Samsung Galaxy S26 FE vs iQOO 15
iQOO 15 wins 3 of 5. Buy Samsung Galaxy S26 FE if you want the longest software support and to spend less. Buy iQOO 15 if you want better photos, longer battery life and more speed for games.
The short answer
- CameraiQOO 15. Takes the better photos: camera score 7 out of 10, against 6.
- BatteryiQOO 15. Lasts longer on a charge: battery score 9 out of 10, against 7. It has a 7000 mAh battery.
- SpeediQOO 15. Faster for games and heavy apps: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, speed score 10 out of 10, against 8.
- UpdatesSamsung Galaxy S26 FE. 7 years of updates promised.
- PriceSamsung Galaxy S26 FE. Costs 7% less.
Overall, iQOO 15 wins 3 of 5. The full details are below.
Side by side
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S26 FE | iQOO 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹79,999 | ₹85,999 |
| Launched | 27 August 2026 | 26 November 2025 |
| Software now | One UI 9 (Android 17) (same as launch) | OriginOS 6 (Android 16) (same as launch) |
| Rating | 7.9/10 | 8.8/10 |
| Battery | A full day for most people (about 14 hours 49 minutes in GSMArena's test); 45W charging takes about 68 minutes. | Excellent battery life from 7000mAh, with 100W wired and 40W wireless charging. |
| Camera | Good 50MP main camera and a handy 3x zoom, but the zoom and wide-angle cameras are basic. | Strong main and 3x zoom cameras; the wide-angle and selfie cameras are less sharp. |
| Speed | Exynos 2500 is fast for apps and games and runs cooler than the S25 FE, though it slows under long heavy use. | Top Snapdragon chip with big cooling, though long-session performance dipped versus last year. |
| Catch | Only one 256GB version at ₹79,999 in India, little changed from the S25 FE, and the cable port is now slow USB 2.0. | Speakers are underwhelming, and the India price has risen well above launch. |
| Updates | 7 years | 5 years |
Full specifications (tap to open)
Every spec side by side
| Spec | Samsung Galaxy S26 FE | iQOO 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.7-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2340) Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 1900 nits peak, HDR10+, Gorilla Glass Victus+ | 6.85-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED, 144Hz, 2600 nits HBM, 6000 nits peak, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ |
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 2500 (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) |
| CPU | 10-core: 1x Cortex-X925 @ 3.3GHz + 2x Cortex-A725 @ 2.74GHz + 5x Cortex-A725 @ 2.36GHz + 2x Cortex-A520 @ 1.8GHz | 2x Oryon V3 Phoenix L @ 4.6GHz + 6x Oryon V3 Phoenix M @ 3.62GHz |
| Graphics (GPU) | Samsung Xclipse 950 | Adreno 840 |
| AI chip (NPU) | Exynos NPU (TOPS not officially stated) | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (TOPS not officially stated) |
| RAM and storage | 8GB RAM, 256GB (UFS 4.0; RAM type not officially stated) | 12GB RAM, 256GB (UFS 4.1) |
| Battery | 4900 mAh | 7000 mAh |
| Charging | 45W wired (69% in 30 min, full in about 68 min), 15W Qi2 wireless, reverse wireless | 100W wired (PPS, PD), 40W wireless, bypass charging |
| Cameras | 50MP main (f/1.8, 1/1.56", Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) + 8MP 3x telephoto (f/2.4, OIS) + 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2, 123 degrees); 12MP front | 50 MP main (1/1.56", f/1.9, 24mm, OIS) + 50 MP periscope telephoto (1/1.95", f/2.6, 85mm, 3x optical, OIS) + 50 MP ultrawide (1/2.76", f/2.1, 15mm, AF); 32 MP selfie |
| Water and dust | IP68 (1.5m for 30 mins) | IP68/IP69 |
| Size and weight | 7.4mm thick, 193g | 8.1mm thick, 215g |
| Software | One UI 9 (Android 17) at launch, One UI 9 (Android 17) now | OriginOS 6 (Android 16) at launch, OriginOS 6 (Android 16) now |
| Updates | 7 years promised | 5 years promised |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, USB-C 2.0 (no wired DisplayPort or DeX), no 3.5mm jack | Wi-Fi 7 (dual-band), Bluetooth 6.0 (aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LHDC 5), NFC, IR blaster, USB-C 3.2 |
| Modem | Integrated Exynos 5G modem (model not officially stated) | Integrated Snapdragon 5G modem (model not officially stated) |
| Speakers and haptics | Stereo speakers (rated Good by GSMArena, -26.6 LUFS); haptics not detailed | Stereo speakers (GSMArena calls them underwhelming), Snapdragon Sound, Hi-Res audio; Monster Halo rear lighting; haptics not detailed |
| Screen flicker (PWM) | Not officially stated | PWM dimming (rate not officially stated); touch sampling not officially stated |
| Cooling | No vapour chamber mentioned; GSMArena found it keeps 62 to 68% of peak speed under long stress tests | 8K vapour chamber with 8,000 sq mm heat dissipation area |
| Colours | Blueberry, Graphite, Pistachio | Legend, Alpha Black |
Where to buy
- Samsung Galaxy S26 FE₹79,999
- iQOO 15₹85,999
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Waiting for a better price?See it here next time you open Tuvvo if any of these phones drops in price.
Common questions
- Which is better, Samsung Galaxy S26 FE or iQOO 15?
- iQOO 15 wins 3 of 5 areas (camera, battery, speed, updates and price). Buy Samsung Galaxy S26 FE if you want the longest software support and to spend less. Buy iQOO 15 if you want better photos, longer battery life and more speed for games.
- Which has the better camera?
- iQOO 15 takes the better photos.
- Which has the better battery life?
- iQOO 15 lasts longer on a charge.
- Which is faster for gaming?
- iQOO 15 is faster for games and heavy apps.
- How much do they cost?
- Samsung Galaxy S26 FE costs ₹79,999, iQOO 15 costs ₹85,999.
- Which gets software updates for longer?
- Samsung Galaxy S26 FE: 7 years, now on One UI 9 (Android 17). iQOO 15: 5 years, now on OriginOS 6 (Android 16).