We’re not done with our flagship launch season of 2025-2026 yet, and leak circles are already abuzz with what to expect from the next gen of top-tier Android phones. A new tip from China sheds light on the what to expect from the iQOO 16, which will debut later this year.
As per tipster Digital Chat Station, the rumoured iQOO 16 is said to be in testing with Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon chipset, a high-resolution display, and what could become one of the largest batteries in the premium smartphone segment.
iQOO 16 battery, display, chipset tipped early
On Weibo, DCS claims an engineering prototype of the iQOO 16 is currently being tested with Qualcomm’s SM8975 processor, which is widely expected to launch as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro SoC. The leak also claims the handset could feature an 8,500mAh battery, which would be a noticeable jump from the already large 7,000mAh unit inside the current-generation iQOO 15.
Now while we were just getting used to the idea of 7,000mAh+ batteries packed inside slim flagship bodies, we’re already entering the era when 8,000mAh+ may become the new benchmark. That’s because even the OnePlus 16 is tipped to come with a 9,000mAh battery, which is what we saw debut on the OnePlus Nord 6. So iQOO may not be breaking new ground but just trying to keep up with the competition.
The leak further suggests that the iQOO 16 may feature a flat 2K display with an “ultra-high” refresh rate. While the exact figure has not been revealed, iQOO’s recent flagships have focused heavily on gaming performance, touch responsiveness, and sustained frame rates. Here also, the competition would be OnePlus whose next flagship is tipped to come with a 200Hz+ refresh rate. We aren’t sure if iQOO will cross that benchmark or not, but gamers should know that only certain titles will support such high refresh rates.
Snapdragon is widely tipped to adopt a two-tier chip strategy for its next gen flagship chipset. As per leaks, there could be a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Gen 6 Pro, to help distinguish and even create some cost differentiation between the standard and “Ultra” models. If iQOO 16 already packs the 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chipset, we aren’t sure where that would leave the next gen iQOO “Ultra” phone.
The Indian variant of the iQOO 15 already ships with a 6.85-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, alongside the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and an 8K VC cooling system. The upcoming model is also tipped to include an upgraded thermal management system and an in-house performance chip to improve gaming and long-duration workloads.
Interestingly, the prototype reportedly does not include a built-in cooling fan. That could indicate iQOO is relying more on internal vapour chamber cooling and software-level thermal tuning rather than active cooling hardware.
iQOO 16 launch timeline
The iQOO 16 will most certainly launch after the Snapdragon summit that generally happens in October. However, IMEI listings of the phone have already started surfacing. The iQOO 16 is likely to target buyers looking for a high-performance flagship with fewer compromises on battery life. For users prioritising gaming, long screen-on time, and fast charging, the phone could become a strong alternative to premium offerings from Xiaomi and OnePlus.
