This M Motorsports-Branded Smartphone Is for the Ultimate BMW Lover
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IQOO, a subsidiary of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo, unveiled the International version of the IQOO 12 Legend Edition, a smartphone designed in collaboration with BMW M Motorsport, on Wednesday morning. The partnership, established in 2019, sees IQOO add M visual nods on limited-edition versions of its flagship mobile devices while BMW M Motorsport runs IQOO liveries on its race cars in various international racing series.
Whereas BMW M Motorsports cars are powered by various powertrains, at the heart of the new IQOO 12 Legend Edition is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. This brand-new chipset features an eight-core design with an Adreno 750 GPU and works alongside Vivo’s in-house Q1 chipset that’s specifically designed to increase performance during graphics-intensive tasks. This international version features a ROM distinct from the domestic Chinese version, which won’t work in regions outside of China.
The front of the phone is headlined by a 6.78-inch E7 AMOLED display with a 1440 x 3200-pixel resolution and a 144-Hz refresh rate. The display can hit a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits in the standard usage mode but tops out at 3,000 nits in specific high-performance modes. If all of this sounds like it produces a lot of heat, you’re not wrong. Unlike its four-wheel counterparts though, this unit doesn’t rely on a roaring exhaust system. Instead, it uses vapor chamber technology to cool the device under intensive computational loads.
The back of the device features a squircle-shaped camera array with three individual camera modules: a 50-megapixel 23mm-equivalent main camera module, a 64-megapixel 70mm-equivalent telephoto camera module, and a 50-megapixel 15mm-equivalent ultrawide camera module. Both the main and telephoto camera modules feature optical image stabilization for improved handheld photo and video capture. Together, these can capture high-quality photos and 8K video at up to 30 frames per second (or 60 frames per second at 4K resolution).
Other features include IP68 dust and water resistance, an integrated ultrasound fingerprint unlock sensor, and a 5,000-mAh battery capable of charging up to 120W. The device has tri-band Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and GPS across all major positioning systems.
As for where BMW M Motorsports comes in, IQOO kept the branding minimal this year. In past years, the limited-edition models featured the iconic red, black, and blue stripes on the back in varying capacities, this year’s model keeps it simple with a smaller blue, black, and red insignia made up of individual rhombus shapes. Next to the insignia is BMW M Motorsport’s motto, “Fascination Meets Innovation.” The phone also comes with a custom abstracted blue, black, and red wallpaper that animates as you unlock the device.
As has been the case with past international versions of IQOO’s flagship devices, the 12 Legend Edition runs on Vivo’s custom Funtouch 14 mobile operating system, which is built atop Android 14. As previously noted, this device might not work on all carriers and cellular bands in the United States, so if you’re living in the United States and are interested in purchasing it, take a look at the compatibility breakdown provided by Kimovil. In regions outside the United States, though, the IQOO 12 Legend Edition should work with most major carriers.
The IQOO 12 Legend Edition is available in international markets for roughly $950, although the exact price will vary depending on the online retailer you go with. Historically, eBay has been the best bet for obtaining IQOO’s latest devices in the United States, but you may also be able to find it available on other online selling platforms. Do be warned, though, to specifically look for the “international” model, as the units with the Chinese ROM installed will not work outside China.
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