Leak suggests iQOO 16 lineup may arrive without an Ultra version in 2026: report
The iQOO 16 series could arrive earlier this year than expected, but it may do so without an Ultra model. A new leak suggests that iQOO is preparing the standard iQOO 16 for a September launch, while the more premium Ultra variant may be skipped for this generation. The leak comes from a reliable weibo tipster who’s shared the details in a recent post. Let’s take a look at it below.
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What the leak says
Tipster Digital Chat Station claimed on Weibo that iQOO will not launch an Ultra series device for this generation. The post also suggests that the company may reserve Ultra models for years when it has a bigger hardware or technology leap to show, rather than updating the lineup on a fixed annual cycle. The conversation has been translated directly from Weibo and is attached below.
If that holds true, the iQOO 16 lineup could focus on the standard iQOO 16 and possibly an iQOO 16T instead of an Ultra model. The standard iQOO 16 is said to launch in September with Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chipset and a battery capacity of around 8,500mAh.
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The iQOO 15 Ultra, which launched in China in February, sits as the current benchmark for the series with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, a 7,400mAh battery and 100W wired charging. If the Ultra model is skipped this year, the standard iQOO 16 will likely carry the responsibility of moving the series forward until the next major flagship leap.
If the leak turns out to be accurate, the absence of an Ultra model would leave iQOO with a simpler flagship lineup, but it may also reflect the reality of today’s market, where even the base iQOO 15 already feels firmly premium because of constant price hikes.
In that context, an Ultra variant would almost become a reserved luxury rather than a necessary yearly upgrade, making the standard iQOO 16 the more practical choice for most buyers.
Why is it happening?
This move would mark a clear shift in iQOO’s launch strategy. Instead of following the iQOO 15 Ultra with another yearly flagship Ultra, the brand may use the iQOO 16 as its main high-end entrant and hold back the Ultra variant until a bigger upgrade is ready. That approach would also fit the tipster’s earlier comment that Ultra devices are not meant to follow a strict yearly schedule.
Another possible reason could be the ongoing memory shortage and the price pressure it has created across the smartphone industry. Brands are becoming more selective about launching multiple premium tiers every year.
Some companies now also appear more willing to spread their top-end hardware across fewer launches instead of keeping every sub-series on a fixed timetable. For buyers, that could mean a simpler iQOO 16 lineup, but it also leaves the Ultra space open for a later comeback.
