iQOO’s $75 G1 Controller Has No Battery, No Bluetooth and Two Sets of Grips

Most phone controllers try to do everything: Bluetooth, a battery, RGB lights, an app for every platform. The iQOO G1 controller, announced in China on October 28, 2026, goes the other way. It plugs straight into your phone’s USB-C port, has no battery to charge, and spends its money on parts you touch: Hall effect joysticks and triggers, clicky buttons and two sets of swappable grips.

iQOO is Vivo’s gaming-focused brand, and it now sells a full lineup for mobile gamers, from fan-cooled phones like the iQOO Neo 12 to an 8.8-inch gaming tablet. The G1 is the piece that ties them together, which is also its biggest limitation. Here’s what you get for $75 (CNY 499), how it compares with rival controllers, and why owners of non-iQOO phones should think twice.

iQOO G1 Price and Release Date

The G1 costs $75 (CNY 499) and goes on sale in China on November 4. iQOO says buying it together with an iQOO phone or tablet takes CNY 100 off, which brings it down to about $60 (CNY 399). It comes in one color, Cool Black. iQOO hasn’t announced a global release.

The company launched it alongside a pair of 20,000mAh power banks, so the G1 is clearly part of a bigger accessory push ahead of China’s November 11 Singles’ Day sales.

	iQOO G1
Price	$75 (CNY 499); $60 (CNY 399) with an iQOO device
On sale	November 4, 2026 (China)
Design	Telescopic, stretches up to 211mm
Grips	Two magnetic sets: compact and full-size
Weight	176.5g with the large grips
Sticks	Hall effect, rated for 5 million uses, swappable caps
Triggers	Hall effect, linear (analog)
Buttons	Micro-switch ABXY, D-pad, two extra shoulder buttons (L4, R4)
Connection	Wired USB-C, no Bluetooth
Battery	None; powered by your device
Pass-through charging	Up to 15W
Full customization	iQOO 16, iQOO Neo 12, iQOO Pad Ultra, iQOO Pad Pro 8.8 (OriginOS 7+)

(iQOO G1 Full Spec Details)

Three Smart Hardware Choices

Hall Effect Sticks and Triggers

Stick drift is when a joystick registers movement even though you aren’t touching it, so your character slowly walks off on its own. It usually happens because the parts inside a standard stick rub together and wear down.

Hall effect sticks measure position with a small magnet and a sensor instead, so the parts that track movement never touch. Less wear means less drift over time. iQOO rates the G1’s sticks for 5 million uses, which is a durability claim, not an independent test.

The triggers are linear, meaning they measure how far you press them rather than acting as simple on-off buttons. That matters in racing games, where a half-press should mean half throttle.

Wired USB-C, Not Bluetooth

The G1 connects through your phone’s USB-C port. That removes the small delay, or latency, that wireless controllers add between your thumb and the screen. It also means there’s nothing to pair and no battery to keep charged.

The trade-off is that your phone powers the controller. iQOO answers that with 15W pass-through charging: plug a charger into the controller, and power flows through to your phone while you play.

Here’s how we read that number. 15W is a fraction of the 100W the iQOO 16 can take directly, so it’s a keep-alive feature, not fast charging. By our rough math, filling an 8,400mAh battery from empty at 15W would take more than two hours even with the screen off. In practice, it should be enough to stop your battery from dropping during a long session, which is what most players actually need.

Two Grip Sizes

The G1 ships with two sets of magnetic grips: small ones for carrying it in a bag, and larger ones that feel more like a console controller. With the large grips attached, it weighs 176.5g.

Add that to an iQOO 16, which weighs 222.5g to 229.8g, and the whole setup comes in at roughly 400g. By our math, that’s about 130g lighter than a Nintendo Switch 2 with its controllers attached. Even with the iQOO Pad Pro 8.8, which iQOO lists at about 298g, the total stays under 480g.

The Catch: It’s Built for Four iQOO Devices

This is the part to read before you buy. The G1’s extra features run through iQOO’s Game Space and Game Magic Box software. That’s where you remap the L4 and R4 buttons, adjust stick dead zones (how far you push before the game reacts), and set up rapid-fire.

At launch, iQOO lists full support for just four devices, all running OriginOS 7 or later:

1. iQOO 16
2. iQOO Neo 12
3. iQOO Pad Ultra
4. iQOO Pad Pro 8.8

iQOO hasn’t said what happens on other Android phones. Basic buttons may work, since many USB-C controllers follow standard input rules, but we wouldn’t buy it for a Samsung, Xiaomi or Pixel until someone confirms it. iPhone support isn’t mentioned at all.

In our view, this is a deliberate trade. iQOO gets a controller that feels built into its phones, and you get deeper customization than generic controllers offer. The downside is that the G1 is only a great deal if you already own, or plan to buy, one of those four devices.

iQOO G1 Controller vs the Competition

	iQOO G1	OnePlus Strix G15	Backbone One (2nd gen)	Razer Kishi V3 Pro	GameSir G8 Plus
Price	$75 (CNY 499)	$90 (CNY 599)	$69.99	$149.99	79.99–99
Connection	Wired USB-C	Bluetooth 5.3	Wired USB-C	Wired USB-C	Bluetooth
Hall effect	Sticks and triggers	Sticks	Not advertised	Triggers (TMR sticks)	Sticks and triggers
Battery	None	Yes, up to 30 hours	None	None	Yes
Pass-through charging	15W	Not stated	Yes	Yes	Not confirmed
Fits tablets	Up to 211mm	Built for one phone	Phones	Phones	Up to 210mm
Made for	iQOO devices	OnePlus Ace 6 Ultra	iPhone and Android	Android and iPhone	Multi-platform

Prices for the Backbone, Razer and GameSir models are US list prices, while the iQOO and OnePlus prices are China launch prices converted to dollars, so treat the comparison as a rough guide.

The closest match is OnePlus’s Strix G15, launched in May and co-developed with Asus for the Ace 6 Ultra. It costs CNY 100 more, uses Bluetooth with a claimed latency under 50 milliseconds and runs on its own battery for up to 30 hours. That’s handier if you hate cables, but the iQOO G1’s wired link should feel more immediate.

Against the global brands, the G1 looks like strong value on paper. It undercuts Razer’s Kishi V3 Pro by about half and matches Backbone’s price while adding Hall effect parts and tablet support. The difference is that Backbone, Razer and GameSir work across many phones, while iQOO’s best features are locked to its own hardware.

Who Should Buy the iQOO G1

• You own an iQOO 16, Neo 12 or Pad Ultra: Yes. At CNY 399 with a new device, or CNY 499 on its own, it’s one of the cheapest Hall effect controllers with full software support for your phone.
• You’re buying an iQOO phone this Singles’ Day: Bundle it. The CNY 100 discount makes it about $60.
• You use another Android phone: Wait for reports on basic compatibility. A multi-platform controller is the safer pick.
• You play mostly on an 8.8-inch tablet: The 211mm stretch is the selling point. Many phone controllers can’t hold a tablet at all.
• You want to play cloud or PC games anywhere without cables: A Bluetooth controller with its own battery will suit you better.

The G1 isn’t trying to be the controller for everyone. It’s trying to be the obvious add-on for iQOO owners, and on that narrower goal, $75 for drift-resistant sticks and two grip sizes is a good starting point.

FAQs

Which iQOO tablet works best with a controller?

The 8.8-inch iQOO Pad Ultra is built for gaming, with a built-in 14,000rpm fan for long sessions. The iQOO Pad Ultra hides a fan inside a body small enough to fit the G1’s 211mm stretch.

Is the iQOO 16 a good gaming phone?

Yes. It uses a 2nm Snapdragon chip, an 8,400mAh battery and a sharp 2K 165Hz screen. 

Is the iQOO Neo 12 worth it over the iQOO 16?

It’s cheaper and adds a cooling fan, but uses last year’s flagship chip. 

Do cheaper gaming phones play games well?

Often, yes. Budget gaming phones focus on screens, cooling and big batteries, while flagship chips mainly help in heavy 3D games.

Do gaming phones with fans need a controller?

Not necessarily, but controllers help in shooters and racing games. Some fan phones add touch-sensitive shoulder triggers instead.

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