iQOO teases new flagship launch in India, is it iQOO 16?

HIGHLIGHTS

iQOO India CEO Nipun Marya has teased an upcoming flagship with a cryptic post that appears to hint at the iQOO 16 India launch.

iQOO 16 is expected to feature a 165Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset and a massive 8,400mAh battery.

The flagship is tipped to launch in India in the sub-Rs 1 lakh price category, with a possible December 2026 or early 2027 debut.

iQOO teases new flagship launch in India, is it iQOO 16?

iQOO 16 India launch leaks: Chinese smartphone maker iQOO announced its latest flagship, the iQOO 16, in China last month. Soon after launch, a leak claimed the company is testing the iQOO 16 in India. However, we did not receive any official word from the brand at that time. But things could be different now.

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iQOO India CEO Nipun Marya has shared a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter) hinting at a possible launch of an iQOO flagship in India. Sharing a video on the microblogging platform, the CEO posted: “A query is running…”. The clip has multiple texts that hint at a possible debut of the iQOO 16: “Find the next flagship”, “WHERE status – ‘stay_tuned’” and “1 result found”.

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This teaser video is an official hint of the launch of an upcoming iQOO flagship in India, most likely the iQOO 16. For detailed context, here are the expected specifications, price and launch timeline of the smartphone.

iQOO 16 specifications (expectations)

iQOO 16 is expected to sport a 6.85-inch 2K+ M16 LTPO AMOLED screen with up to 165Hz refresh rate and 10,000nits local peak brightness. Under the hood, the phone may get a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor with a Q4 gaming chip. It will likely run on OriginOS 7 based on Android 17.

iQOO 16 with 8400mah battery and 165Hz AMOLED display Launched in China

The iQOO flagship could sport an 8,400mAh battery with 100W wired and 40W wireless charging. As for the cameras, iQOO 16 may offer a 50MP OIS main + 50MP ultrawide + 50MP 3x telephoto rear camera setup and a 32MP selfie shooter. Moving of connectivity, the phone is said to have Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, IR sensor, NFC and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port. It may also offer an IP69 rating and an ultrasonic fingerprint reader.

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iQOO 16 price in India (expectations)

X tipster Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh) expects the iQOO 16 to launch in the sub-Rs 1 lakh price range in the country. For context, the predecessor of the phone, iQOO 15, currently starts at Rs 85,999 in India.

iQOO 16 India launch timeline (expectations)

Based on the updated rumours and leaks, readers can expect the iQOO 16 to launch in India in December 2026 or early next year in the country. However, these details are subject to change as iQOO has not revealed the price, launch date or specifications of the upcoming flagship.

Vikas Yadav

Vikas Yadav

Vikas, a Copy Editor at Digit, writes to express his interest in technology. He covers consumer-centric tech news while hunting the day's most "VFM" smartphone deal. Plus, this curious geek enjoys digging into the last-mile intricacies of latest gadgets. Before Digit, he reported for Jagran English. Off work, you'll find him emotionally attached to historical sites or lost in tales of India's past. Simply put, tech is his 9-to-5, the rest is history. View Full Profile