iQOO 16 with Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 Launching Today: How to Watch the Livestream? What to Expect

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-Carlsen Martin

Published: Tuesday,
September 29, 2026, 11:35 [IST]

The iQOO 16 is set to make its debut in China later today as the second smartphone to adopt the new flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip, following the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max.

The biggest change this year is the wider flagship push. iQOO is expected to combine high-end gaming hardware with a much stronger camera system and a notably large battery. That puts the iQOO 16 closer to premium Android rivals from Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo’s own flagship ecosystem, rather than only performance-led gaming phones.

iQOO 16 Launch: How to Watch the Livestream

The iQOO 16 is set to launch in China later today at 07:00 pm local time or 04:30 pm IST. Additionally, sales in China are expected to open soon after the presentation.

Those interested in watching the iQOO 16 event live can do so on the company’s official website in China or Weibo account. Moreover, the iQOO 16 could debut in India next month as the first smartphone to adopt the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip in the country.

The iQOO 16 price in China could start from under CNY 5,999 (roughly Rs 86,000) for the base model. We expect the iQOO 16 price in India to start from under Rs 1,00,000, a significant bump from the iQOO 15’s current price of Rs 76,999.

iQOO 16 Specifications & Features

Performance is expected to be handled by Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset, paired with a dedicated Q4 gaming graphics chip. That suggests iQOO is not moving away from gaming performance, but is instead adding camera and battery strength around its usual performance-first foundation.

The display is tipped to be a 6.85-inch flat 2K LTPO OLED panel using Samsung’s M16 material. A 165Hz refresh rate is expected, which would make the screen especially attractive for supported games and fast interface interactions. LTPO technology should also help manage power use by adjusting refresh rate based on content.

The iQOO 16 is expected to carry an 8,400mAh silicon-anode battery, which would be unusually large for a premium flagship phone. It is also tipped to support 100W wired FlashCharge and 50W wireless charging. This combination could appeal to gamers, travellers and users who rely heavily on mobile data, camera and navigation.

iQOO 16 Camera Upgrades

The iQOO 16 is expected to bring a major rear camera overhaul. The main camera is tipped to use a 50MP OmniVision OV50Q sensor with a 1/1.3-inch sensor size. A larger sensor can capture more light, which should help with night shots, indoor photography and scenes with difficult lighting.

The phone is also expected to include a 50MP Sony IMX882 periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom. A third 50MP ultra-wide camera is likely to complete the rear setup. If accurate, this would make the iQOO 16 far more camera-focused than earlier performance-first models.

Stabilisation could be another key talking point. The device is expected to feature CIPA 5.5-rated image stabilisation, which should help reduce handshake during low-light photography and video recording. iQOO is also tipped to use its NICE 3.0 optical reconstruction engine, Super HDR processing and support for 4K live images.

iQOO 16 Design and Durability

The iQOO 16 is expected to introduce a new “Tomorrow’s Porthole” design language. The rear camera module is said to use a squared housing with three lenses arranged in a triangular layout. Expected colour options include Chasing Light, Legend in silver-grey, and Racing Track in purple.

Durability is also likely to be part of the flagship pitch. The phone is expected to come with IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance. If confirmed, that would place it among premium Android phones offering stronger protection against water exposure and high-pressure water jets.