iQOO City Battles 2026: The Series
Four battlegrounds. One national title. Rs 40,00,000 on the line.
iQOO City Battles 2026 is a connected four-city hackathon series across Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Each battle is a 30-hour phone-first build using on-device AI, local LLMs, and the Snapdragon NPU. The best teams from every city advance to a 48-hour Grand Finale in Bengaluru, October 9-11.
What Makes This Different
- Phone-first build – 55% of build time is Red Light (phone only via Office Kit). Your iQOO phone IS your primary machine.
- On-device AI – Local and open-source models running on the Snapdragon NPU. No cloud dependency.
- Free loaner device – Every participant gets a flagship iQOO phone at check-in.
- Two buckets – Students and working professionals compete separately. Fair for everyone.
- Open funnel – No invite, no referral, no campus nomination. Register directly.
The Cities & Dates
| City | Date |
|---|---|
| Bengaluru | Aug 29-30, 2026 |
| Pune | Sept 5-6, 2026 |
| Chennai | Sept 12-13, 2026 |
| Hyderabad | Sept 26-27, 2026 |
| Grand Finale (Bengaluru) | Oct 9-11, 2026 |
Prize Pool: Rs 40 Lakhs
Each city battle has Rs 6L split across student and professional pools. Top prize per bucket: Rs 1.5L. Grand Finale has the remaining pool + national title.
How to Register
Open applications, idea screening, then on-ground battle. Free to enter. Solo or teams of up to 3.
Register for iQOO City Battles 2026
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