In this round of price hikes, the most baffling scene in the vivo family has emerged: on one hand, new price hikes for Redmi and Xiaomi-line models have already landed, while on the other hand, the iQOO 15T that launched in May has actually dropped from its launch price of 3799 yuan to around 2795 yuan on channels; meanwhile, same-family imaging flagship vivo X300s still holds at 4499 yuan even with the national subsidy. Add to that the iQOO Neo11 Supreme Edition, which starts warming up tomorrow on August 10 and is likewise equipped with a customized Dimensity 9500 — the family now has three Dimensity 9500 devices, with take-home prices spanning from 2795 yuan to 4499 yuan. Where on earth is this money being spent, who should buy now, and who should wait a bit longer — this article settles the accounts in one piece.
First, align the price table: the “300 yuan gap” and “2000 yuan gap” online are all using different baselines
Recently there have been many comparison articles on the 15T and X300s, some saying the gap is 300 yuan, some saying 2000 yuan, and the more you read the more confused you get. In reality the numbers aren’t fake — the baselines are just too chaotic: some compare launch price to launch price, some compare channel bottom price to official guide price, and some don’t even align the storage versions. Unifying on “12+256 version, channel price actually obtainable in August,” the accounts look like this:
Model | Launch price | August channel take-home (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
iQOO 15T | 3799 yuan | Around 2795 yuan with Ten-Billion Subsidy | 12+512 with full discount + national subsidy approx. 3499 yuan |
vivo X300s | 4999 yuan | Around 4499 yuan after national subsidy | Price is firm, almost no room for reduction |
iQOO Neo11 Supreme Edition | Not announced | Warms up August 10, leaks say starts at 12+256 | Rumors point directly at the Redmi K100 Pro series |
The 15T’s 12+256 launched at 3799 yuan.WeiboBy now, the Ten-Billion Subsidy already shows prices around 2795 yuan.ZhihuFor the 12+512 version, after using full discount plus national subsidy, the channel price is exactly 3499 yuan.WeiboSubtracting on the same-version baseline, the gap between the two is about 1700 yuan — this is the true dividing line of this round of “same chip, different fates.”
Same chip, two personalities: one is “fierce,” the other is “stable”
The 15T uses the Dimensity 9500 Monster version plus the self-developed gaming chip Q3, scoring 3.83 million on AnTuTu in actual testing, placing it in Android’s top tier.ZhihuIts approach to running Genshin Impact is to turn on everything that can be turned on: max graphics plus ray tracing while running around, power consumption stays under 5W, and it can stack 2K super-resolution and 144-frame super-frame concurrency on top, pushing the visual ceiling upward.Zhihu
The X300s, on the other hand, uses the standard Dimensity 9500 plus the Blue Image chip V3+, with a completely opposite approach: running Genshin Impact at max graphics, the frame rate stays stable at 60 frames throughout, average power consumption is only 3.49W, and after half an hour of play the body is just lukewarm.ZhihuPaired with the 7100mAh Blue Sea battery, you basically don’t have to worry about the charger when going out to shoot and play all day.ZhihuMoreover, it hardly benefits from price-cut dividends, still requiring 4499 yuan after national subsidy, opening up this 1700 yuan gap with the 15T’s channel price.ZhihuIn one sentence: the 15T chases the visual ceiling, the X300s suppresses power consumption and temperature; both can stably run Genshin Impact, but their directions are completely different.
Where does the 1700 yuan gap lie? The imaging system is the true watershed
Lining up the spec tables reveals a counterintuitive fact: on the two items of screen and battery life, the 15T is actually the more generous one — 6.82-inch 2K 144Hz versus the X300s’s 6.78-inch 1.5K 144Hz, 8000mAh versus 7100mAh, and the weight is nearly tied too (216g versus 217g). The X300s’s premium is concentrated almost entirely on imaging: rear 200-megapixel Zeiss main camera (1/1.4-inch large sensor, CIPA 4.5-level stabilization) + 50-megapixel 3x optical telephoto + 50-megapixel ultra-wide, plus Zeiss tuning and V3+.ZhihuMeanwhile the 15T’s main camera is a 200-megapixel HP5 plus ultra-wide, with no dedicated telephoto — this point must be stated clearly upfront.Zhihu
In other words, the bulk of the 1700 yuan goes to the telephoto, the large sensor, Zeiss color science, and 40W wireless charging. If your shooting scenarios are basically “scanning codes, casual snapshots,” this money can be entirely saved; but if you often shoot people, night scenes, or stages, the X300s’s telephoto and direct-out texture are precisely what you cannot buy at the 15T’s price point.
Three types of people, three ways to buy
Pure gaming party, budget around 3000: go straight for the 15T. At 2795 yuan you get 2K ray tracing + 8000mAh, with basically no rival at this price point. Two reminders: if budget allows, try to go for 16+512 — in user communities, the voice of “recommend at least 16+512 as the starting point” is the most common; if going through subsidy channels, remember to inspect the device and keep receipts, don’t just look at the low price. The price to accept is two things: no telephoto, and a full 100W charge takes over an hour.
Want both gaming and imaging, budget up to 4500: choose the X300s. It’s a “little V-camera that can play Genshin Impact”: stable frame rate, low power consumption, shots of people and scenery can go straight to your Moments after direct output, plus 90W wired + 40W wireless. The only thing to weigh is that 217g isn’t light, and long handheld shooting will make its presence felt.
Not in a hurry, can wait: keep your eye on tomorrow’s warm-up. The Neo11 Supreme Edition’s leaked configuration includes a deeply customized Dimensity 9500 chip, a 2K 144Hz domestic new-process OLED flat screen, a 9000mAh+ single-cell large battery + 100W wired fast charging, with the official warm-up scheduled to start on August 10.WeiboOnce this configuration lands, the first thing to be squeezed will be the 15T’s price band, and existing 15T users are already lamenting that “the known screen and battery crush our 15T.” Those who can hold on for two or three weeks should wait for its official price to be announced and compare it against the Redmi K100 Pro series before making a move; if the pricing lands in the 3500 yuan range, the 15T’s channel price will likely be pushed further down.
Two signals to continue watching
First, the Neo11 Supreme Edition’s official pricing and its face-off result with the Redmi K100 Pro will directly determine how much more room the 15T has to move downward in September; second, the national subsidy quota and the memory price-hike cycle — the 15T’s current low price is a price that emerged from the stacking of channel clearance plus subsidies, and may not last long-term, while the X300s, as an imaging flagship, has a firm price, and waiting for a big plunge on it is basically meaningless. In a price-hike cycle, “the cheap one” isn’t necessarily a trap, and “the expensive one” isn’t necessarily an IQ tax either: once you think through clearly where the money is being spent, the choice isn’t hard.
