iQOO 13 Launched: Most Affordable Snapdragon 8 Elite With Monster Halo
After several rumors and leaks, iQOO has made its most powerful device of the year official, the iQOO 13. It is one of the first devices on the market to come equipped with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite platform. Unlike previous years, the Chinese manufacturer chose to eliminate the Pro variant and bring only one model in 2024. The iQOO 13 focuses on high-level performance and brings together impressive specifications, but without forgetting the competitive price proposal.
Decent look with a impressive specs
At first sight, the iQOO 13 may remind you of its predecessor, but the company has made some refinements. A new feature called the “Monster Halo” has been added, which introduces a customizable lighting effect system surrounding the camera module. This lighting system adjusts to various gaming scenarios, offering a total of 72 different effects, so users can give their phone a unique look.
In terms of design, the device features an aviation-grade aluminum frame and the largest vapor chamber in iQOO's history with a dual unit. According to the Chinese manufacturer, the boot speed is 3 times faster than other solutions in the industry, which significantly improves the efficiency of the thermal cycle. The iQOO 13 comes with an IP69 IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.
The iQOO 13 features a 6.78-inch BOE LTPO AMOLED Q10 display, Quad HD+ resolution (3,168 x 1,440 pixels), 144Hz variable refresh rate, DCI-P3 gamut with 1.07 billion colors, 4,500 nits peak brightness, and 2,592Hz PWM.
Under the hood, there's Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite platform manufactured in 3-nanometer lithography with 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.0 internal storage. The flagship also features the Q2 chip developed by vivo that promises advanced gaming performance and 144 native FPS. The manufacturer announced that iQOO 13 can achieve 3,159,448 million AnTuTu points.
In the photography set, the iQOO 13 has a 50-megapixel Sony IMX921 main sensor, a 50-megapixel Samsung S5KJN1 ultrawide sensor, and a 50-megapixel Sony IMX816 telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. For selfies and video calls, it features a 32-megapixel front-facing camera.
For power, there is a 6,150mAh battery unit up from the 5,000mAh in its predecessor and uses Vivo's third-generation silicon cathode technology. Despite such a large capacity, the phone has a fairly thin body. What's more, the 100W charger that comes with the device also supports PD output. According to iQOO, the device goes from 0 to 100% in 30 minutes when plugged in. However,it does not support wireless charging.
In terms of operating system, the iQOO 13 comes with Android 15 operating system under the OriginOS 5.0 interface out of the box. Other features include 5G connectivity, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, GPS, and USB-C port.
The IQOO 13 is available in four colors: black, white (BMW Motorsport), gray, and green. In addition, there are five configuration options to choose from, the pricing for each variant is as follows:
- 12GB/256GB - CNY 3,999 ($560)
- 16GB/256GB - CNY 4,299 ($605)
- 12GB/512GB - CNY 4,499 ($631)
- 16GB/512GB - CNY 4,699 ($660)
- 16GB/1TB ---- CNY 5,199 ($730)
The first sales will start in China on November 5. Then, as expected, the new product will follow in other target markets for the brand.
