News in Short

• The OnePlus 16 has launched in China with a starting price of CNY 5,999, approximately ₹86,000.
• It features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset, built on a 2nm process.
• The phone packs a 9,000mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.
• Its specifications include a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of up to 185Hz.
• The rear camera system includes a 200-megapixel primary camera and two 50-megapixel cameras.

OnePlus has launched the OnePlus 16 in China, introducing a larger battery, a faster display and an upgraded flagship chipset. The smartphone succeeds the OnePlus 15, which arrived in 2025.

The OnePlus 16 starts at CNY 5,999, approximately ₹86,000, for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. The other configurations are priced as follows:

• 12GB RAM + 512GB storage: CNY 6,799, approximately ₹97,000.
• 16GB RAM + 512GB storage: CNY 7,499, approximately ₹1,07,000.
• 16GB RAM + 1TB storage: CNY 8,499, approximately ₹1,21,000.

The handset will go on sale in China on October 13 through the Oppo China online store. Colour options include Tomorrow’s Star, Martian Masterpiece and Dark Forest, translated from Chinese.

OnePlus has not announced the Indian price or launch date. The Chinese prices provide an early reference, but they do not establish the phone’s eventual Indian retail price.

OnePlus 16 specifications and display

The OnePlus 16 features a 6.78-inch Full-HD+ AMOLED display with a resolution of 1,272 × 2,772 pixels. Its refresh rate reaches 185Hz, which could benefit gaming and fast-moving content.

The panel offers 450ppi pixel density, a local peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits and 100 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. It also supports an always-on display and 3,840Hz PWM dimming.

The phone retains a square-shaped rear camera module, similar to its predecessor. OnePlus has also equipped it with IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K ratings for dust and water resistance.

The device measures 161.42 × 76.67 × 8.55mm and weighs approximately 220g.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset and gaming features

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 powers the OnePlus 16. The octa-core processor uses a 2nm manufacturing process and reaches a reported peak clock speed of 5.01GHz. Graphics are handled by the Adreno 850 GPU.

The phone offers up to 16GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage. OnePlus has also included three dedicated gaming-related chips.

These comprise the P4 Super Display Chip, Lingxi Touch Chip and G3 Esports Network Chip. Together, they form the handset’s tri-chip gaming setup.

The hardware suggests a focus on gaming responsiveness, display performance and network stability. However, real-world testing will determine how much these dedicated chips improve the experience across different games.

OnePlus 16 camera specifications

The OnePlus 16 features a triple rear camera system with Oppo’s LUMO imaging technology. Its primary camera uses a 200-megapixel sensor with an f/1.6 aperture and dual-axis optical image stabilisation.

The setup also includes a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera with an f/2.0 aperture and a 116-degree field of view. A 50-megapixel telephoto camera completes the rear system, offering up to 3x optical zoom and up to 120x digital zoom.

For selfies and video calls, the phone features a 50-megapixel front camera with an f/2.0 aperture. It can record videos at up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second.

The combination covers standard photography, wide-angle shots and telephoto zoom. However, camera quality will depend on processing, sensor performance and how well the different cameras work together.

OnePlus 16 battery, charging and software

The OnePlus 16 packs a 9,000mAh battery, a substantial increase in capacity compared with many conventional flagship smartphones. It supports 100W wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging.

The larger battery could offer an advantage for gaming, video playback and extended daily use. Actual battery life will depend on screen brightness, network conditions, gaming sessions and other usage patterns.

The phone runs ColorOS 17, based on Android 17. It supports dual SIM connectivity, 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0. Other connectivity options include USB Type-C, GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS and Galileo.

An in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor handles biometric security.

The OnePlus 16 brings together a large battery, high-refresh-rate display and flagship processing hardware. However, Indian buyers will need to wait for an official announcement to learn its local pricing, availability and configuration options.