iQOO’s latest flagship, the iQOO 13, embodies this paradigm shift, lighting up your eyes with its design without burning a hole in your wallet with its competitive pricing.
I have tested the iQOO 13 for a few weeks and here is why I think this is one of the best smartphones in the crowded Indian market — it ticks all the boxes.
The iQOO 13 wades into the competitive world of smartphones with swag — it is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, has capable cameras, a massive battery and a gorgeous design. And oh, have I mentioned that it is very affordable for a flagship?
The look and feel
The iQOO 13, especially the ‘Legend’ colour variant — white with the subtle, vertical branding on the bottom left of the back panel coupled with the classic BMW Motorsport stripes — oozes sophistication and understated elegance. The moment I held the phone, it just felt right — like it belonged in my palm.
Despite the hefty 6,000mAh battery, the iQOO 13 manages a slim, 8.1mm profile. Its weight distribution is balanced, making it comfortable to hold for extended periods.
The Legend variant has this fancy satin-like covering. It looks pretty sharp, and has the added benefit of hiding smudges and fingerprints.
The coolest part of the design is the ‘Monster Halo’ LED circle around the camera module. You can customise the Monster Halo to add a dash of personalisation to the device.
Design and durability
The iQOO 13 comes with IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust, water and steam jet protection, making it durable. It is also a major step up from its predecessor.
The iQOO didn’t just stop at making the smartphone tough, though. The way it placed the volume rocker and power button alongside the polished metal frame, has lent the smartphone an aura of near-perfection.
Display: Eye candy
The iQOO 13 rocks a stunning 6.82-inch Q10 AMOLED screen with a 2K resolution and a whopping 144Hz refresh rate. Its brightness? Next level. You get a massive 4,500 nits, with an added 1,800 nits when you turn on the High Brightness Mode (HBM).
As for colours, the iQOO 13 supports a 10-bit colour profile with HDR10+ support. What this gobbledygook means is that whether flipping through social feeds, binge-watching stuff, or gaming, the picture quality is going to be sharp, polished, and immersive.
Performance
The iQOO 13 packs a serious punch under the hood, rocking that Snapdragon 8 Elite processor from Qualcomm. With a massive 16GB RAM (expandable) and 512GB of storage, the phone has enough bandwidth to store all your videos, photos, movies, music, and even your entire wardrobe.
Juggling heavy-duty apps and playing high-graphic games didn’t slow the iQOO 13 down one bit. Apps launch in no time, animations are fluid, and I have yet to experience any lag or stutter, even in the most demanding of use cases.
Gaming is where the iQOO 13 truly comes to life. I’m not a big mobile gamer, but I did take the iQOO 13 for a spin with some popular titles, such as BGMI, Call of Duty: Mobile, and
Genshin Impact cranked up to max graphics, and wow, it did not disappoint. Frame rates were super smooth with zero fuss, and the cooling tech keeps the heat from cramping its style. Toss in iQOO’s own Q2 supercomputing chip, and you’ve got even better gaming chops while being kinder to the battery.
When you look at performance markers, the iQOO 13 blows most rivals out of the water. Yes, those mock-up performance benchmarks don’t always reflect real-world usage, but they are a solid indicator of how good a smartphone is.
Cameras: Capable and consistent
The iQOO 13 has a trio of camera lenses — a 50MP main shooter, another 50MP telephoto lens, and yet another 50MP ultrawide sensor — which gives it some serious picture-taking capabilities.
The images are crisp and lively, showing off great dynamic range; colours look real, and the phone takes impressive images in low light, not sacrificing detail or the aesthetics of the subject.
Portrait shots are especially good — the edges look sharp, and the background blur feels natural. The ultrawide lens takes great wide-angle shots without distortion towards the edges while maintaining colour accuracy.
Of course, no 2024 smartphone is complete without some AI camera features, and the iQOO 13 is no different — tools like ‘AI Erase’ and ‘AI Enhancement’ allow you to get creative with your content.
The 32MP selfie cam is a champ at taking sharp photos with realistic-looking skin tones, both in bright and low light. Sure, it may not be the best camera setup around, but it’s certainly no slouch.
Software and user experience
The iQOO 13 runs on the Android 15-based Funtouch OS 15, which provides a neat and user-friendly interface. iQOO has clearly put in some effort to eliminate bloatware, but there are still pre-installed apps, which, thankfully, you can uninstall if you don’t need them.
The iQOO 13 also comes with the now-boilerplate set of AI features like ‘Circle to Search’ and Gemini, but it doesn’t force them down your throat, which I really appreciated.
Also read: OPPO Find X8 Review: A compact powerhouse
Battery and power
A hefty 6,000 mAh power cell means the iQOO 13 keeps going and going. When I put it to the test, it breezed through a whole day of intense use and even had some juice left for a half-day of light use. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is extremely good at optimisation, which is critical in a phone with a bright display, high refresh rate and power-hungry applications.
The iQOO 13 comes with 120W FlashCharge tech that rockets the battery from 1% to full power in 45 minutes. Plus, if you’re in a rush, just 10 minutes plugged in gets you hours of use, which is super handy if you’re always on the move.
The lack of wireless charging is not ideal, but unless you’ve been using wireless charges — as I have — for nearly a decade, you won’t really miss it.
Connectivity and sound
The iQOO 13 ticks every box in the connectivity department. It supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC. Calls sound great, while its dual stereo speakers deliver audio that’s rich, loud, and crisp.
Worth your money?
Priced at ₹54,999 for its starting model, the iQOO 13 is a real bang for your buck. Just think about its powerful processor, stunning screen, solid photo-snappers, and a battery that just won’t quit – it stands out as a great deal.
In conclusion
The iQOO 13 offers a glimpse of what next-generation smartphones will bring to the table — powerful performance, amazing battery life, a gorgeous screen, and an elegant design. For the price, I’d even go so far as to say it’s an absolute steal.
Also read: realme GT 7 Pro Review: Powerful performance, unique features
