The OnePlus 16 is officially here, bringing a major spec upgrade to OnePlus’s lineup, though for now the OnePlus 16 launch is a China-only event. The new flagship pairs a top-tier Qualcomm chip with a 200MP main camera and a significantly larger battery, positioning it as one of the standout phones in the brand’s history.
What’s new in the OnePlus 16 launch?
At the center of the OnePlus 16 launch is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, Qualcomm’s latest flagship chip. The phone is built around a 6.78-inch LTPO OLED display with a 1,272 x 2,772 px resolution and a 185Hz refresh rate, where the panel runs at 165Hz for everyday tasks and unlocks the extra 20Hz in supported gaming titles. The screen uses BOE’s X4 luminescent material, can dim down to 1nit hardware brightness, and features slim 1.15mm bezels alongside an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner and a 50MP selfie camera.
On the camera side, the OnePlus 16 packs a 200MP main sensor (1/1.4-inch) along with a 50MP 3x telephoto lens and a 50MP ultrawide camera. Software runs on ColorOS 17, and the battery gets a notable bump to 9,000 mAh, supporting 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Pricing and availability
The OnePlus 16 comes in three colors: Starlight, Dark Forest, and Martian Masterpiece. Configurations range from a base 12GB RAM/256GB storage model up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. In China, prices start at CNY 5,999 ($896) for the base trim and reach CNY 8,499 ($1,270) for the top-tier version. Open sales in China begin on October 31.
The pricing reflects a broader trend across the smartphone industry, as The Era of Cheap Smartphones Is Over as Price Hikes Become Permanent has noted in recent coverage of rising flagship costs. Similar pricing questions have come up elsewhere too, as Samsung Galaxy S26 FE vs S25 FE: Explaining the $50 Price Increase explored when comparing recent model generations.
المصدر: GSMArena
