OnePlus 16 Unveiled With a 165Hz Display and 9,000mAh Battery

OnePlus has officially unveiled the OnePlus 16. The company promotes it as the first phone to support a 165Hz refresh rate across the entire system. The phone was announced on October 12 at 1 PM Central European Summer Time, or 7 PM Beijing time.

The fourth-generation Oriental display was developed jointly by OnePlus and BOE. It uses a new emission material called X4. According to OnePlus, the phone features a flat 6.78-inch LTPO panel with a 1.5K resolution.

The display supports a 165Hz refresh rate during regular use. In compatible games, it can reach up to 185Hz. Li Jie, OnePlus China's president, said this feature requires specific hardware support and that the OnePlus 16 is currently the only phone capable of offering it.

OnePlus claims that users will not want to return to lower refresh rates after trying the new display. However, this is a marketing claim rather than an independently verified conclusion.

The OnePlus 16 uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset alongside the Fengchi gaming engine. Other features include the Glacier cooling system and three dedicated chips: the P4 for image processing, the G3 for network functions, and the T3 for touch controls.

Support for high frame rates will also depend on the game being played.

The camera system consists of a 200MP main camera, a 50MP ultrawide camera, and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The front camera has a 50MP sensor.

The phone packs a 9,000mAh battery with support for 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. OnePlus also lists IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K protection ratings, along with an ultrasonic fingerprint reader. Other features include a dedicated AI button and symmetrical speakers.

During the presentation, OnePlus said its sales grew by 44% in 2025 and 18% in 2026. The company also claims that more than 68% of players who game at very high frame rates use its phones. Without a published methodology, these figures should be treated as statistics provided by the manufacturer.

The OnePlus 16 starts at 5,699 yuan for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage model. That is approximately $800. The 12GB/512GB version costs 6,499 yuan, or around $910.

The 16GB/512GB model costs 7,199 yuan, approximately $1,010, while the 16GB/1TB version is priced at 8,199 yuan, or about $1,150.

For comparison, last year's OnePlus 15 started at 3,999 yuan, roughly $560. The new starting price represents an increase of about 42.5%. These dollar figures are approximate currency conversions, not official international prices.

OnePlus has announced that it will not launch new products in Europe and US. Based on the information available so far, an official European or US launch of the OnePlus 16 is therefore unlikely. However, this does not rule out availability through importers or overseas retailers.