iQOO launches the iQOO 16 in China, featuring a 8,400mAh battery, Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, and a 6.85-inch 2K OLED display, signalling a premium international release.
iQOO has unveiled the iQOO 16 in China, positioning the handset as a flagship with a stronger emphasis on display, battery life and gaming performance than its predecessor. According to Smartprix, the device is on sale now in the Chinese market and uses a redesigned camera housing, a 6.85-inch 2K 165Hz OLED panel, and a triple 50-megapixel rear camera system. The launch places the phone at the top end of iQOO’s current line-up, with the company also signalling a wider international release later.
At the centre of the new model is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, which Smartprix says is built on a 2nm process. The phone is paired with iQOO’s Q4 gaming chip, which the company says is intended to improve ray tracing, high-frame-rate gaming and image interpolation at 2K resolution. Gadgets360 reported earlier that iQOO had already confirmed both the iQOO 16 and the iQOO Pad Ultra would use the same chipset combination for a launch scheduled in China on 29 September 2026.
Battery capacity is one of the most notable changes. Smartprix says the iQOO 16 carries an 8,400mAh cell, up from 7,000mAh in the iQOO 15, while retaining 100W wired charging and 40W wireless charging. The phone also supports bypass charging, which allows the device to draw power directly during supported workloads rather than relying solely on the battery. That combination is likely to appeal to mobile gamers and heavy users, particularly given the larger, brighter display and the cooling hardware built around an 8,500mm² vapour chamber.
The camera system is similarly specified at a high level for the category, with a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera offering 3x optical zoom. Smartprix says the front camera is a 32-megapixel unit, while the phone also includes IP68 and IP69 protection, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, an infrared blaster and USB 3.2 Gen 1. The base 12GB + 256GB model is priced at ¥5,999, rising to ¥8,499 for the 16GB + 1TB version, although a national subsidy in China reduces the entry price to ¥5,499.
That pricing represents a sharp rise from the iQOO 15, which launched at ¥4,199 in China. Smartprix calculates the increase at about 43% for the entry configuration, without any change in starting memory or storage. iQOO has not yet announced Indian pricing or a launch date, but the company has indicated that the device will receive a global release, and market watchers are already expecting a premium position when it reaches other regions.
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