak brightness of 5,000 nits and a minimum brightness of just 1 nit. This makes the display incredibly visible even under direct sunlight, ensuring excellent outdoor readability.

The panel supports a 144Hz refresh rate, though this is restricted to gaming scenarios, which is somewhat disappointing for users hoping to enjoy smoother scrolling throughout the system. Similarly, the 360Hz touch sampling rate is limited to gaming, while regular usage supports 130Hz. The display also features an advertised "instant touch sampling rate" of up to 3,200Hz, achievable only during gaming sessions.

Color performance is impressive, with support for 1.07 billion colors and compatibility with HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG codecs. The Widevine L1 certification enables 1080p video streaming on compatible apps.

The refresh rate options in the display settings menu include Smart adaptation, Standard (60Hz), and High (144Hz). When set to High mode, users can select specific apps and games to run at 144Hz. In our testing, we found that with High mode enabled for all applications, system menus and most apps operated at 120Hz when interacting with the screen, while remained at 60Hz when viewing images in photo apps and playing videos.

The Smart adaptation mode essentially caps the maximum refresh rate at 90Hz in most apps, including YouTube, Google Chrome, and social media platforms. While iQOO markets the 144Hz refresh rate as gaming-focused, our actual gaming tests showed mixed results - Call of Duty: Mobile maintained 60FPS regardless of mode, while Sky Force: Reloaded reached 120Hz in High mode, and Dead Trigger 2 achieved 120FPS and 120Hz in both High and Smart adaptation modes.

Performance and Software

Powering the iQOO 15R is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC, a step down from the flagship iQOO 15's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, but still an incredibly powerful processor. Our review unit features 12GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage, placing it among the most capable devices in its class.

The device also includes iQOO's Supercomputing Chip Q2, designed to enhance gaming performance with improved frame stability and better image processing. It's advertised to support "1.5K Game Super," enabling stable 144 FPS gaming through frame interpolation, though we didn't observe this feature during our testing with popular titles.

On the software side, the iQOO 15R runs Android 16-based OriginOS 6, with a promising commitment of four years of OS upgrades and six years of security updates. iQOO has indicated that security updates will be released monthly for the first four years and quarterly thereafter. The device comes pre-loaded with eight third-party apps and games, all of which can be uninstalled, maintaining a relatively clean software experience.

The software experience closely mirrors that of the flagship iQOO 15, offering similar features and functionality. For more detailed information about OriginOS 6, readers can refer to our iQOO 15 review.

In everyday use, the iQOO 15R demonstrated impressive smoothness with no noticeable stutters, even during extended gaming sessions. The device did warm up after prolonged gaming, but never reached temperatures that impacted performance or user comfort.

Benchmark results place the iQOO 15R's performance in line with other Snapdragon 8 Gen 5-powered devices, though 3DMark scores were somewhat lower than expected. For reference, the device achieved a single-core score of 2768 in GeekBench 6, and 3,050,237 in AnTuTu 11. The 3DMark Wild Life Extreme scores showed 3973 (highest), demonstrating capable graphics performance.

Camera Capabilities

The iQOO 15R features a three-camera setup consisting of a 32MP front camera and a dual rear camera system. The front camera utilizes the GalaxyCore GC32E1-WA1XA sensor with an f/2.45 aperture and can record videos up to 4K at 60 FPS.

The rear configuration includes a 50MP primary camera using the Sony LYT-700V sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), f/1.88 aperture, and 4K/60FPS video recording capabilities. The secondary camera is an 8MP ultrawide with an f/2.2 aperture.

While this camera setup won't match the flagship iQOO 15's imaging capabilities, it produces photos that are more than adequate for social media sharing. In daylight conditions, the primary camera captures detailed images with good color accuracy, while the ultrawide camera provides a decent field of view, though with noticeable quality degradation at the edges.

Low-light performance is serviceable, with the primary camera capturing usable images in challenging lighting conditions, though with increased noise and reduced detail compared to flagship competitors. The absence of a dedicated telephoto lens limits zoom capabilities, with digital zoom resulting in significant quality loss beyond 2x.

Video recording is competent up to 4K/60FPS, with stabilization that works well for casual shooting but struggles during more dynamic motion. The front camera delivers good quality selfies and video calls, performing well in various lighting conditions.

Battery Life and Charging

The iQOO 15R is equipped with a substantial 7,600mAh battery that comfortably lasts a full day with moderate usage, even with 5G enabled, Wi-Fi hotspot active, and the display set to High (144Hz) refresh rate and maximum resolution.

Charging is handled by a 100W wired charger that can theoretically charge the battery to 50% in 33 minutes and to full in 63 minutes. In our real-world testing, the device charged to 17% in 15 minutes, 36% in 30 minutes, 50% in 42 minutes, 71% in 1 hour, and reached 100% in 1 hour and 19 minutes. An additional 5 minutes was required for the battery full status to appear on screen.

The device also supports 7.5W reverse wired charging, allowing it to function as a power bank for other devices, and bypass charging, which can help reduce battery degradation during extended charging sessions.

Pricing and Availability

The iQOO 15R is available in India in three memory configurations:

• 8GB/256GB at INR 44,999 ($480/€415)
• 12GB/256GB at INR 47,999 ($510/€440)
• 12GB/512GB at INR 52,999 ($565/€490)

The device is offered in Dark Knight and Triumph Silver color variants, with the latter featuring a glass back and distinctive checkered pattern design.

Final Thoughts

The iQOO 15R successfully delivers on its promise of providing a compact, one-hand-friendly smartphone with powerful performance and excellent battery life. While it may not offer the absolute best camera system or the highest-end chipset in iQOO's lineup, it strikes an impressive balance between price and performance.

The vibrant display, reliable performance, and all-day battery life make this device particularly appealing to young professionals who need a capable smartphone that won't weigh them down—literally and figuratively. The software experience, while not the most innovative, is clean and receives long-term support, ensuring the device will remain relevant for years to come.

For users prioritizing compact size without sacrificing power, the iQOO 15R represents a compelling option in its price range. While the camera system won't satisfy photography enthusiasts, and the refresh rate limitations might disappoint those wanting smoother system-wide animations, the overall package offers excellent value for money.