iQOO has launched the iQOO 16 in China as its first smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. The gaming-focused flagship combines the new chipset with iQOO’s in-house Q4 gaming chip, an 8,400mAh battery, and a 6.85-inch Samsung M16 AMOLED display capable of a 10,000-nit local peak brightness.
The LTPO panel has a 3168 × 1440 resolution and can reach a 165Hz refresh rate. iQOO also lists 2,800 nits of full-screen brightness, a touch sampling rate of up to 5,000Hz, DC dimming, and PWM dimming at up to 3,300Hz. Its Q-flex technology is designed to optimize six stages of touch-input processing and work with the gyroscope at the game-engine level to reduce latency. A dual-axis X- and Z-axis linear motor provides haptic feedback.
For sustained performance, the iQOO 16 uses an 8,500mm² vapor chamber and the company’s Monster Super Core Engine resource-management system. It supports 100W wired and 40W wireless charging, while memory options use LPDDR5X Ultra Pro RAM and UFS 4.1 storage.
The rear camera system consists of three 50MP cameras: a main unit based on OmniVision’s OV50Q sensor with optical image stabilization, a periscope telephoto camera using Sony’s LYTIA 600 sensor with OIS, and an ultrawide camera. There is also a 32MP front camera, while the rear setup supports 8K video recording.
Other hardware includes an ultrasonic 3D fingerprint reader, Wi-Fi 7, USB 3.2 Gen 1, NFC, an infrared transmitter, stereo speakers, and IP68 and IP69 water- and dust-resistance ratings. The phone runs OriginOS 7 based on Android 17 and is offered in Chasing Light, Legend, and Track finishes.
- 12GB RAM with 256GB storage: approximately $900
- 12GB RAM with 512GB storage: approximately $1,020
- 16GB RAM with 512GB storage: approximately $1,125
- 16GB RAM with 1TB storage: approximately $1,275
The iQOO 16 has reportedly surfaced in EEC certification records in a possible sign of a wider release, but iQOO has not announced international availability or pricing.
