The Android flagship season is upon us, and the latest brand to join the lineup is iQOO. India head Nipun Marya has shared a cryptic teaser on X for a new flagship launch, which is most likely the iQOO 16. The teaser doesn’t mention the device name or leave any clues about it, but with the iQOO 16’s recent debut, it’s quite obvious that we’re getting this flagship. This teaser also quells rumours of the iQOO 16’s uncertain launch in India this time.
iQOO 16 India launch teaser
According to Nipun Marya’s post on X, the teaser talks about finding the next flagship, suggesting it’s the iQOO 16. With the first teaser out, we can now expect more details about the upcoming launch.
There were hints of its global launch soon, with the iQOO 16’s global variant appearing on Geekbench. However, there were some talks about the iQOO 16 not launching in India. This was due to price hikes caused by rising component costs. But the latest teaser more or less confirms the iQOO 16 is indeed headed to India. We can still expect it to launch at a much higher price than the previous generation.
iQOO’s flagships are known to be among the most affordable in India, while offering power-packed hardware. It’s interesting to see how iQOO plans to maintain this with the 16.
iQOO 16 specifications
The iQOO 16 features a 6.85-inch Samsung M16 AMOLED display with a 2K resolution and 165Hz refresh rate, an upgrade over the iQOO 15’s 144Hz panel. The smartphone is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset paired with LPDDR5X Ultra RAM, UFS 4.1 storage and the Q4 gaming chip. It’s a generational upgrade over the iQOO 15’s 8 Elite Gen 5 and Q3 chip, which should translate to improved performance overall.
Battery capacity has also increased from 7,000mAh on the iQOO 15 to 8,400mAh. Charging speeds remain unchanged at 100W wired and 40W wireless. For photography, you get a 50MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The setup remains largely unchanged from the iQOO 15. The smartphone will likely launch with OriginOS 7 based on Android 17 out of the box.
The iQOO 16 will likely appeal to buyers who want a performance-focused flagship with a large battery. Its cameras are also versatile, and you’ll get the latest software version. If you own an iQOO 15, the upgrades might not justify the cost, but if you’re on an iQOO 12 or older, it’s a significant leap.
