iQOO 13 is official, or how to get the Snapdragon 8 Elite experience for under $600

So, you want a piece of the Snapdragon 8 Elite action? You want to see what and how it feels like to use a flagship phone, but without breaking the bank. Yeah, don't we all. Turns out, there's a way to get the new Snapdragon 8 Elite experience for a price that's half of what one is expected to pay for the ~$1,200 Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example.

Well, maybe the just-released iQOO 13 is the right one for you.

There's a fine print detail, though. For now, it's only released in China, so you'll have to work out importing it overseas, if you're not based in the Far East. The phone is expected to launch in India soon, so maybe we'll get a global release as well? We'll keep you posted.

So, what's the iQOO 13 all about? Let's check it out.

Fast, faster, iQOO 13

Smartphones are crazy fast these days. They also have amazing cameras. The only thing that's left is a two-day battery life, but that's going to be a reality in 2025, as my colleague Victor argues in his excellent piece:

• The dream smartphone will finally become reality in 2025

Could the exotic iQOO 13 have what it takes to be your dream phone already in 2024? It's got top-shelf chipset, promising display, massive battery and 50 MP cameras.

Probably best of all is the asked price in China for this phone right now. The iQOO 13 hit the market at 3,999 yuan (approximately $561) for the 12/256 GB model. Same price as the iQOO 12. Nobody saw that coming.

Most folks figured they'd jack up the price, especially with the shiny new Snapdragon 8 Elite under the hood, a unit that’s certainly pricier than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, its predecessor. But iQOO (a sub-brand of Vivo's) didn’t budge. They kept it steady, like they’re daring anyone to doubt them.

The iQOO 13 comes equipped with a 6.78-inch Quad HD+ curved LTPO AMOLED display, delivering a 3168×1440 resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio.

An LTPO AMOLED display in smartphones allows for adaptive refresh rates, adjusting from high (like 144Hz) to low (as low as 1Hz) depending on the on-screen activity, which conserves battery life while maintaining smooth visuals. This technology combines the high color accuracy and brightness of AMOLED with the energy efficiency of LTPO, making it ideal for dynamic tasks like gaming and content streaming.

The iQOO 13's display supports HDR10+ and offers a variable refresh rate up to 144Hz, providing smooth visuals with up to 1.07 billion colors and it's claimed to reach brightness levels up to 1800 nits in high brightness mode, peaks at 4500 nits.

What's more, the iQOO 13 line has a model in it featuring Crystal Optical Glass. Apart from being called "clear and durable", some reports highlight that it includes an anti-reflective layer designed to enhance light transmittance and minimize reflections.

This development is promising, especially since we're in love with the glare-free display of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, it's worth noting that the Crystal Optical Glass and its anti-reflective properties are exclusive to the 16 GB + 1 TB model.

What else?

The iQOO 13 is available with 12 GB or 16 GB of RAM and storage options of 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB (UFS 4.0). It operates on Android 15, with the Chinese model running OriginOS 5.0 and the global model featuring Funtouch OS 15. It remains to be seen when a global launch will happen.

A 6150mAh battery supports 120W ultra-fast flash charging, providing significant power and fast recharges.

The camera system includes a 50 MP main camera with a 1/1.49" Sony IMX921 sensor, an f/1.88 aperture, OIS, and an LED flash. Additionally, it has a 50 MP ultra-wide camera with a 150° field of view and f/2.0 aperture, as well as a 50 MP telephoto lens with 119.4° field of view, f/1.85 aperture, OIS, and up to 4x lossless zoom.

The 32 MP front camera offers an f/2.45 aperture for selfies. Other features include an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, infrared sensor, USB Type-C audio, and Hi-Fi stereo speakers, along with IP68/IP69 dust and water resistance ratings.

Sounds promising, especially if you can get your hands on it easily, without paying too much for shipment and extra costs.