iQOO 16 launches with 2K 165Hz display and a massive 8,400mAh battery!

iQOO has officially announced the iQOO 16 as the direct successor to last year's iQOO 15, expanding its flagship lineup with a strong focus on gaming and performance. The new phone comes with several major upgrades, such as a 6.85-inch AMOLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset, and a huge 8,400mAh battery. It also features a dedicated Q4 gaming chip, which is designed to handle graphics processing and improve the gaming experience. In this article, I will cover everything about the iQOO 16, including its specifications, availability, and expected price in Nepal. 

iQOO 16 Overview

Design and Display

Starting with the design, the iQOO 16 is redesigned on the rear, especially around the camera module. Here, instead of the more conventional square module on the iQOO 15, the new phone features a large spacecraft porthole-inspired camera island. It houses three cameras that are arranged within a mechanical-looking structure, while a hexagonal pattern underneath adds some visual depth.

The phone measures 8.30- 8.55 mm thick and weighs around 222.5- 229.8 g, depending on the model. It comes in three finishes: Chasing Light, Legend, and Racing Track. Among these, the “Chasing Light” version uses a holographic pattern on the rear panel that changes its appearance as light hits it from different angles. For durability, it has an IP68 and IP69 rating, protecting against dust ingress, water immersion, and high-pressure water jets.

Up front, the iQOO 16 sports a 6.85-inch 2K AMOLED display with a resolution of 3168 x 1440 pixels, delivering sharp text and images. It supports a fast 165Hz refresh rate, making scrolling, animations, and gameplay smoother. The screen can also reach a peak brightness of up to 10,000 nits, while its global peak brightness reaches 2,800 nits. This should help with clear visibility in bright outdoor conditions.

Additionally, the panel supports 3,300Hz PWM dimming for eye comfort. iQOO has also added wet-hand touch support so that you won't have problems scrolling or typing with wet hands or when your fingers are not completely dry.

Performance and Software

Under the hood, the iQOO 16 is powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset, built on a 2nm process to handle demanding games, multitasking, and other intensive workloads efficiently. The same chipset is seen on the latest flagship phones like Honor Magic 9 Pro Max or Xiaomi 18 Pro Max. It is configured with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage, giving the phone enough headroom for heavy games and other multimedia files. 

For gaming, iQOO has also included its self-developed Q4 gaming chip, which takes care of dedicated graphics processing and frame interpolation while reducing the load on the main chipset. This is aimed at delivering higher and more consistent frame rates during gaming.

To manage the heat generated during demanding workloads, the phone features an 8,500mm² 3D vapor chamber cooling system. The company has also added its “Monster Super Core Engine”, which uses a custom scheduling system to optimize performance and power consumption during gaming.

On the software side, the iQOO 16 runs OriginOS 7 based on Android 17. The software also includes several gaming-focused features and performance controls to complement the phone's gaming hardware.

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Camera and Battery

Moving to the cameras, the iQOO 16 has a triple-camera setup featuring a 50MP OmniVision OV50Q main camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor and OIS. The company claims it can capture 79% more light than the iQOO 15. It is accompanied by a 50MP periscope telephoto camera using a Sony LYT-600 sensor and offering 3x optical zoom, along with a 50MP ultra-wide camera.

While the camera setup is not the main focus here, the periscope telephoto lens gives you more flexibility when shooting distant subjects without relying entirely on digital zoom. So, you can expect a fairly versatile camera setup for everyday photography. On the front, there is a 32MP camera for selfies and video calls.

Coming to the battery, the iQOO 16 packs a large 8,400mAh battery, which should provide plenty of endurance for gaming and everyday use. It supports 100W wired and 40W wireless charging, so the large battery can also be topped up quickly.

iQOO 16 Specifications:

• Design and Build: 8.29mm thick, around 215 grams, Chasing Light, Legend, and Racing Track finishes, IP68/IP69 rating
• Display: 6.85-inch 2K AMOLED, 3168 x 1440 pixels resolution, up to 165Hz refresh rate, up to 10,000 nits local peak brightness, 2,800 nits global peak brightness, 3,300Hz PWM dimming
• Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 (2nm)
• Memory: Up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, up to 1TB UFS 4.1 storage
• Software & UI: OriginOS 7 based on Android 17
• Rear Cameras: Triple (50MP OmniVision OV50Q main with OIS + 50MP periscope telephoto with 3x optical zoom + 50MP ultra-wide)
• Front Camera: 32MP sensor
• Security: Fingerprint (ultrasonic in-display)
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, USB-C 3.2, OTG, infrared
• Battery: 8,400mAh, 100W wired charging, 40W wireless charging
• Colors: Chasing Light, Legend, Racing Track

iQOO 16 Price in Nepal and Availability

The iQOO 16 has been officially introduced in China with a starting price of CNY 5,999 for the base 12/256GB variant. The 12/512GB model costs CNY 6,799, while the 16/512GB version is priced at CNY 7,499. And the top-end 16GB/1TB variant costs CNY 8,499. For now, there is no information regarding its global or local availability. However, if it is launched here, you can expect the iQOO 16 price in Nepal to be around NPR 137,999.

• Meanwhile, watch our Redmi 17 review video.