How Efficient Is the iQOO 16's 2K 165Hz Display?

iQOO has just launched its new flagship iQOO 16 in China on September 29. One of its main upgrades is a 2K display with a 165Hz refresh rate. Despite the higher resolution, the panel can use about as much power as some efficient 1.5K displays.

The phone is available in three colors called Chasing Light, Legend and Track.

The display was developed by iQOO and Samsung Display. It uses Samsung's M16 emission material and iQOO's 2K LEAD 2.0 technology.

The iQOO 16 is the first phone to combine this 2K resolution with a 165Hz refresh rate. More than 100 apps and over 50 popular games support the 165Hz mode, so the higher refresh rate is not limited to gaming. It can also make scrolling through social media and reading messages feel smoother.

The panel can reach 2,800 nits of full-screen peak brightness and up to 10,000 nits in smaller areas. iQOO also says its Q-flex technology cuts touch delay by up to 28%. The touch layer can reach a sampling rate of 5,000Hz, while the gyroscope can reach 500Hz.

According to measurements shared by leaker Experience More, the iQOO 16 display uses around 443mW at 350 nits. That puts it close to some of the most efficient 1.5K panels tested.

The most efficient 1.5K display in the comparison used 436.61mW. That is only around 1.5% less than the iQOO 16.

iQOO also claims that the display uses 31% less power than similar-sized 1.5K panels at 150 nits. Independent measurements at the same brightness showed 145mW for the iQOO 16 and 212mW for the compared 1.5K panel.

These results suggest that a higher resolution does not always mean much higher display power use. However, these figures only cover the display itself, not the whole phone.

The iQOO 16 starts at 5,999 yuan in China for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage model. Higher-end versions offer up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The phone uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, along with iQOO's Q4 gaming chip and a vapor chamber cooling system. An 8,400mAh battery provides the power.

For now, the iQOO 16 is sold in China. iQOO has not announced international availability, so there is still no confirmed global launch date or price.