Insider leaks: iQOO 15 Ultra lacks approval, may slip to 2026, while iQOO 15 launches in October with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, 144 Hz 2K OLED, 7000 mAh.
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Fresh insider chatter from China suggests the flagship iQOO 15 Ultra still hasn’t secured final internal approval. The well-known blogger Digital Chat Station said the device remains under review and, even if it gets the green light, it wouldn’t arrive before the first half of 2026. The timeline hints at a cautious strategy around the Ultra.
Answering questions from users comparing it with the OPPO Find X9 Ultra, the insider maintained that OPPO’s model will definitely launch and, in his view, will be the only Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phone to combine two periscope telephoto cameras with a 200 MP main module on a very large sensor. By contrast, the iQOO 15 Ultra’s fate is still up in the air, which only underscores that iQOO is weighing its options.
Meanwhile, the standard iQOO 15 is officially gearing up for an October debut. It’s set to be among the first phones on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and will also feature the Q3 gaming chip, a Samsung 2K OLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, a battery rated at over 7,000 mAh, and a flagship camera with a 50 MP periscope. On paper, that package already looks ambitious for a mainstream model.
So the regular iQOO 15 is landing very soon, while the Ultra might not appear at all—or could slip to 2026. Whether to wait or grab the standard version remains an open question, but at least one thing is clear: the Ultra isn’t arriving any time soon. For many buyers, the base model may well offer enough power and features to make the wait unnecessary.