Performance has always been one of iQOO's biggest strengths and the upcoming iQOO 16 could take things a step further. A fresh leak now hints at a significant upgrade to the iQOO 16's cooling system, potentially putting it ahead of most mainstream flagships.
iQOO 16 Tipped to Feature Both Liquid and Active Cooling
According to a new Weibo post by tipster Smart Pikachu, the next-gen iQOO 16 could feature both a liquid cooling system and a built-in active cooling fan. The translated post mentions that the company has begun "preliminary research on liquid cooling and air cooling."
If this turns out to be accurate, the iQOO 16 could bring a massive thermal management upgrade over its predecessor, the iQOO 15. Moreover, it could become one of the first mainstream flagship phones to feature both cooling solutions together. At the moment, this combination is largely limited to gaming-centric phones like the RedMagic 11S Pro series.
Interestingly, this contradicts an earlier claim from well-known tipster Digital Chat Station, who suggested that the iQOO 16 would skip the built-in fan in favour of an 8,500mAh battery. However, with the iQOO 16 Ultra reportedly discontinued, it seems like the brand has re-evaluated its decision and has decided to go all in on the standard yearly flagship model.
iQOO 16 Specifications (Leaked)
Beyond the upgraded cooling system, iQOO 16 specs leaks also suggest the flagship could be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chipset. This chipset will be a clear step-up over the predecessor's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, featuring flagship features like LPDDR6 RAM support, 2nm node and more. This top-of-the-line Snapdragon chipset is expected to launch at the Snapdragon Summit 2026 event this September, just a month ahead of the phone's expected October debut.
The iQOO 16 is also set to receive a big display upgrade as it is tipped to arrive with a 6.85-inch flat AMOLED screen with 2K resolution and a whopping 165 Hz refresh rate. This is definitely a sizable jump over the 144 Hz screen of the iQOO 15 and will be highly appreciated by FPS gamers.
On the camera front, the phone might arrive with a 50 MP main 1/1.3-inch sensor, a 50 MP periscope telephoto camera and an ultra-wide angle sensor. Software-wise, the iQOO 16 is expected to be the first phone to ship with OriginOS 7 out of the box, based on Android 17.
On paper, the iQOO 16 already looks like a promising flagship over its predecessor. However, it will be interesting to see how the brand prices the phone in the current RAM crisis market. Since the phone is expected to launch in Q3 2026, expect more information to surface soon.
