In summary:
- Tech Advisor reports new leaks suggesting the OnePlus 16 may be more powerful than initially expected, featuring the advanced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chip.
- The device could include impressive specs like a 200MP periscope telephoto camera, 240Hz OLED display, and massive 9000mAh battery with fast charging capabilities.
- However, these premium features may come with a significant 25% price increase, potentially reaching £1,000 in the UK market.
Some more spec details for the OnePlus 16 have leaked, and it’s shaping up to be even more powerful than we initially thought.
Regular tipster Digital Chat Station has posted a couple of interesting claims concerning the forthcoming OnePlus 16 to Chinese social network Weibo. One of those claims is that it’ll run on a chip designated the SM8975.
The tipster then clarifies that this is the code name for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, Qualcomm’s upcoming top-of-the-line 2nm chip with support for the latest LPDDR6 memory.
This represents an advance on what we’d heard before, with initial rumours suggesting the OnePlus 16 would run on the regular Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip (also not an existing chip just yet).
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
As well as being faster than expected, the OnePlus 16 could pack vastly improved zoom capabilities. The same tipster claims that the phone will feature a 200Mp periscope telephoto camera, taking on the likes of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, Oppo Find X9 Pro and, to a lesser extent, the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
We previous heard it said that the OnePlus 16 would feature a huge 9000mAh battery with 120W wired charging and 50W wireless charging support, as well as a rapid 240Hz OLED display.
More recently, the very same tipster made the bold prediction that the OnePlus 16 would receive a huge 25% price bump over the OnePlus 15 in its native China.
If that level of price increase were to make its way to the UK, it would mean a OnePlus 16 that would hit you for around £1,000 at the checkout. For that sort of flagship money, you’d better believe we’d expect top-level performance.
Still, Samsung’s Galaxy S26 range will want to keep an eye on its rear view mirror for this rival.
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.