OnePlus 16 and iQoo 16 tipped to launch earlier than expected

The OnePlus 15 and iQoo 15 are performance-focused flagships that launched in China on October 27 and October 20, 2025, respectively. Both smartphones were among the first devices to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. Now, a new leak has revealed the launch timelines of the next-generation OnePlus 16 and the iQoo 16.

As per Digital Chat Station on Weibo, both the OnePlus 16 and the iQoo 16 may launch in September 2026. Notably, the tipster previously suggested that multiple Chinese companies, including Oppo and Vivo, would also launch their next-gen flagship lineups in September, which is a month earlier than usual.

Do note that these launch timelines appear to be specific to the Chinese market, and there is no news regarding global availability yet. For context, the OnePlus 15 and iQoo 15 were released in the global market in November 2025.

Leaked highlights of the OnePlus 16 and iQoo 16 

The OnePlus 16 and the iQoo 16 are expected to feature the next flagship chipset from Qualcomm, reportedly called the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. The chipset may be based on a 2nm process and support LPDDR6 memory.

The OnePlus 16 is tipped to feature a "1.5K" display with a 185Hz refresh rate. Meanwhile, the iQoo 16 may use a display with a "2K" resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate.

The OnePlus 16 is expected to use a 50MP primary camera and a 200MP periscope telephoto lens. Meanwhile, iQoo is reportedly testing between 50MP and 200MP sensors for the primary camera. The OnePlus 16 may also feature a 9,000mAh battery, up from 7,300mAh on the OnePlus 15 (curr. $899 on Amazon).