A new report from a well-known Weibo tipster, Digital Chat Station, indicates that several upcoming flagship smartphones could launch at higher prices this year.
According to the leak, the OnePlus 16, Vivo’s iQOO 16, and Redmi K100 Pro Max are expected to debut in the second half of the year with higher prices. All three devices are said to be powered by Qualcomm’s next flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.
20% Price Hike
Digital Chat Station claims that each model will start at CNY 5,000 this time, which converts to around $725 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration. Note that smartphone prices in China are typically lower than in international markets.
For comparison, the OnePlus 15 and Redmi K90 Pro Max launched at $580, while the iQOO 15 started at $595. If the new pricing is accurate, this would represent an increase of roughly 20%.
Possible Reasons for the Increase
The tipster did not provide a detailed explanation for the projected price hike. However, the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is expected to cost more than its predecessor. In addition, rising memory prices could contribute to higher overall device costs.
If the reported price increase applies in China, global versions of the OnePlus 16 and iQOO 16 may also see similar adjustments. At this stage, the information remains unofficial and has not been confirmed by the manufacturers.
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