iQOO could be preparing a major battery upgrade across its upcoming premium smartphone lineup. Reliable tipster Digital Chat Station has shared fresh details suggesting that the iQOO 16, iQOO Neo 12 and iQOO Z12 Turbo are all being tested with significantly larger batteries than their predecessors, continuing an industry-wide trend towards ultra-high-capacity silicon-carbon batteries.
The leak comes shortly after the same tipster revealed key specifications of the iQOO 16. While none of the details have been confirmed by the company, they indicate that iQOO is looking to balance flagship performance with longer battery life across different price segments, which has pretty much become the trend across the industry.
iQOO upcoming phones key leaked specifications
According to the latest leak (via), the iQOO 16 is currently being tested with an 8,500mAh battery. The phone is expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s upcoming 2nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chipset and support 100W wired fast charging alongside wireless charging.
The leak also claims that iQOO’s next-generation 3nm performance lineup, believed to include the iQOO Neo 12 and iQOO Z12 Turbo, is testing even bigger batteries. One engineering prototype reportedly features a 9,000mAh battery, while another packs a 10,000mAh high-silicon single-cell battery. We’ve been seeing these numbers ever since OnePlus started the bandwagon in the mid-range with the 9,000mAh cell on the OnePlus Nord 6. Honor is reportedly developing a phone with a 12,000mAh battery, so it’s imperative on iQOO’s part to give endurance upgrades to keep up with the competition.
Previous reports suggest the iQOO Neo 12 will sport a 6.83-inch flat 2K OLED display with a 185Hz refresh rate. It is also tipped to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, a dedicated graphics chip for gaming, 100W fast charging, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner and IP68/IP69-rated dust and water resistance.
There is little information about the iQOO Z12 Turbo at the moment. However, since its predecessor is expected to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, the Z12 Turbo could arrive with Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 6 chipset, making it another performance-focused offering in the lineup.
India availability, however, remains uncertain for these phones. Tipster Yogesh Brar claims the iQOO 16 may not launch in India this year, adding that the company could introduce only one budget Z-series phone while scrapping other planned launches. Although iQOO has not commented on these claims, the reported strategy could be due to the rising DRAM and NAND memory prices, which are expected to increase flagship smartphone costs across the industry.
For Indian buyers, the immediate focus remains on the iQOO Z11 Lite, which is set to launch next week, while the standard iQOO Z11 has already appeared on the BIS certification website. Those waiting for the Neo 12 or iQOO 16 may have to wait for official confirmation, particularly as iQOO skipped launching the Neo 11 in India and only refreshed the Neo 10 series with new colour options.
iQOO 16 Images
| Expected Price: | N/A |
| Release Date: | (Expected) |
| Variant: | 12 GB RAM |
| Phone Status: | Upcoming Phone |