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iQOO 16 Tipped With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro SoC, 2K 'Ultra High' Refresh Rate Display

iQOO 16 Tipped With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro SoC, 2K 'Ultra-High' Refresh Rate Display

The iQOO 16 smartphone may arrive with a periscope telephoto camera.

Written by Sucharita Ganguly, Edited by Rohan Pal | Updated: 26 May 2026 17:05 IST

iQOO 16 Tipped With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro SoC, 2K 'Ultra-High' Refresh Rate Display

iQOO 16 is expected to launch with several upgrades over the iQOO 15 (pictured)

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Highlights

The iQOO 16 may launch in India after its China debut
An in-house chip may boost gaming performance
The phone is tipped to feature a 2K flat display

iQOO's upcoming flagship smartphone has surfaced in a new leak that points to several hardware upgrades over its predecessor. The rumoured iQOO 16 is said to be in testing with a large battery, a next-generation Qualcomm chipset, and an upgraded display. The latest information suggests that the company may continue to focus on performance and gaming-oriented features for the handset. Previous reports have also indicated camera enhancements and a possible global rollout. iQOO has not officially announced the smartphone or revealed any launch plans.

iQOO 16 Leak Suggests Major Battery Upgrade Over Predecessor

According to a Weibo post by tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese), the upcoming iQOO 16 could pack a battery with a capacity of around 8,500mAh. The tipster claimed that an early engineering sample of the handset is being tested with Qualcomm's next-generation SM8975 processor, which is widely expected to debut as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chipset.

The leak further suggests that the iQOO 16 may feature a flat display with a 2K resolution. The panel is said to use a new custom substrate and support an ultra-high refresh rate. The tipster also indicated that the prototype lacks a built-in cooling fan, despite its large battery and flagship-grade hardware.

iQOO 16 Listing on IMEI Database Points to India and Global Debut: Report

Previous reports indicate that the iQOO 16 could rely on a redesigned thermal management system to handle heat generated during demanding workloads. The handset is also tipped to feature an in-house performance chip aimed at improving gaming and sustained processing performance.

The iQOO 16 smartphone may arrive with a periscope telephoto camera, according to earlier reports. The handset has reportedly been spotted on the IMEI database with the model number I2601. The listing suggests the handset could launch in India and other global markets. The report adds that testing is underway and that the phone may arrive in India soon after its debut in China.

iQOO 16 Tipped to Launch With This Snapdragon Chip, Samsung Display

The Indian variant of the iQOO 15 features a 6.85-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and up to 6,000 nits peak brightness. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and an 8K VC cooling system. The phone offers a 50-megapixel triple rear camera setup, including a periscope telephoto lens, and packs a 7,000mAh battery with 100W wired and 40W wireless charging support.

iQOO 15

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Brighter, smoother AMOLED display
Excellent all-round performance
Cleaner, refined software experience
Improved cameras
Solid battery life

Bad
Noticeably thick bottom bezel
Black levels are not deepest
Inconsistent low-light portraits

Read detailed iQOO 15 review

Display 6.85-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Front Camera 32-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel

RAM 12GB, 16GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 7,000mAh

OS Android 16

Resolution 1,440x3,168 pixels

More iQOO mobiles iQOO mobiles price in India

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Further reading: iQOO 16, iQOO 16 Features, iQOO 16 Specifications, iQOO 15, iQOO

Sucharita Ganguly

Email Sucharita Ganguly

Sucharita is a writer with Gadgets 360 and is mostly found playing with her cat in her free time. She has previously worked at breaking news desks across organizations. Powered by coffee, The Beatles, Bowie, and her newfound love for BTS, she aims to work towards contributing to a better media environment for women and queer folk. More