vivo’s iQOO brand has launched the iQOO 16 in China, shortly after Xiaomi presented its Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. The new phone pairs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 with a 165 Hz 2K display, a triple 50-megapixel camera system and an 8,400 mAh battery. Prices in China start at 5,999 yuan for the 12/256 GB version. Android Insider calls the iQOO 16 the cheapest flagship built on the new Snapdragon, despite a memory shortage in the market. A global release has not been announced.
What you need to know
- The iQOO 16 uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, built on a 2 nm process, together with a separate Q4 gaming chip.
- The battery grows to 8,400 mAh, up from 7,000 mAh in the iQOO 15. Charging stays at 100 W wired and 40 W wireless.
- Prices in China run from 5,999 yuan (12/256 GB) to 8,499 yuan (16 GB/1 TB). The starting price is 1,000 yuan below the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max’s starting price in China.
- The phone has launched only in China so far. No global release has been announced.
The iQOO 16 smartphone in a store
Processor and display: the headline features
The iQOO 16 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. Android Insider describes it as the top version of Qualcomm’s new 2 nm chip and the most powerful mobile platform currently available.
- 2 cores running at 5 GHz
- 6 cores running at 4 GHz
- Adreno 850 GPU
A secondary Q4 gaming chip works alongside the main processor and takes on part of the graphics workload. According to the report, this allows the phone to run games at up to 165 fps without thermal throttling. This is a stated capability, not the result of independent testing.
The display reflects the same gaming focus. It uses a Samsung M16 LTPO AMOLED panel with these specifications:
- 6.85 inches at 2K resolution (3168×1440)
- Variable refresh rate of 1–165 Hz
- Peak brightness of 2,800 nits and typical brightness of 1,100 nits
- 3,300 Hz PWM dimming
- 500 Hz touch sampling rate
Android Insider characterizes the panel as tuned specifically for gaming workloads.
The iQOO 16’s display
Cameras: a larger main sensor
According to Android Insider, earlier iQOO generations were often criticized for cameras that lagged behind similarly priced rivals. The publication argues that the iQOO 16 addresses this and moves away from the usual pattern of a powerful processor paired with weak cameras.
The triple rear camera system includes:
- 50 MP main camera: OmniVision OV50Q LOFIC sensor, 1/1.3 inch, f/1.68, with optical image stabilization (CIPA 5.5). The report says this LOFIC sensor can handle a dynamic range of 13.5 EV.
- 50 MP periscope telephoto: Sony LYT-600 sensor, 1/1.95 inch, f/2.65, 3x zoom, with optical image stabilization (CIPA 5.0).
- 50 MP ultra-wide: GC50F0 sensor, 1/2.8 inch, f/2.05, with autofocus for macro shots.
The phone records video at up to 8K. A 32 MP front camera sits in a centered punch-hole cutout.
Android Insider calls three 50 MP modules, two of them stabilized, an unexpectedly strong camera setup for a gaming-focused phone. These are specifications only. The report does not include sample images or test results.
Battery and charging: a substantial upgrade
The iQOO 15 had a 7,000 mAh battery. The iQOO 16 increases this to 8,400 mAh, a gain of 1,400 mAh.
- Charging speeds are unchanged at 100 W wired and 40 W wireless.
- The USB port supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 for faster file transfers to a computer.
The iQOO 16 charging
Despite the larger battery, the body is roughly the same size as before:
- 163.75 × 76.9 mm
- Thickness of 8.3 to 8.55 mm, depending on the color
- Weight of 222.5 to 229.8 g, which Android Insider considers reasonable for a battery of this size
- IP68/IP69 protection against water
Pricing and availability
Prices in China are:
- 12/256 GB: 5,999 yuan
- 16 GB/1 TB: 8,499 yuan
For comparison, the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, which Android Insider calls a direct competitor, started at 6,999 yuan in China. That makes the iQOO 16’s base price 1,000 yuan lower.
Compared with its predecessor, the iQOO 15, the iQOO 16 brings these upgrades:
- The new 2 nm Snapdragon Extreme chip
- A 1,400 mAh larger battery
- A large LOFIC main camera sensor
- A 165 Hz display instead of 144 Hz
The phone ships with OriginOS 7 based on Android 17 and supports 5G.
A global release of the iQOO 16 has not been announced. The phone has so far launched only in China, so international availability and pricing remain unknown.
