Yesterday, the iQOO 13 flagship smartphone made its debut in China, showcasing the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and it is already available for purchase. Today, iQOO announced that this new flagship has achieved a record for first-day sales, outperforming all previous models from the brand.
Sales Success
Although the company hasn't disclosed the specific first-day sales figures, many online users have suggested that the attractive starting price plays a crucial role in this success. The iQOO 13 launched at a price of 3999 yuan (about $561) for the 12GB + 256GB variant, which is the same starting price as the iQOO 12.
Pricing Strategy
This pricing strategy surprised many, as expectations leaned towards higher costs for smartphones equipped with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which is said to be 25-30% more expensive to produce compared to its predecessor. In contrast, the OnePlus 13, which is set to launch later today, is projected to have a price increase of 500 yuan ($70).
Specifications Overview
The iQOO 13 boasts a 6.78-inch Quad HD+ curved BOE Q10 LTPO AMOLED screen with a resolution of 3168×1440 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio. It supports HDR10+ and features a variable refresh rate that goes up to 144Hz. This display can show 1.07 billion colors, covers the DCI-P3 color gamut, and achieves brightness levels of 1800 nits in HBM mode, reaching a peak brightness of 4500 nits, along with a 2592Hz PWM dimming for seamless visuals.
Under the hood, the iQOO 13 is driven by an Octa-Core Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm SoC, offering options for either 12GB or 16GB of RAM, and storage configurations of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB with UFS 4.0 technology. It runs Android 15 and comes with OriginOS 5.0 for the Chinese market and Funtouch OS 15 for international users. Additionally, the device is equipped with a 6150mAh battery that supports an impressive 120W ultra-fast flash charging.
Camera Capabilities
The iQOO 13 includes dual SIM support (nano + nano) and features a robust camera array. This includes a 50MP main camera that utilizes a 1/1.49” Sony IMX921 sensor with an f/1.88 aperture, OIS, and LED flash. There’s also a 50MP ultra-wide camera with a 150° field of view and an f/2.0 aperture, along with a 50MP telephoto camera that offers a 119.4° field of view, an f/1.85 aperture, OIS, and up to 4x lossless zoom. For selfies, users will find a 32MP front camera with an f/2.45 aperture.
Extra features include an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, an infrared sensor, USB Type-C audio, and stereo speakers that deliver Hi-Fi sound. The device is also rated IP68/IP69 for dust and water resistance.
