
The iQOO 16 and iQOO Pad Ultra were announced in China a couple of weeks ago, with a strong focus on gaming, high-end performance, and top-notch thermal efficiency. Now, a new leak suggests the Vivo-owned brand is preparing to launch a new performance-oriented smartphone, which could come to India as the iQOO 16R, along with a tablet. Just yesterday, iQOO’s India head teased the potential arrival of the iQOO 16, which utilises the most powerful Qualcomm mobile chipset yet, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.
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Per Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) on X, iQOO is working on two devices: an upcoming smartphone with model number PD2618, and a Chinese variant with V2618A. The handset is expected to debut in India as the iQOO 16R under a different model number. Alongside the phone, a new tablet carrying model number DPD2653 is also in development.
The leak also notes that both devices are listed alongside flagship hardware like the iQOO 16 and iQOO Pad Ultra, sharing advanced gaming features such as Vulkan Shadows support for titles like Delta Force, enabling enhanced real-time shadow rendering while reducing the processor load. Along with that, the devices may carry special optimisations like dedicated performance tweaks for titles like Infinity Nikki to deliver smoother frame rates and gameplay stability.
If you’re looking for a performance-oriented smartphone, the iQOO 16R could be worth waiting for, especially with OriginOS 7 onboard; the software has improved significantly, with smoother transitions and more multitasking capabilities. The upcoming iQOO tablet could be worth it for the same reasons if you’re into heavy gaming and content watching. However, with storage prices rising constantly, these devices could launch at a hefty price, which buyers can’t expect given the market’s dire situation.
The iQOO 15R launched in India at Rs 44,999, but its price has now risen to Rs 53,999 due to memory shortages.