The first device from Vivo sub-brand iQOO — an acronym for “I Quest On and On” is pronounced “eye-coo” — is now official. And we were right; the iQOO phone hopes to make an impact on the mobile-gaming market, where there are fewer players and Google and Apple have yet to respond with dedicated devices of their own.

That said, you’re looking at Qualcomm Snapdragon 855-based internals, a vibrant OLED screen that stretches across the phone’s front face, an under-display fingerprint sensor, and a triple-camera set, among others.

SEE ALSO: Vivo V15 Pro with pop-up selfie camera now official

And like the competition, the iQOO boasts an LED strip on the back, which lights up whenever you get a notification or while gaming, as well as a vapor cooling system on the inside to keep the thermals under check and minimize throttling while playing graphically intensive games.

The software of the iQOO also introduces several features, including one that’s claimed to shorten app startup by up to 30 percent, to make your gaming life a bit more pleasant. Additionally, the phone has pressure-sensitive shoulder buttons on the frame that, presumably, you can map all kinds of in-game actions to.

On the front, the 6.41-inch screen comes with a waterdrop-style notch and a 2,340 x 1,080 resolution, for an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The single selfie camera is 12 megapixels. Around back, you get a 12-megapixel primary camera, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor for bokeh.

A 4,000mAh battery sits inside the iQOO, and it supports Vivo’s new 44-watt Super FlashCharge technology, which should top up the phone from zero to full capacity in about 45 minutes. This fast charging setup is not available on the base model with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, though.

iQOO gaming-phone prices and availability

So, how much does the iQOO gaming phone cost? The 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant is priced at ¥2,998 (around P23,198 or $447), while upgrading to 8GB RAM storage will run you ¥3,298 (P25,519 or $492) and ¥3,598 (P27,840 or $537) for 128GB and 256GB storage, respectively.

There’s also a “Monster” version with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage plus a faux carbon-fiber design for ¥4,298 (P33,257 or $641). Outside of the special edition, your color options are Electric Blue and Lava Orange.

The phone will go on sale in its native China from March 6, with an international release date to come later.

iQOO gaming-phone specs

• 6.41-inch display, 2,340 x 1,080 resolution (19.5:9)
• Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor
• Adreno 640 GPU
• 6GB/8GB/12GB RAM
• 128GB/256GB storage
• Triple 12-megapixel, 13-megapixel, and 2-megapixel rear cameras
• 12-megapixel front camera
• 4,000mAh battery with 44-watt fast charging via USB-C
• Fingerprint reader (in-display)
• Funtouch based on Android 9.0 Pie

Images via Weibo and SINA

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