iQOO 16 Display Leak Reveals 2K 165Hz Samsung M16 OLED Panel and 5000Hz Touch Sampling

The iQOO 16 is shaping up to be a powerful flagship with a 2K 165Hz Samsung M16 OLED display, 5,000Hz touch sampling, improved brightness, colour accuracy and gaming-focused features.

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It looks like the Chinese tech company iQOO is planning to release its latest flagship smartphone iQOO 16 in China soon, and the company has shared some of the most fascinating specifications related to its display. In the run-up to the launch of the latest model, some interesting new information regarding the display that will equip the phone has surfaced. It seems the smartphone is likely to have a 2K display along with the new M16 OLED technology from Samsung with a 165Hz refresh rate.

During the recently-held Samsung Display × iQOO screen technology event, both the companies confirmed that the display that will equip the iQOO 16 will be a 2K display with a 165Hz refresh rate. These features make the iQOO smartphone one of the most interesting smartphones that will hit the market since it will become the first smartphone to offer such a display with these features.

The new display is the result of joint efforts from Samsung Display and iQOO with Samsung M16 luminescent materials and Samsung’s new 2K LEAD 2.0 technology. On the other hand, iQOO has designed a special high-refresh rate integrated circuit and even set up a dedicated assembly line for its flagship phones. From this information, one can tell that iQOO is making emphasis more on display quality than just boosting the specs.

iQOO 16 display

It is anticipated that there will be some improvements to color representation in the display of iQOO 16. The display supports 1.24x P3 gamut color coverage, which means that it is capable of representing more colors than the traditional screens do. Besides, the color and brightness uniformity have been enhanced by 39.6 percent and 22.3 percent, respectively, from the older version.

According to iQOO, its algorithm for color and brightness compensation at the level of sub-pixels can ensure color accuracy up to ±0.001. Although it sounds amazing at first glance, only practice will show whether there will be any perceptible difference when using the phone. The improved uniformity might affect viewing experience for photos and videos.

It seems that gaming may have been one of the top reasons for the iQOO 16's 165Hz display since it comes with 5,000Hz instantaneous touch sampling and 500Hz multi-finger touch sampling that will enable the phone to sense touch actions at incredibly high speeds. This feature might come in handy when playing competitive games and any difference in touch response time might impact the game.

The company has also announced the implementation of its new Q-Flex control technology, which is aimed at minimizing the lag between a user's input and its visual feedback on the screen. Along with the 165Hz display refresh rate, this might make the iQOO 16 phone appealing to mobile gamers and esports players.

Brightening seems to have had a major boost on the iQOO 16 too. Its manual peak brightness is 1,100 nits, while the global peak brightness might hit 2,800 nits. In the smallest parts of the display, the local peak brightness can go as high as 10,000 nits. This should help in displaying bright HDR highlights on any compatible content.

The above values represent the different kinds of brightness measurements, and hence, cannot be compared directly with a smartphone's peak brightness value. However, the high levels of both global and local brightness should help this display perform better. It will be great for playing HDR videos and operating in bright sunlight.

The display offers full-brightness DC dimming and up to 3,300Hz PWM dimming capabilities. Both these technologies help the users manage their screen brightness while avoiding the flicker. iQOO has also provided three photosensitive full-area light sensors, unpolarized natural-light display, and a gaming glare protection mode on the phone.

iQOO 16 vs iQOO 15 display

Interestingly, the iQOO 16 also features the same resolution at 2K and 508ppi pixel density, as in the previous generation model iQOO 15. Thus, the only improvement made to the display is not about the resolution but rather related to the advancements in the panel technology and performance.

The introduction of the latest M16 material, 2K LEAD 2.0 technology and a 165Hz refresh rate might turn out to be a significant advancement for the new model display. It should be noted that iQOO claims to improve power efficiency and the lifespan of the panel; however, the latter might become worse due to the higher refresh rate.

On the other hand, for the users of the existing iQOO 15 model, the display upgrade alone will not be sufficient to justify the need to upgrade. Due to the same resolution and pixel density, the display improvement might not be evident during the regular usage. However, the new panel looks promising in combination with other upgrades in the new model iQOO 16.

iQOO 16 price and expected specifications

According to predictions, the iQOO 16 is going to hit the Indian market at an expensive price of about Rs 85,000 - Rs 90,000. The shortage of memory as well as higher cost of components might affect the cost, thus placing the phone into the premium flagships' category.

Speaking about hardware, iQOO 16 is supposed to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, along with other premium specs, such as memory and storage. In case if all the above-mentioned specs appear to be true, then the phone is going to represent a powerful and performance-focused flagship aimed at gamers and other performance-oriented customers.

With 2K 165Hz display, Samsung M16 OLED technology, 5,000Hz instant touch sampling, as well as bright screens and other gaming features, the iQOO 16 is expected to become one of the most interesting phones in terms of performance among all devices that are expected to come out this year.