After several teasers, OnePlus has finally launched the OnePlus 16 in China. The new flagship phone focuses on gaming performance, battery life, and camera hardware. It features a display with a gaming refresh rate of up to 185Hz, a 9,000mAh battery, and a 200MP primary camera. The device also introduces a dedicated triple-chip gaming system designed to improve network stability, touch response, and motion clarity.
The OnePlus 16 has a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 2772 × 1272 pixels. The panel supports adaptive refresh rates from 1Hz to 165Hz during regular use, while supported games can run at up to 185Hz. OnePlus says it uses its fourth-generation Oriental Screen technology with custom X4 luminescent material.
The display supports a minimum brightness of 1 nit, a typical brightness of up to 1,000 nits, and peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits. It also includes a sunlight mode for outdoor visibility and triple-calibrated colour tuning.
OnePlus says the 185Hz mode supports games including PUBG Mobile, Delta Force, Valorant: Energy Operation, Dark Zone, CrossFire: Mobile, Naruto, and Firefly Assault. The phone also supports gameplay above 165fps at ultra-high graphics settings in Honor of Kings, with expanded support planned for Minecraft and Clash of Clans.
However, these frame rates depend on game support and the phone’s ability to sustain performance. A high-refresh-rate display alone does not guarantee that every game will run at 185fps.
The OnePlus 16 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor, built on a 2nm manufacturing process, with an Adreno 850 GPU. According to OnePlus, the chipset offers a 13% improvement in CPU performance, a 44% gain in GPU performance, and a 10% improvement in energy efficiency. The company also claims double the sustained performance output compared with previous benchmarks, although it has not provided enough detail here to establish the testing conditions behind that claim.
The processor is paired with 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage. OnePlus has also developed three dedicated gaming chips. The G3 network chip is designed to reduce latency, the P4 super display chip improves motion clarity, and the T3 touch chip focuses on touch response.
The Wind Chaser Game Kernel adds multi-frame generation for supported games. OnePlus has also included a high-precision gyroscope intended to improve motion-based aiming and recoil control in shooter titles.
The phone uses a Glacier Cooling System with a zoned acceleration layout. OnePlus claims the design improves thermal gel efficiency by 50%, but independent testing will be needed to determine how effectively the system maintains performance during long gaming sessions.
The phone runs ColorOS 17 in China and includes AI tools for tasks such as organising classroom notes and solving academic problems. It also supports connectivity with Apple’s ecosystem. Other features include an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, and IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K dust and water resistance ratings.
The OnePlus 16 has a triple rear camera setup led by a 200MP primary sensor with a 1/1.4-inch optical format, an f/1.6 aperture, and optical image stabilisation. It also features a 50MP ultra-wide camera with a 116-degree field of view and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with a 1/1.95-inch sensor, 3x optical zoom, an f/2.6 aperture, and OIS.
The front camera uses a 50MP autofocus sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. OnePlus says the phone supports 4K video recording at up to 120fps with Dolby Vision and video recording at up to 8K resolution. The front camera supports video recording at up to 4K 60fps.
The camera system uses OnePlus’ LUMO light and shadow engine. However, the final image quality will depend on processing, low-light performance, autofocus, and consistency between the three rear cameras, not just sensor resolution.
The OnePlus 16 packs a 9,000mAh battery, the largest capacity used in a OnePlus phone so far. It supports 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. The phone also offers 27W reverse wired charging and bypass charging for supported usage scenarios.
The large battery could be useful for gaming and other demanding tasks, although actual battery life will depend on usage and display settings.
Connectivity options include 5G SA/NSA, dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, and USB Type-C with USB 3.2 Gen 1. The phone supports dual nano-SIM cards and multiple satellite navigation systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS. It also supports USB Type-C audio.
Other hardware features include an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, symmetrical stereo speakers, an X-axis linear vibration motor, an infrared sensor, tri-band GPS, and support for the n79 cellular frequency band. The phone carries IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings for dust and water resistance.
The OnePlus 16 comes in Starlight, Dark Forest, and Martian Masterpiece finishes. The Starlight version also features a breathing light indicator.
OnePlus 16 price and availability
The OnePlus 16 is available in four configurations in China:
- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage: 5,999 yuan
- 12GB RAM + 512GB storage: 6,799 yuan
- 16GB RAM + 512GB storage: 7,499 yuan
- 16GB RAM + 1TB storage: 8,499 yuan
As part of the initial sale, buyers can get a 300-yuan discount, OPPO Enco R5 wireless earphones worth 299 yuan, and a OnePlus Magnetic Ice Card Mini worth 199 yuan. Eligible students can also receive a backpack worth 199 yuan for a limited time.
