iQOO 13 Assessment: Redefining Flagship Worth

iQOO, a sub-brand of Vivo, is understood for making telephones which are performance-focused and worth for cash. After the success of the iQOO 12 from final 12 months, the model is now again with one other flagship, which, on paper, looks like one other efficiency monster. The iQOO 13 is the most recent telephone from the model, and it is one of many first telephones to launch in India with the Snapdragon Eight Elite SoC. Aside from utilizing the top-of-the-line flagship processor from Qualcomm, the 13 additionally brings a brand new show, bigger battery, and barely up to date design.

The iQOO 13 is now barely costlier than the outgoing mannequin, beginning at Rs. 54,999 for the bottom variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage and Rs. 59,999 for the 16GB 512GB choice. On this assessment, we will inform you if it is value the additional money.

iQOO 13 Design: Premium and classy

• Dimensions – 163.37×76.71×8.13mm
• Weight – 213g
• Colors – Nardo Gray and Legend

The iQOO 13 is a handsome rectangular slab that, regardless of its measurement, would not really feel large in hand. Whereas it seems similar to final 12 months’s iQOO 12 (Assessment), there are some modifications. The telephone will get a matte/satin end glass rear panel with chamfered sides and a flat aluminium body with curved, rounded edges. The rear panel is slippery, however the shiny body offers a considerably safe grip. You do get a transparent grippy case within the bo, although. The body has a metallic end to it and gathers fingerprints, however the rear panel on our Legend variant retains the fingerprints and smudges away. The Nardo Gray choice is, sadly, a fingerprint magnet.

The rear panel has a matte end

iQOO exhibits off its partnership with BMW M Motorsport on the Legend variant in a really refined method. The rear panel is generally plain, with simply the iQOO emblem on the backside and the BMW M badge. The white model, aka Legend, seems and feels elegant. The eye to element is great.

The telephone is simply 8.1mm thick, however the rear digicam module does protrude out. The module now has an RGB LED strip referred to as ‘Monster Halo’. You need to use the strip as a notification gentle or whereas gaming. It is not very shiny, nevertheless it does the job of notifying you.

You need to use the LED strip across the digicam island as a notification gentle

iQOO 13 now comes with an IP ranking. It will get IP68/IP69 ingress safety towards mud and water. We eliminated the SIM tray and located that it makes use of a rubber seal. The telephone homes its energy and quantity buttons on the proper body. You may discover the SIM tray, USB Kind-C port, and a loudspeaker on the backside, together with a microphone. The highest homes the second loudspeaker and one other microphone. The telephone additionally has an IR blaster contained in the rear digicam module and NFC help.

iQOO 13 Show: Huge, shiny, and the whole lot proper

• Dimension – 6.82-inch, 2K decision
• Kind – Q10 AMOLED, 144Hz refresh fee, 300Hz contact sampling fee
• Safety – Schott Xensation Alpha

The show on the iQOO 13 is a pleasant improve over the iQOO 12, primarily in a single key space – brightness. You continue to get an 8T LTPO AMOLED panel with a 144Hz refresh fee and 2K decision, however the brightness has been boosted to 1,800 nits HBM (excessive brightness mode) and 4,500 nits peak brightness. This equates to higher outside visibility, even underneath a shiny solar. The show measurement can also be barely larger – 6.82-inch in comparison with 6.78-inch on the 12. The bezels are slim and uniform throughout, and also you get a centred hole-punch digicam cutout on the prime. The panel additionally affords a 300Hz contact sampling fee.

The show is shiny outside and affords good viewing angles

Different show options are principally much like final 12 months and embrace 10-bit color, HDR10 help, and Widevine L1 for HD streaming. You get three refresh fee modes – Sensible Swap (Auto), Commonplace (60Hz), and Excessive (144Hz). The telephone additionally helps you to change between full-HD and QHD decision. As for the colors, you possibly can select between Commonplace, Skilled, Vivid, or Adaptive color. The show is great for gaming and watching movies with good color output. It additionally affords a number of eye safety options and will get two TUV certifications.

You may discover a new and improved ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on the iQOO 13, a step up from the usual optical unit discovered on the 12. The scanner was quick and correct all through the assessment interval. It was additionally positioned at a snug top from the underside of the show.

iQOO 13 Software program: Loads of customisation and a few AI

• OS – Android 15
• UI – Funtouch OS 15
• Newest safety patch – 1 October 2024

The iQOO 13 runs the most recent Funtouch OS 15, primarily based on Android 15. iQOO has promised Four years of OS updates and 5 years of safety patches. The telephone affords a principally clear software program expertise aside from a number of preinstalled apps and video games. Fortunately, all of this may be uninstalled. There’s not a variety of bloatware on the telephone, however there’s additionally not a variety of AI options on the system, particularly when your entire smartphone trade is after AI. IQOO will possible begin bringing new AI options with future software program updates.

The telephone will get updates till Android 19

For now, you get AI erase and AI enhancement instruments within the Gallery app, which do proper by their title. The AI erase helps you to take away objects, folks, and distractions from a picture, and it carried out fairly effectively after we tried it. The AI enhancement software, in the meantime, tries to eliminate blur from footage and likewise did a good job in our testing. Aside from this, you get Google’s Circle to Search, Reside Transcribe, and a Dynamic Gentle function to regulate the LED array on the again.

iQOO 13 Efficiency: Like a BMW M4, it’s unimaginable

• Processor – Snapdragon Eight Elite
• RAM – 12/16GB LPDDR5x
• Storage – 256/512GB UFS 4.1
• GPU – Adreno 830

iQOO has all the time gone after efficiency figures and delivering a brilliant easy gaming expertise on its quantity collection, which continues with the 13. The iQOO 13 can run any sport you throw at it, and it will possibly run the sport on the highest graphics settings doable. The brand new Snapdragon Eight Elite SoC is tremendous quick, and utilizing the telephone is like driving a BMW M4 or M2 Competitors. The chip incorporates a new core format in comparison with final 12 months’s Snapdragon Eight Gen Three and makes use of customized Oryon cores that provide as much as 4.32GHz clock speeds. You additionally get a brand new Q2 supercomputing chip developed by iQOO that’s stated to enhance gaming efficiency whereas being environment friendly.

Gaming is tremendous enjoyable on the iQOO 13

If we discuss numbers, the iQOO 13 performs rather well in all artificial benchmarks. It additionally scores increased than its solely present competitor out there, the Realme GT 7 Professional, in most exams. In comparison with final 12 months’s 12, there are many enhancements.

Relating to real-world utilization, the telephone continues to carry out fantastically, and now we have by no means as soon as confronted any form of lag. Animations, app opening/loading, multi-tasking, and virtually each different process are a bit of cake for the iQOO 13.

As for gaming, the telephone is a simple suggestion. We ran a few video games, equivalent to BGMI and Genshin Impression, on the telephone. The latter ran easily on the Highest graphics setting and body fee. Even BGMI labored flawlessly when set to the utmost out there graphics choices.

By way of warmth, we had been additionally in a position to run the video games for over two hours with out working into any main points. Even a 3-hour gaming take a look at did not decelerate the telephone regardless of the body getting scorching to the contact. The telephone incorporates a 7,000 mm2 Vapor Chamber, which is what helps maintain the warmth underneath management.

iQOO 13 affords twin stereo audio system, and the sound output is fairly good. The audio system get loud and supply some bass as effectively. The earpiece and microphone additionally carry out very effectively, and we did not face any points throughout voice calls. Haptics on the telephone present respectable suggestions, nothing out of the abnormal. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth efficiency can also be prime notch, and we did not face any connectivity points throughout the assessment.

iQOO 13 Cameras: Principally good

• Main – 50-megapixel Sony IMX921, f/1.88, OIS
• Telephoto – 50-megapixel Sony IMX816, f/1.85, 2x optical zoom
• Ultrawide – 50-megapixel Samsung JN1, f/2.0
• Selfie – 32-megapixel Galaxycore GC32E1, f/2.45

The iQOO 13 comes with a triple rear digicam setup that is, in a method, a step again from what we obtained on the 12. You not get a periscope telephoto sensor, which was actually good on the predecessor. As a substitute, you now get a normal telephoto unit with 2x optical zoom. The entrance digicam now affords increased decision in comparison with the iQOO 12. The digicam app is your normal FuntouchOS affair, with most digicam modes only a faucet away.

You get triple 50-megapixel cameras

Whereas we have already carried out a quick overview (click on for samples) on the digicam efficiency of the iQOO 13, the place we have talked concerning the main digicam and the telephoto, as seen within the overview, the first digicam does an amazing job in each day and night time scenes, producing sharp, vibrant, and adequately detailed photos. The white steadiness and dynamic vary are good, and the color replica is near pure. There’s nothing to complain about with the principle digicam’s efficiency in daylight situations. In low gentle situations, the digicam continues to do effectively and manages to protect particulars. The photographs even have good white steadiness and dynamic vary. 

Let’s discuss concerning the ultrawide digicam. Photographs from the sensor prove sharp and detailed in daylight situations. Nonetheless, the pictures are typically darker and the colors are inconsistent with the principle digicam.

Ultrawide daylight pictures (Out of doors and Indoor) [Tap to expand]

Relating to low-light efficiency, the ultrawide digicam produces photos with softer particulars, some noise, and darker colors.

The telephoto digicam is a downgrade (when it comes to sensor used) in comparison with the iQOO 12, however the iQOO now makes use of VCS (Vivo color science) for software program optimisation on the 13. It does a great job with 2x pictures, and there is loads of element, a large dynamic vary, and the colors are in step with the first digicam.

A 4x choice can also be out there within the digicam app, which crops into the 2x shot. Right here, the photographs do carry some softness, and you may discover a loss in particulars, however they’re nonetheless usable.

Low-light photographs from the 2x telephoto are respectable, however the 4x pictures function softer particulars and a few noise. You may examine the Portrait efficiency within the digicam overview.

4x Low gentle picture [Tap to expand]

Coming to the entrance digicam, selfies are detailed with good dynamic vary and white steadiness in daylight situations. Low-light selfies are respectable, with photos showing softer and darker.

By way of video efficiency, the iQOO 13 helps 8K recording at 30fps from the first rear digicam. The video is detailed and sharp with good colors and white steadiness, however you may discover shakiness as this mode solely helps normal stabilisation. You may solely use extremely stabilisation in 1080p 60fps movies. The 4K mode additionally produces well-detailed pictures with barely boosted colors. The primary digicam does a great job in relation to low-light video recording. Nonetheless, the ultrawide and 2x telephoto sensors aren’t nice for capturing movies.

iQOO 13 Battery: Wonderful

• Capability – 6,000mAh
• Charging – 120W
• Charger – 120W within the field

We had been extremely impressed by the battery efficiency on the iQOO 13, nevertheless it wasn’t stunning. The 6,000mAh battery on the telephone can simply last as long as 2 days with minimal utilization. In our HD video loop take a look at, the telephone lasted for round 29 hours, which is spectacular because the take a look at was performed with the decision set to QHD, refresh fee at 144Hz, and 50 % brightness.

The telephone costs to 100 % in round 45 minutes

Relating to charging, the telephone helps 120W FlashCharge expertise with a number of security measures in place. In our charging take a look at, the telephone took 46 minutes to cost from 1 to 100 %. The handset was in a position to attain a cost of 69 % in 30 minutes and 30 % in simply 10 minutes. Charging does warmth up the telephone a bit, and in case you are frightened about battery put on, you possibly can allow optimised charging in Battery settings. Sadly, the telephone nonetheless would not supply wi-fi charging help.

iQOO 13 Verdict

If you need one of many best-performing telephones presently out there out there, get the iQOO 13. The telephone affords unimaginable efficiency that you just will not discover in some other Android flagship presently out there in India. It additionally affords glorious battery life, a great set of cameras, an amazing massive show, and tremendous quick charging.

On the beginning worth of Rs. 54,999, no telephones can compete with the iQOO 13 when it comes to efficiency. The just lately launched Realme GT 7 Professional (Assessment) is the one true competitors because it’s the one different telephone with the Snapdragon Eight Elite SoC in India and is priced equally. If you need higher digicam efficiency, we would suggest the GT 7 Professional. For the whole lot else, the iQOO is a better option. Nonetheless, you possibly can anticipate upcoming telephones such because the OnePlus 13, which could possibly be priced equally and supply higher efficiency and cameras.