Leaks point to significant hardware upgrades in the iQOO 16. According to recent reports, the new smartphone is being developed with several high-end hardware upgrades such as a separate graphics processor, flagship-grade stereo speakers and an 8,500mAh battery. iQOO has not confirmed any of this officially.
According to tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) on Weibo, an engineering prototype believed to be the iQOO 16 is currently being tested with Qualcomm's unannounced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro SoC.
This SoC could feature Qualcomm's new 2+3+3 Oryon CPU architecture alongside 16MB of shared L2 cache. For graphics, the SoC could be paired with an Adreno 850 GPU, with 18MB of GMEM (Graphics Memory), supporting both LPDDR6 and LPDDR5X RAM.
It is also anticipated that the smartphone is expected to feature a 0916-series X-axis linear motor to improve haptic feedback. Together with the 3D ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, these features suggest that iQOO is targeting a premium gaming experience.
One of the iQOO 16's biggest rumored upgrades is its 8,500mAh battery. The smartphone is also expected to be powered by Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro SoC.
The other rumored specifications for the smartphone include IP68/IP69 water and dust resistance, USB 3.2 and a film display layer for improved picture quality under AR conditions. The main camera may use a 50MP OV50Q image sensor.
Looking ahead, iQOO could unveil the smartphone in China around September or October this year. However, the company has not officially announced a launch date or confirmed the leaked specifications.
Separately, recent reports suggest iQOO may not introduce an Ultra variant of the series this year. Rising memory component costs are also said to have affected the company's launch strategy in some markets, although no official confirmation has been issued.
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