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iQOO phones are powerhouses, packing top-tier hardware without the sky-high price tags of flagships from Google, Samsung, or even OnePlus.
Now, the Vivo sub-brand is back with the iQOO 13, which I’ve been testing for the past two weeks. As you’ll see in this iQOO 13 review, it’s an iterative but mostly welcome update that delivers strong value for its price.
Let’s see if it can match last year’s iQOO 12, which was the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 smartphone to launch globally and came with a brilliant display, a flagship-grade camera system, and speedy charging tech. Disclaimer: I loved the phone so much that it’s been my daily driver for the past year.
iQOO 13 Price and Availability
iQOO 13 Launch Date in India: December 3
The iQOO 13 will be available in Indonesia on November 28, India and Thailand on December 3, and Malaysia on December 4.
For the first time, iQOO will also make the phone available in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Consumers in all markets can expect to find the iQOO 13 in stores between early and mid-December.
As of writing this, Vivo iQOO 13 price has only been confirmed in Indonesia, which is:
- 12 GB + 256 GB: IDR 9,999,000 (approximately $630)
- 16 GB + 512 GB: IDR 11,999,000 (approximately $756)
iQOO 13 Design and Build Quality
The iQOO 12 was one of the most beautiful phones I’ve handled, and the iQOO 13 continues that tradition. I’m testing the Nardo Grey version, which the company says is inspired by the Nardo Ring, a high-speed test track in Italy.
There’s also a matte black option called Alpha, but the standout choice is the Legend edition, which features a silver frame, a white back panel, and the signature BMW M Motorsport stripes.
Despite being an all-glossy smartphone with a shiny finish, it’s surprisingly resistant to smudges.
The only notable change in the design is the placement of the LED flash. While the iQOO 12 had its flash positioned next to the camera island, the iQOO 13 integrates it into the camera island as a circular ring. A gray decorative metal ring frames the camera island itself and features a strip of LED lights, which iQOO calls the Monster Halo.
These lights offer up to 72 customization options and can be configured to glow during gaming, music playback, incoming calls, and more. I wasn’t able to test this feature, as iQOO plans to enable them through an upcoming OTA update, which my device hadn’t received by the time of publication.
The phone’s frame is flat on all sides but curves slightly at the edges, giving it that old-school 2D shape. It makes the phone feel smooth and natural in your hand, with no harsh transitions.
The best part about the iQOO 13’s build quality is the upgrade to IP68/IP69 dust and water resistance — a nice step up from the iQOO 12’s IP64 rating.
It also comes with an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is way faster than the older optical ones. Plus, it’s placed a bit higher on the screen, making it easier to unlock. The iQOO 12’s scanner was lower, and honestly, it was kind of awkward to use.
iQOO 13 Display Review
The iQOO 13 has a 6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 144Hz. It supports HDR, Pro XDR, and Dolby Vision, along with an eye-friendly PWM dimming of 2592Hz, an upgrade from the iQOO 12’s 2160Hz dimming.
Topping it all off is a peak brightness rating of 4500 nits. This makes it one of the brightest displays around, beating even the top Android phones. It’s on par with the OnePlus 12 but 1500 nits brighter than the iQOO 12.
I tested it under bright sunlight and had no trouble seeing the screen. Plus, the device stayed cool during use. The 144Hz refresh rate makes scrolling through the phone incredibly smooth. The panel is solid overall — the colors are vibrant, and the viewing angles are excellent. What impressed me the most was the display’s speed and responsiveness, especially while gaming.
If you watch movies and shows or even just YouTube videos on the phone, you’ll not be disappointed. What makes the experience even better are the phone’s speakers, which are pretty loud. It uses a modern hybrid stereo setup, with two speakers placed on the top and bottom sides behind dedicated grilles.
That said, the speakers aren’t flawless. The audio is decent but not amazing — the vocals are clear, and the highs are fine, but the bass is pretty weak, leaving the sound feeling a little shallow.
iQOO 13 Camera Review
The iQOO 13 packs what appears to be a flagship-grade camera setup on the back, including a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 50MP telephoto for 2x optical zoom.
There is a single front camera — a 32MP sensor. I have mixed feelings about this camera setup. The main camera and ultrawide are largely unchanged. The ultrawide, in fact, is better on the iQOO 12. It clicks brighter pictures and captures more details.
However, the telephoto shooter has gone through a downgrade. The iQOO 12 had a 64MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and 10x lossless zoom.
I found myself using the 3x optical zoom a lot on the iQOO 12, especially for stills and close-ups, but the iQOO 13’s 2x optical zoom feels a little too wide for my liking. Also, while the iQOO 13’s zoom lens works great to add bokeh and dramatic blur to portraits, it cannot shoot long distances like the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It also had more difficulty focusing on close subjects, resulting in blurry macros and some food shots that needed retakes.
The main camera captures sharp, detailed images with good dynamic range and contrast. It does a solid job of capturing accurate colors, both during the day and at night. However, I’ve noticed that the images come out a bit brighter after processing than they appeared when taken.
If you want a camera that clicks bright and cool pictures, somewhat similar to the Pixel 9, the iQOO 13 is a great option. But if you’re looking for extreme accuracy in color and detail, you might want to consider other options.
Video capturing is also pretty solid on the iQOO 13.
All three rear cameras can shoot up to 4K video at 60fps, while the main camera also supports 8K video at 30fps. The selfie camera is limited to 1080p at 30fps. Electronic stabilization is available on all rear cameras and frame rates except for 8K.
There’s also an ultra-stabilization mode, which comes in handy when recording video while moving or in a car.
iQOO 13 Processor & Performance
iQOO is marketing the iQOO 13 as a gaming phone, even claiming it can rival a PC. The smartphone packs the Snapdragon 8 Elite under the hood — the successor to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but with huge improvements. It features 8 Oryon cores, divided into two Prime cores and six Performance cores.
Unlike the Cortex cores found in MediaTek and Samsung chipsets, these are Qualcomm’s in-house designs. However, they’re not the same Oryon cores seen in the Snapdragon X Elite for laptops. These are second-generation tailored for mobile. The two Prime cores clock in at up to 4.32GHz, which is incredible for a pocket-sized device.
For context, this clock speed outpaces Apple’s A18 Pro, which tops out at 4.05GHz. Meanwhile, the Dimensity 9400’s Cortex-X925 falls behind at 3.63GHz.
This powerhouse supports up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Fun fact: the M3 MacBook Air I’m using to write this review only has 8GB of RAM.
Working alongside Qualcomm’s processor, iQOO is deploying a 7K Ultra VC Cooling System, which features its largest vapor chamber to date, extending coverage to both the main camera and battery compartments. This setup aims to ensure the device stays cool even during extended gaming sessions or heavy multitasking.
I’m not really a fan of mobile gaming, but I spent a good amount of time playing games like Genshin Impact, BGMI, and Asphalt Legends on the iQOO 13. If you’re familiar with mobile games, you know these titles push smartphones to their limit. I was able to run all of these games without any frame drops, issues, or heating problems over extended play.
Benchmark scores tell the same story. On Geekbench 6, the iQOO 13 hit 9,372 in the multi-core test and 2,965 in the single-core test. That’s a big jump from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered iQOO 12, which scored 7,006 and 2,273, respectively.
For GPU performance, the iQOO 13 pulled off 6,684 points in 3DMark’s 1440p Wild Life Extreme test, with an average frame rate of 40.03 FPS. I also ran the Wild Life Stress Test, which posted a ‘best loop’ score of 20,899 with 60.6% stability.
In comparison, the iQOO 12 got 4,958 points in the Wild Life Extreme test (29.69 FPS average) and a best loop score of 16,727 with 70.6% stability in the Stress Test.
Battery Life and Charging Speed
The one thing I value most in a smartphone is fast charging. I think it’s a gift from the tech gods. Samsung and Apple can keep their $1,000 phones, which take forever (okay, like two hours) to charge. I want a phone that goes from zero to 100 while I’m making coffee and eggs, and the iQOO 13 does just that.
I’m not even kidding. It charges from zero to full in half an hour, and that’s with a massive 6,000mAh battery.
For comparison, the iQOO 12 has a 5,000mAh battery, the OnePlus 12 steps it up to 5,400mAh, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra still sticks with 5,000mAh.
I charge it once in the morning and easily pull 10-12 hours of screen time (I know I’m on my phone too much). If you’re a lighter user, you could probably go two days on a single charge.
The Bottom Line
The iQOO 13 is easily a solid pick in the mid-range segment and a great alternative to phones like the OnePlus 12 or even the upcoming OnePlus 13.
The only real downsides here are the lack of wireless charging and the downgraded telephoto camera. If those are deal-breakers for you, you might want to wait for the OnePlus 13 or consider one of the newer Pixel 9 models.
