iQOO might be about to make its camera module the most talked-about rectangle in mobile tech. A new leak from reliable tipster Digital Chat Station, as reported by Gizmochina, gives us our first real look at the iQOO 16’s rear design, and it’s genuinely different from what most flagship Android phones are doing right now.
The iQOO 16 is expected to feature a square camera module with heavily rounded corners. Inside it, three rear cameras are arranged in a connected layout, which sounds like they’re physically linked within the island rather than floating separately. The module also has extra detailing around its outer frame and textured layers underneath, giving it what the leak describes as a mechanical, sci-fi character. The rear panel itself is said to use a new manufacturing process to pull the whole aesthetic together. It’s a bold call. Plenty of phones have tried the “textured back” angle before, but the camera island treatment here sounds more considered than a gimmick.
On the camera specs side, earlier leaks pointed to three 50-megapixel shooters on the back. The main sensor is tipped to be a 1/1.3-inch unit with an f/1.68 aperture, which would put it right in flagship territory. Both the ultrawide and periscope telephoto are also expected to hit 50 megapixels. If those numbers hold up, iQOO is clearly not treating the 16 as a minor refresh.
iQOO is expected to launch the 16 alongside the iQOO Neo 12 at an upcoming event in China. The brand has been pushing hard into the performance flagship space, and the Neo line gives it a slightly more affordable option to sit below the hero device. That two-tier strategy is smart, especially in China where mid-range competition is fierce and consumers expect a lot for their money.
But iQOO isn’t stopping at phones. The company’s flagship series Product Manager, Wang Ken, has been teasing what looks like a compact tablet on social media. He hasn’t dropped any specs yet, but the device is believed to be a Vivo tablet carrying model number iPA2691, which already cleared SRRC certification in China. That kind of regulatory milestone usually means a launch isn’t far off.
The rumored specs for the tablet are pretty interesting for anyone who games on a smaller screen. Here’s what’s being talked about:
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6-series chipset
- Active cooling system with a built-in fan
- OLED display with slim bezels and a high refresh rate
- Wi-Fi only connectivity, no cellular option
A fan-cooled tablet aimed at gamers is a specific pitch, and it makes sense for iQOO’s identity as a performance-first brand. Still, Wi-Fi only limits how useful it is outside the home. That’s a tradeoff worth watching when full specs and pricing arrive.
So iQOO is potentially walking into this launch event with a design-forward flagship, a value Neo option, and a gaming tablet. If the iQOO 16’s camera module looks as sharp in person as the leak suggests, this could be one of the more visually interesting flagship releases of the year.