The iQOO 13 is one of the first smartphones available in Malaysia to run on the new Snapdragon 8 Elite flagship chipset from Qualcomm. It’s also one of the cheapest flagships phones out there, starting at only RM3,499 for the 12GB+256GB variant and topping out at RM3,699 for the 16GB+512GB configuration.
Design-wise, it bears many similarities with its predecessor, with a big flat display, flat metal edges, and a large “squircle” camera module on the back. What’s different this time is the fact that it’s actually slightly bigger now and it even adds a gimmicky light ring surrounding the camera island.
The iQOO 13 sports a 6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 144Hz, a higher 2K resolution, an HDR peak brightness of 4,500 nits, and a global peak brightness of 1,800 nits. As you can imagine, it’s a pretty hefty glass bar that’s about 10g heavier than last year’s and a screen size that’s nearly impossible to use with one hand.
While the phone does rock a glass back, it’s thankfully made out of a very smooth matte finish that results in an anti-fingerprint design. Personally, I prefer the black colourway which doesn’t come with the gaudy BMW logo, but if that’s your thing, then the white version is also a good choise.
I appreciate the flatness of it all, aesthetic-wise, with the exception of the backplate which is slightly raised with subtle curves on each side to presumably make the phone more comfortable to hold. The flat sides use a very shiny and reflective metal finish, which I kind of like, but it makes me worried about the longevity because as with any shiny surface, scratches will likely be very visible and if you’re like me, I’d prefer not having to use a case if I can avoid it.
A minor complaint I usually have with smartphones that have a large camera bump is that it usually wobbles a lot when you put it on a table and that makes it hard to use without picking it up, but that’s not an issue with this since the size and shape of the bump pretty much stabilises the phone.
Speaking of the camera, this flagship contains a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 50MP telephoto lens with OIS and 2x optical zoom, a 50MP ultra-wide lens. Up front, there’s a 32MP selfie snapper which unfortunately does not have autofocus.
On the battery side, it gets a large improvement with a significantly bigger 6,150mAh capacity and support for the same 120W charging. The upgrade that I’ve been looking forward to the most is the new ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanner, which should offer faster and more accurate unlocking. I’ll be daily-driving the iQOO 13 for the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for a full review.
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