Apple iPhone Air vs iQOO 15
iQOO 15 wins 4 of 5. Buy Apple iPhone Air if you want the longest software support. Buy iQOO 15 if you want better photos, longer battery life, more speed for games and to spend less.
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 5. 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 9.
- UpdatesApple iPhone Air. iOS upgrades: no fixed promise from Apple, expected until about Sep 2031. Security patches: until about Sep 2030 (5 years from launch).
- PriceiQOO 15. Costs 28% less.
Overall, iQOO 15 wins 4 of 5. The full details are below.
Side by side
Compared like for like: each phone in the version closest to the same memory and storage. Change a version at the top of its column.
| Spec | Your main pickApple iPhone Air | iQOO 15 | Suggested by TuvvoXiaomi 17 UltraWins 7 of 9 key areas against Apple iPhone AirBetter camera, longer battery life, faster, brighter screen outdoors, better water protection, upgrades for longer, security fixes for longer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹1,19,900 12GB + 256GB | Best price of these phones₹93,999 16GB + 512GB | ₹1,39,999 16GB + 512GB | |
| Price since launch | No change ₹1,19,900 at launch, ₹1,19,900 now 12GB + 256GB model | Up ₹13,000 (18%) ₹72,999 at launch, ₹85,999 now 12GB + 256GB model | No change ₹1,39,999 when we started tracking (18 October 2026), ₹1,39,999 now 16GB + 512GB model | |
| Versions | 12GB + 256GB: ₹1,19,900 12GB + 512GB: price not known 12GB + 1TB: price not known | 12GB + 256GB: ₹85,999 16GB + 512GB: ₹93,999 | 16GB + 512GB: ₹1,39,999 | |
| Stands out for | Nothing that leads its price range | Nothing that leads its price range | Nothing that leads its price range | |
| Launched | 9 September 2025 | 26 November 2025 | 11 March 2026 | |
| Big upgrades | iOS upgrades: no fixed promise from Apple, expected until about Sep 2031 | Android upgrades: until about Nov 2030 (5 upgrades) | Best big upgrades of these phonesAndroid upgrades: until about Mar 2032 (6 upgrades) | |
| Security patches | Security patches: until about Sep 2030 (5 years from launch) | Best security patches of these phonesSecurity patches: until about Nov 2032 (7 years from launch) | Security patches: until about Mar 2032 (6 years from launch) | |
| Software now | iOS 27.0.1, launched with iOS 26 | OriginOS 6 (Android 16) (same as launch) | HyperOS 3 (Android 17), launched with HyperOS 3 (Android 16) | |
| Rating | 7.3/10 | 8.8/10 | Best rating of these phones9.2/10 | |
| Battery | Lasts a day for light use; heavy users will need a top-up or the MagSafe battery. 3149 mAh | Best battery of these phonesExcellent battery life from 7000mAh, with 100W wired and 40W wireless charging. 7000 mAh | Very good battery life, with fast 90W wired and 50W wireless charging. 6000 mAh | |
| Camera | One 48MP camera: good photos, but no ultrawide or zoom lens. | Strong main and 3x zoom cameras; the wide-angle and selfie cameras are less sharp. | Best camera of these phonesLarge main sensor and a 200MP zoom camera with a real zoom ring give excellent photos. | |
| Speed | A19 Pro is very fast, but the thin body limits long gaming sessions. | Best speed of these phonesTop Snapdragon chip with big cooling, though long-session performance dipped versus last year. | Best speed of these phonesTop-tier Snapdragon chip stays fast even under longer loads. | |
| Screen size | 6.5 inch | 6.85 inch | 6.9 inch | |
| Smooth scrolling | 120Hz, very smooth | Best smooth scrolling of these phones144Hz, very smooth | 120Hz, very smooth | |
| Outdoor brightness | 3,000 nits, very easy to read in sun | Best outdoor brightness of these phones6,000 nits, very easy to read in sun | 3,500 nits, very easy to read in sun | |
| Charging | Not officially stated, 20W wireless | Best charging of these phones100W wired, 40W wireless | 90W wired, 50W wireless | |
| Wireless charging | Yes | Yes | Best wireless charging of these phonesYes | |
| Water and dust | IP68: survives a dunk in water | Best water and dust of these phonesIP68/IP69: survives a dunk and hot water jets | Best water and dust of these phonesIP68/IP69: survives a dunk and hot water jets | |
| Weight | Best weight of these phones165 g | 215 g | 218.4 g | |
| Thickness | Best thickness of these phones5.64 mm | 8.1 mm | 8.3 mm | |
| 5G | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Tap to pay (NFC) | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Speakers | One | Best speakers of these phonesTwo (stereo) | Best speakers of these phonesTwo (stereo) | |
| Headphone jack | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | |
| Memory card slot | No | No | No | |
| Colours | Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue | Legend, Alpha Black | Black, White | |
| Catch | eSIM only (no SIM card slot), single speaker, one rear camera and a small battery for the price. | Speakers are underwhelming, and the India price has risen well above launch. | Very expensive, and the camera app has so many modes it can feel overwhelming. | |
| What owners say | No owner reports yet | No owner reports yet | No owner reports yet | |
| Expert reviews | 91mobiles 8.1/10 TechRadar | GSMArena Smartprix 8.6/10 | 91mobiles 8.7/10 GSMArena |
marks the strongest phone on each row, Tuvvo's suggestion included. For price, weight and thickness, that's the lowest.
Full specifications (tap to open)
Every spec side by side
Compared like for like: every phone in its 12GB + 256GB version. Change a version at the top of its column.
| Spec | Apple iPhone Air | iQOO 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR LTPO OLED (1260 x 2736), 120Hz ProMotion, 3000 nits peak, Ceramic Shield 2 | 6.85-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED, 144Hz, 2600 nits HBM, 6000 nits peak, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ |
| Chipset | Apple A19 Pro (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) |
| CPU | 6-core: 2x performance @ 4.26GHz + 4x efficiency | 2x Oryon V3 Phoenix L @ 4.6GHz + 6x Oryon V3 Phoenix M @ 3.62GHz |
| Graphics (GPU) | Apple 5-core GPU | Adreno 840 |
| AI chip (NPU) | 16-core Neural Engine (TOPS not officially stated) | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (TOPS not officially stated) |
| RAM and storage | 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB, 12GB + 1TB (NVMe storage; RAM type not officially stated) | 12GB + 256GB, 16GB + 512GB (UFS 4.1) |
| Battery | 3149 mAh | 7000 mAh |
| Charging | Wired USB-C (50% in about 30 min with 20W adapter), 20W MagSafe wireless | 100W wired (PPS, PD), 40W wireless, bypass charging |
| Cameras | 48MP Fusion main (f/1.6, sensor-shift OIS); 18MP Center Stage 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 (6m for 30 mins) | IP68/IP69 |
| Size and weight | 5.64mm thick, 165g | 8.1mm thick, 215g |
| Software | iOS 26 at launch, iOS 27.0.1 now | OriginOS 6 (Android 16) at launch, OriginOS 6 (Android 16) now |
| Updates | 6 years promised | 5 years promised |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 (Apple N1), Bluetooth 6, NFC, UWB, USB-C 2.0, eSIM only, satellite SOS | Wi-Fi 7 (dual-band), Bluetooth 6.0 (aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LHDC 5), NFC, IR blaster, USB-C 3.2 |
| Modem | Apple C1X 5G modem | Integrated Snapdragon 5G modem (model not officially stated) |
| Speakers and haptics | Single speaker (no stereo); Taptic Engine | 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 | Not officially stated (no vapour chamber) | 8K vapour chamber with 8,000 sq mm heat dissipation area |
| Colours | Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue | Legend, Alpha Black |
Where to buy
- Apple iPhone Air₹1,19,900
Pick your version and colour, then your store:
Opens 12GB + 256GB.
- iQOO 15₹85,999
Pick your version and colour, then your store:
Opens 12GB + 256GB.
Store links may earn Tuvvo a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our rankings.
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, Apple iPhone Air or iQOO 15?
- iQOO 15 wins 4 of 5 areas (camera, battery, speed, updates and price). Buy Apple iPhone Air if you want the longest software support. Buy iQOO 15 if you want better photos, longer battery life, more speed for games and to spend less.
- 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?
- Apple iPhone Air (12GB + 256GB) costs ₹1,19,900, iQOO 15 (12GB + 256GB) costs ₹85,999.
- Which gets software updates for longer?
- Apple iPhone Air, now on iOS 27.0.1. iOS upgrades: no fixed promise from Apple, expected until about Sep 2031. Security patches: until about Sep 2030 (5 years from launch). iQOO 15, now on OriginOS 6 (Android 16). Android upgrades: until about Nov 2030 (5 upgrades). Security patches: until about Nov 2032 (7 years from launch).
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