iQOO 16 price and specs: every China configuration
The iQOO 16 price in China starts at 5,999 yuan. Every memory tier, specs checked against the official page, rival Snapdragon phones and global launch status.
Source-based. Written from the documents, reporting and reviews linked in the text. Nothing here was tested hands-on by The Ruling Desk. How we work
The iQOO 16 launched in China on September 29, 2026, and went on sale the same day. The iQOO 16 price starts at 5,999 yuan (about US$895) for 12 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage and tops out at 8,499 yuan for 16 GB and 1 TB. It runs Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 with an 8,400 mAh battery and a 6.85-inch, 165 Hz screen. iQOO, vivo's performance brand, hasn't announced a launch outside China.
Key takeaways
- Four configurations in China: 5,999, 6,799, 7,499 and 8,499 yuan. The dollar figures in this article are our own conversion, not iQOO prices.
- The chip is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, the stronger of Qualcomm's two new flagship chips, paired with iQOO's own Q4 gaming chip.
- vivo rates the battery at 8,400 mAh typical (8,170 mAh rated), with 100 W wired and 40 W wireless charging. No independent battery test has been published.
- The screen is a 6.85-inch 2K panel at up to 165 Hz, faster than the 120 Hz of the Honor and Xiaomi phones with the same chip.
- As of September 30, 2026, iQOO hasn't announced a global or India launch, a date or a price outside China.
iQOO 16 price in China, by configuration
The phone is on sale in China now: Smartprix reports it went on sale across all channels right after the September 29 launch. The yuan prices below are the same in its report and in GSMArena's launch story.
| Memory and storage | China price | About (our conversion) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 GB + 256 GB | 5,999 yuan | US$895 |
| 12 GB + 512 GB | 6,799 yuan | US$1,014 |
| 16 GB + 512 GB | 7,499 yuan | US$1,118 |
| 16 GB + 1 TB | 8,499 yuan | US$1,268 |
We converted at the European Central Bank reference rate for September 30, 2026 (1 yuan = US$0.149). A Chinese price doesn't predict what the phone would cost elsewhere, where taxes and import costs differ. Smartprix also reports that China's national subsidy brings the base model down to 5,499 yuan for eligible buyers, and that the starting price is 1,800 yuan higher than the iQOO 15's launch price of 4,199 yuan.
iQOO 16 specs, checked against the official page
Most figures below come from vivo's official iQOO 16 page, which is in Chinese. The screen brightness, front camera and software come from GSMArena's spec sheet, because the official page shows those as images rather than text.
| iQOO 16 | |
|---|---|
| Chip | Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 (2 nm), plus iQOO's Q4 gaming chip |
| Screen | 6.85-inch Samsung AMOLED, 2K (3168 x 1440), up to 165 Hz |
| Brightness | 2,800 nits full screen, 10,000 nits peak in a small spot |
| Battery | 8,400 mAh typical, 8,170 mAh rated |
| Charging | 100 W wired, 40 W wireless |
| Main camera | 50 MP, 1/1.3-inch sensor, f/1.68, optical stabilization |
| Telephoto | 50 MP Sony periscope, 1/1.95-inch, f/2.65, 3x optical zoom |
| Ultrawide | 50 MP, 1/2.75-inch, f/2.05 |
| Front camera | 32 MP |
| Memory | LPDDR5X Ultra (LPDDR5X Ultra Pro on the 1 TB model), UFS 4.1 storage |
| Water and dust | IP68 and IP69 |
| Weight and thickness | 222.5 g to 229.8 g, 8.3 mm to 8.55 mm, depending on color |
| Software | OriginOS 7, based on Android 17 |
The official page uses the chip's Chinese brand name, and GSMArena identifies it as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, model SM8975. The page also lists an ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint reader and three finishes whose names GSMArena translates as Chasing Light, Racetrack and Legend. The 10,000-nit figure is a peak for a small area of the screen during video, not what a full page looks like in sunlight.
vivo's page quotes an AnTuTu benchmark score of 5,574,521 from its own lab. That's the maker's number, and no independent reviewer has published results as of September 30, 2026.
How it lines up with other Extreme Gen 6 phones
Two phones we've covered in detail use the same top Qualcomm chip. Our Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 vs Extreme breakdown explains what the Extreme adds. Here's the iQOO 16 next to the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max and the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, using each maker's own figures for the Chinese models.
| iQOO 16 | Honor Magic 9 Pro Max | Xiaomi 18 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chip | 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 | 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 | 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 |
| Screen | 6.85-inch, up to 165 Hz | 6.8-inch, up to 120 Hz | 6.9-inch, 120 Hz |
| Battery | 8,400 mAh typical | 8,800 mAh typical | 8,500 mAh |
| Wired charging | 100 W | 100 W | 100 W |
| Rear cameras | Three 50 MP | 200 MP main, 200 MP telephoto, 50 MP ultrawide | 200 MP main, 200 MP telephoto, 50 MP ultrawide |
| China price range | 5,999 to 8,499 yuan | 6,499 to 8,499 yuan | 6,999 to 9,999 yuan |
On paper, the iQOO 16 is the cheapest way into the Extreme chip in China so far, and it has the fastest screen of the three. The other two lean on 200 MP cameras and, for Honor, a bigger battery. The Xiaomi 18 Pro also starts at 5,999 yuan, but with the regular Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and a 7,000 mAh battery. None of these phones has been through independent battery or camera testing yet, so this is a spec comparison, not a ranking.
iQOO 16 global launch: is it coming to India?
Not officially, as of September 30, 2026. iQOO hasn't announced an iQOO 16 India launch or any other date, price or market outside China, and GSMArena's launch story says the same. Qualcomm's chip announcement listed iQOO among the brands with Extreme Gen 6 phones coming, without naming markets.
What exists is a pattern and some leaks. Last year's iQOO 15 launched in China in October 2025, and iQOO then set its India launch for November 26, 2025. In May, My Mobile India reported that a model numbered I2601 had appeared in the IMEI database, which it read as a sign of regional versions in testing. Beebom notes that India is unconfirmed and that some leaks suggest the phone may skip it. None of that is an announcement, and a Chinese price says little about an Indian or global one.
For more phone launches, see the gadgets section.
Bottom line
The iQOO 16 is a confirmed China launch. The iQOO 16 price runs from 5,999 to 8,499 yuan, and you get the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, an 8,400 mAh battery and a 165 Hz 2K screen, all as vivo rates them. It undercuts the Honor and Xiaomi Extreme phones on starting price in China, with three 50 MP cameras instead of 200 MP ones. If you're outside China, there's nothing to buy yet: a global or India release hasn't been announced, and last year's timing is a pattern, not a promise. Watch for an iQOO announcement and for independent battery and screen tests.
FAQ
What is the price of the iQOO 16?
The iQOO 16 price in China is 5,999 yuan for 12 GB and 256 GB, 6,799 yuan for 12 GB and 512 GB, 7,499 yuan for 16 GB and 512 GB, and 8,499 yuan for 16 GB and 1 TB. That's about US$895 to US$1,268 at September 30, 2026 exchange rates, by our conversion. There's no official price for any other market.
Which processor does the iQOO 16 use?
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, Qualcomm's top 2 nm phone chip for 2026, alongside iQOO's own Q4 gaming chip. It's the same Qualcomm chip as in the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max and the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max.
How big is the iQOO 16 battery?
vivo rates it at 8,400 mAh typical and 8,170 mAh rated, with 100 W wired and 40 W wireless charging. Those are the company's figures, and no independent battery test was out as of September 30, 2026.
When will the iQOO 16 launch in India?
iQOO hasn't announced it. Last year, iQOO set the iQOO 15's India launch for about five weeks after its China debut, but that's last year's timing, not a confirmed plan for the iQOO 16.