News in Short
- iQOO Hackathon 2026 is a phone-first, hybrid hackathon for developers, engineers and AI enthusiasts.
- The City Battles will take place in Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad.
- Participants will use the iQOO 15 as part of their development workflow.
- More than 12 industry mentors will guide participants during the hackathon.
iQOO has announced the iQOO Hackathon 2026, a hybrid mobile hackathon that challenges young developers to build AI-powered solutions for real-world problems using smartphones. Registrations are now open for the four-city competition, which will take place in Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad. The initiative will culminate in a Grand Finale in Bengaluru.
Building With a Smartphone
The hackathon puts the phone at the centre of the development process. iQOO says participants will test how far a smartphone can support coding, AI workloads and other demanding development tasks.
The iQOO 15 will power the phone-first experience. The company points to its Snapdragon processor, OriginOS optimisation, vapour cooling system and large-capacity battery as key features for prolonged workloads.
The competition will also give participants access to AI credits. Teams can use these resources while developing their solutions during the challenge.
Four City Battles Lead to the Finale
The competition begins in Bengaluru on August 29 and 30. Pune follows on September 5 and 6, while Chennai will host its battle on September 12 and 13. Hyderabad will close the City Battle stage on September 26 and 27.
Winners from each city will advance to the Grand Finale in Bengaluru. Selected teams from online registrations will also compete at the national stage.
Each City Battle carries a ₹6 lakh prize pool. Meanwhile, the Grand Finale offers ₹25 lakh in prizes. Registrations for iQOO Hackathon 2026 are currently open. Participants can register through the official hackathon portal.
