The Gaming Beast is Real: iQOO 15 Ultra Debuts with Active Cooling and a 7,400mAh Battery

Wednesday, 04 February 2026 at 18:53

The wait for a true "everything" phone might just be over. After weeks of leaks, the iQOO 15 Ultra has officially landed, and it’s a monster. Breaking away from the usual "Pro" cycle, iQOO has introduced its first-ever Ultra model, and it feels like a love letter to power users who are tired of compromise. It’s not just about the raw speed of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5; it’s about how this device handles that power without turning into a hand warmer.

Engineering a Cooler Flagship

Most phones use vapor chambers that eventually reach their limit. The iQOO 15 Ultra changes the game with its "Ice Dome" active cooling system. We’re talking about a physical, 17x17mm fan spinning at high speeds to exhaust heat through a side vent. I’ve seen fans in gaming-only phones like the RedMagic, but those often skip on water resistance. Shockingly, iQOO kept the IP68 and IP69 ratings here. You get a literal air intake without the fear of a splash killing your phone—a feat that honestly makes the competition look a bit stagnant.

In real-world terms, this means you can play Honor of Kings or Genshin Impact at a locked 144fps while charging, and the back of the phone barely cracks 42°C. It’s a specialized experience that transforms mobile gaming into something closer to a portable console.

The Battery King of 2026

While the fan is the flashy part, the battery is the unsung hero. Packing a 7,400mAh cell into an 8.7mm frame is nothing short of a miracle. For context, most flagships are still stuck in the 5,000 to 5,500mAh range. iQOO is using a high-density silicon-anode battery that provides massive capacity without the bulk.

Charging is equally aggressive. With 100W wired and 40W wireless support, you aren’t tethered to a wall for long. When you combine this endurance with the Samsung M14 "Everest" display, which peaks at a blinding 8,000 nits, you have a screen that’s visible even in direct midday sun without draining your battery in an hour.

Versatility Beyond Gaming

Fortunately, the "Ultra" name extends to the cameras. Unlike many gaming-focused rigs, this features a triple 50MP setup. The IMX921 main sensor and the 3x periscope telephoto mean your vacation photos will look just as sharp as your gameplay clips. It feels like the first time a company has taken the "gamer" aesthetic and refined it into a luxury tool that anyone—from photographers to long-haul travelers—would actually want to carry.

iQOO 15 Ultra specifications

6.85-inch (3168×1440 pixels) 2K+ curved Samsung M14 8T LTPO AMOLED 20:9 aspect ratio screen with HDR10+, 144Hz variable refresh rate, 1.07 billion colors, DCI-P3 color gamut, up to 2600 nits brightness in HBM mode, up to 8000 nits peak brightness, 2160Hz PWM dimming + DC Dimming, Dolby Vision
Octa Core Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 3nm SoC with Adreno 840 GPU, Q3 Gaming chip
16GB / 24GB LPDDR5X Ultra Pro RAM with 256GB / 512GB / 1TB (UFS 4.1) storage
Android 16 with OriginOS 6.0
Dual SIM (nano + nano)
50MP camera with 1/ 1.49″ Sony IMX921 sensor, f/1.88 aperture, OIS, LED flash, 50MP 150° ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.0 aperture, 50MP 3x periscope telephoto camera with 1/1.95″ Sony IMX882 sensor, f/2.65 aperture, Sony sensor, OIS
32MP front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture
In-display 3D Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, infrared sensor
USB Type-C audio, Stereo speakers, Hi-Fi audio
Dimensions: 163.65× 76.80×8.7mm;Weight: 227g
Dust and Water resistance (IP68+IP69)
5G SA/NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 7 802.11 be, Bluetooth 6.0, GPS: L1+L5, Beidou: B1C+B1I+B2a, GLONASS: G1, Galileo: E1+E5a, QZSS: L1+L5, USB Type-C 3.2 Gen1, NFC
7400mAh battery with 100W ultra-fast flash charging, 40W wireless charging