iQoo 13 review: Speed, style, and substance

iQoo 13

Over the last few years, iQoo has subtly managed to position itself as a powerful gaming phone. Every year with its flagship phones, the company keeps adding new features. With iQoo 13, iQoo’s gaming game (pun intended) remains strong as ever. The latest phone from iQoo has a lot of gaming features along with upgrades to the display as well as performance.

However, in the under Rs 60,000 segment, competition is getting fierce. We used the iQoo 13 for a while to see how the smartphone fares. Here’s our detailed review:

iQoo 13 review: Design, display

The iQoo 13 doesn’t really deviate from the design that has become the norm for smartphones. It has a sleek and rectangular design and even though it looks big, the phone is easy to hold and operate with a single hand.

The back is all-glass with sides being chamfered whereas the flat aluminum frame comes with rounded edges. All-glass back means that it can be a bit slippery but grip is quite firm. iQoo has given, a clear textured case. Our review unit was the Legend version and its back panel is quite smudge-resistant.

The iQoo 13 is quite a slim phone and measures at 8.1mm of thickness. iQoo has added a new RGB LED strip — pretentiously called Monster Halo. Think of it as a notification light, which also gives it some flash when you are gaming. The brightness levels are optimum but nothing great.

The iQoo 13 comes with an an IP68/IP69 rating, which means it can handle dust and water with relative ease. The buttons are at the usual spots — power and volume buttons are on the right side of the frame. At the bottom, you will find a SIM tray, the Type-C port,  a loudspeaker, and a microphone. There’s also a second loudspeaker and an extra microphone at the top — comes in handy for gaming. There’s an IR blaster in the back camera module and NFC support for extra features.

The iQoo 13’s display is a major upgrade from its predecessor. It’s got a 144Hz refresh rate and 2K resolution, but it’s even brighter now. It can reach 1,800 nits in high brightness mode and 4,500 nits in peak brightness mode, so you can see it even in the sun. The display is also a bit bigger, measuring 6.82 inches compared to the iQoo 12’s 6.78 inches. The bezels are slim and uniform, and there’s a hole-punch cutout for the front camera. The screen is super responsive with a 300Hz touch sampling rate.

The display also has some neat features. It can display 10-bit colours, support HDR10, and stream HD content with Widevine L1 certification. You can choose from three refresh rate options: Smart Switch (Auto), Standard (60Hz), and High (144Hz). You can also switch between full-HD and QHD resolutions and select from Standard, Professional, Bright, or Adaptive color modes. The display is great for gaming and watching videos, with vibrant colors and sharp visuals. It also has some eye protection settings and holds dual TUV certifications.

The iQoo 13 has an all- new fingerprint scanner, which is an ultrasonic one, replacing the old optical one from the iQoo 12. It’s right at the bottom of the screen, and it works really well. It’s fast and accurate, so you can unlock your phone in no time.

iQoo 13 review: Performance

The iQoo 13 is all about performance, just like its predecessors. It’s got the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, which makes it a breeze to handle demanding tasks and games. You can play at the highest settings without any lag or stuttering. And guess what? It also has iQoo’s Q2 supercomputing chip, which makes gaming even better while saving power. So, if you’re a gamer, this phone is will give you some edge.

Even in everyday use, the iQoo 13 is an impressive performer. The animations are smooth, the apps load quickly, and multitasking is a breeze. It can handle even the most intense tasks without any problems.

Gaming on the iQoo 13 is a lot of fun. Titles like Call of Duty: Mobile, Shadow Fight: 4 run smoothly, even at the highest settings. But it’s not only about games running smoothly as a lot of devices do that but struggle at handling the heat.

The iQoo 13 ensures smooth gameplay even in graphically demanding titles. Its cooling system effectively handles heat during marathon sessions, while dedicated gaming features like enhanced haptic feedback and game optimization modes elevate the experience

The smartphone does a fine job when it comes to thermal management. During intense gaming sessions, some lasting more than they should have, the phone stayed cool and smooth. The frame did get warm, but the 7,000 mm² Vapor Chamber kept things under control.

The iQoo 13 has the latest Funtouch OS 15, which is based on Android 15. iQoo has promised to keep the OS updated for 4 years and the security patches for 5 years, so you can be sure you’ll have a long-lasting software experience. The interface is clean and easy to use, with the standard set of preinstalled apps and games. You can easily remove any apps or games you don’t want.

While there isn’t much bloatware, the phone doesn’t have any advanced AI-driven features yet, which is something that other companies are starting to focus on. But iQoo is expected to add new AI features in the future.

Not that there are zero AI features. For instance, the Gallery app has some cool AI tools, like AI Erase and AI Enhancement. AI Erase lets you remove unwanted objects, people, or distractions from photos, and it works pretty well. AI Enhancement helps reduce blur in photos, and it did a reasonable job. Other software features include Google’s Circle to Search, Live Transcribe, and a Dynamic Light option for changing the LED lights on the back.

The iQoo 13 has a strong battery life. With just a little use, it can last up to two whole days on a single charge. Charging is also super fast with support for 120W FlashCharge technology. It charges from 1% to 100% in just 46 minutes, hitting 69% in just 30 minutes and 30% in only 10 minutes. The phone does warm up a bit during charging, but you can turn on optimized charging in the Battery settings to help it last longer.

iQoo 13 review: Camera

The iQoo 13 boasts a comprehensive triple-camera system. The primary camera is a 50 MP Sony IMX921 sensor, featuring an f/1.88 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS). The telephoto camera has a 50 MP Sony IMX816 sensor, equipped with an f/1.85 aperture and providing 2x optical zoom capabilities. You also get an ultra-wide camera with a50 MP Samsung JN1 sensor, boasting an f/2.0 aperture. At the front, there’s 32MP camera which iQoo claims is designed for close-up photography with an f/2.45 aperture.

The camera on the iQoo 13 is pretty good but not amongst the best in tis price range. iQoo has made some ‘downgrades’ in comparison to the iQoo 12.

The iQoo 12 had a periscope telephoto sensor, but the iQoo 13 has a regular telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. Though iQoo has made the front camera better for sharper selfies. The FuntouchOS camera app is easy to use and has lots of different modes.

The main camera is great for both daytime and nighttime photos. Daytime photos are sharp and colourful, with good white balance and a wide dynamic range. And at night, the camera still manages to keep details and colors looking good.

The ultra-wide sensor captures sharp and detailed photos under good lighting conditions. However, images tend to appear darker, and the colors often don’t match those from the primary camera, leading to some inconsistency.

The iQoo 13’s front camera, however, is one of the best out there. It captures a lot of details with great colour balance in bright light. In low light, selfies are still pretty good, but they’re a bit softer and less detailed.

The iQoo 13 can record 8K videos at 30 frames per second using the main camera. The videos are detailed and vibrant, but they can be a bit shaky because of the standard stabilization. If you want to keep things steady, you can switch to 1080p at 60 frames per second.

iQoo 13 review: Verdict

The iQoo 13 offers impressive performance across the board. There’s also great battery life, a versatile camera setup, a bright and sharp display, and super-fast charging. The iQoo 13 starts at Rs 54,999, and it has a lot going for it. If you’re looking for the Android flagship experience, the iQoo 13 is a fine choice under Rs 60,000.