iQOO 16 reportedly being tested in India, but its pricing could be a problem
After its China debut, the iQOO 16 may head to India, but if a recent tip is any indication, price could be the sticking point. Tipster Yogesh Brar says the phone is currently being tested in the country, while also questioning whether buyers would be willing to pay what iQOO might ask.
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iQOO 16 India launch seems imminent
In a post on X, Brar said the iQOO 16 is being tested in India. He didn’t share a launch date or a confirmed price, but he did add a note of caution: if the phone launches close to Rs 1 lakh, “I don’t think it will be easy to sell.” He added that OnePlus faces the same pricing problem, possibly alluding to the upcoming OnePlus 16, and asked his followers what the maximum price they’d be willing to pay for the phone would be.
It’s worth being clear about what this is and isn’t. The testing claim is unconfirmed, and the Rs 1 lakh figure is Brar’s own hypothesis rather than a leaked price. However, a Rs 1 lakh price seems likely given the phone launched in China with a starting price of CNY 5,999 (around Rs 86,000).
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The starting price is 43 percent higher than the iQOO 15’s CNY 4,199 (approx Rs 60,000) launch price last year. The bigger battery, faster display, and newer chip explain part of that, but the DRAM and NAND cost squeeze is the larger factor, and it has pushed up phone prices across the industry this year. iQOO hasn’t revealed plans to launch the iQOO 16 in India yet.
Can the iQOO 16 launch at a competitive price in India?
When the iQOO 15 launched in November 2025, the memory chip crisis began, forcing major smartphone OEMs to raise smartphone prices. OnePlus and Realme were the first affected, launching the OnePlus 15 and Realme GT 8 Pro, respectively, at Rs 72,999, higher than their respective predecessors. iQOO was among the few who managed to undercut their rivals, with the iQOO 15 launching at Rs 64,999.
But iQOO couldn’t hold that price forever, and the iQOO 15 ultimately saw a few hikes, bringing it to its current price of Rs 85,999 on platforms like Amazon. If the iQOO 16 launches in India, it will likely be priced higher than its predecessor. This suggests a price upwards of Rs 90,000, possibly touching Rs 1 lakh. And at this price point, iQOO will be competing directly with Apple and Samsung.
iQOO 16 specifications (China variant)
The iQOO 16 launched in China with a 6.85-inch Samsung M16 AMOLED display with 2K resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate, which iQOO claims is a world first for that combination. Under the hood is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset, paired with iQOO’s dedicated Q4 gaming chip, LPDDR5X Ultra RAM, and UFS 4.1 storage.
Battery capacity goes up to 8,400mAh from the 7,000mAh on the iQOO 15, with charging speeds unchanged at 100W wired and 40W wireless. The camera setup includes three 50MP sensors: a main camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor, an ultrawide, and a periscope telephoto with 3x optical zoom, plus a 32MP front camera. The phone runs OriginOS 7 based on Android 17 and carries IP68 and IP69 ratings. Specifications for an India variant, if one launches, haven’t been confirmed.
iQOO is yet to reveal whether the iQOO 16 will make it to India. But if it does, expect a price tag above Rs 90,000, possibly crossing Rs 1 lakh for the top-end model. This begs the question: would you consider buying a Rs 1 lakh iQOO flagship that, until last year, hovered around the Rs 60,000 segment?
