iQOO 13 Review: A Flagship That Offers Incredible Value and Performance
- Admin
- Dec 4, 2024
- 4 min read
Price in India: Rs. 54,999
iQOO, a sub-brand of Vivo, has carved a niche for itself in the smartphone market by delivering high-performance devices that offer great value for money. After the success of the iQOO 12, the brand returns with its latest flagship, the iQOO 13. This new model is designed to take on the best with the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC and some key upgrades, including a new display, a larger battery, and a refreshed design. Let’s dive into whether the iQOO 13 is worth the price tag.
iQOO 13 Design: Premium and Stylish
Dimensions: 163.37x76.71x8.13mm
Weight: 213g
Colors: Nardo Grey and Legend
The iQOO 13 sports a sleek rectangular design, feeling surprisingly compact despite its size. It resembles last year’s iQOO 12 but with subtle enhancements. The matte finish glass rear panel and chamfered sides give it a premium look, while the flat aluminium frame with rounded edges adds comfort. However, the rear panel is slippery, though the included case adds some security.
In terms of aesthetics, the Legend variant stands out with its subtle BMW M Motorsport partnership details, such as the BMW M badge. The device’s thin 8.1mm profile is complemented by a protruding rear camera module that features an RGB LED strip, the “Monster Halo,” which lights up for notifications or gaming alerts.
The iQOO 13 is also IP68/IP69 water and dust resistant, making it more durable than its predecessor. It features a standard layout with the power and volume buttons on the right, the SIM tray and USB Type-C port at the bottom, and stereo speakers on the top and bottom frames.
iQOO 13 Display: Big, Bright, and Everything Right
Size: 6.82-inch, 2K resolution
Type: Q10 AMOLED, 144Hz refresh rate
Protection: Schott Xensation Alpha
The iQOO 13’s display is a marked improvement over the iQOO 12, especially in brightness. The 144Hz AMOLED panel boasts an impressive 1,800 nits HBM (high brightness mode) and 4,500 nits peak brightness, making it more visible under direct sunlight. The larger 6.82-inch display is great for gaming and media consumption, with slim bezels and a centered hole-punch camera.
Color reproduction is vivid, and the display supports HDR10 for a dynamic viewing experience. The addition of a fast and reliable ultrasonic fingerprint scanner offers better security and ease of use.
iQOO 13 Software: Plenty of Customization and Some AI
OS: Android 15
UI: Funtouch OS 15
Security patch: 1 October 2024
Running on Android 15 with Funtouch OS 15, the iQOO 13 delivers a smooth and customizable software experience. While the phone doesn’t offer a heavy dose of AI features, it includes useful tools like AI erase and AI enhancement in the Gallery app, helping you enhance or remove unwanted elements in photos.
The device is expected to receive 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security patches, ensuring longevity in software support.
iQOO 13 Performance: Like a BMW M4, It Is Incredible
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite
RAM: 12/16GB LPDDR5x
Storage: 256/512GB UFS 4.1
GPU: Adreno 830
With the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the iQOO 13 sets a new standard for flagship performance. This powerhouse chip, coupled with a supercomputing chip from iQOO, makes the phone an absolute beast in terms of speed and gaming capabilities. It delivers smooth multitasking, faster app loading, and no lag in any scenario.
In benchmark tests, the iQOO 13 outperforms its competition, including the Realme GT 7 Pro, in nearly every category. For gaming, it runs even the most demanding titles like Genshin Impact and BGMI without breaking a sweat, maintaining high graphics settings and smooth gameplay.
iQOO 13 Cameras: Mostly Good
Primary: 50MP Sony IMX921
Telephoto: 50MP Sony IMX816, 2x optical zoom
Ultrawide: 50MP Samsung JN1
Selfie: 32MP Galaxycore GC32E1
The iQOO 13 comes with a triple rear camera setup that’s a step back from the iQOO 12, losing the periscope telephoto lens in favor of a 2x optical zoom lens. Despite this, the primary camera performs excellently in both daylight and low-light conditions, delivering sharp and vibrant images with excellent white balance.
While the ultrawide camera offers good performance in daylight, it struggles in low light, with less consistent colors. The front camera, with its higher resolution, offers detailed and well-balanced selfies, though low-light performance is slightly softer.
The iQOO 13 supports 8K video recording, with detailed and sharp results, but stabilization could be better, especially in 8K mode. 4K video offers smoother results with ultra stabilization, and low-light video capture is impressive as well.
iQOO 13 Battery: Excellent
Capacity: 6,000mAh
Charging: 120W
Charger: Included in the box
The 6,000mAh battery on the iQOO 13 delivers exceptional longevity, easily lasting up to two days on light usage. Even under heavy usage with QHD resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and 50% brightness, the phone lasted around 29 hours in our HD video loop test.
Charging is incredibly fast, thanks to the 120W FlashCharge technology, fully charging the phone in just 46 minutes. While there’s no wireless charging, the fast wired charging speeds are more than sufficient for most users.
iQOO 13 Verdict
If you’re looking for one of the best-performing smartphones in the market, the iQOO 13 should be at the top of your list. With incredible performance, a large battery, a solid set of cameras, and a gorgeous display, it offers great value for its price. Starting at Rs. 54,999, it’s hard to find a competitor that matches its overall performance, especially the Realme GT 7 Pro. However, if camera performance is your priority, the GT 7 Pro may be the better choice. Otherwise, the iQOO 13 is a stellar all-rounder, and it’s definitely worth considering.
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