In summary:
- Tech Advisor reports the OnePlus 16 may launch in late 2026 with a groundbreaking BOE X5 1.5K OLED display featuring an unprecedented 240Hz refresh rate.
- This display technology could significantly outperform current flagship phones like the Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max, which typically use 120Hz displays.
- Additional rumored upgrades include a massive 9,000mAh battery, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chip, and dual 200MP camera sensors for enhanced performance.
Specifications have leaked for the OnePlus 16 well ahead of its likely late 2026 launch, and its display could be something extraordinary.
The OnePlus brand’s days might be numbered, if recent reports are to be believed, but it seems the company’s next flagship smartphone is still very much on the cards.
The OnePlus 15 has only been on the market for a little over three months at this point, but OnePlus Club – an unofficial OnePlus news account over on X – claims to know how its successor is stacking up.
OnePlus 16 display
According to the post, the OnePlus 16 will launch with a BOE X5 1.5K OLED display with an eyebrow-raising 240Hz refresh rate.
For context, the OnePlus 15 features a 165Hz display, which is unusually rapid in itself. Most modern phones are content with refresh rates of 120Hz, which means that the OnePlus 16 is looking to double the smoothness of the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Even high-end gaming phones – back when such a thing existed – haven’t hit such heights. Back in late 2024, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro packed a 185Hz display, and we haven’t seen anything top it since.
OnePlus 16 performance and battery
The rest of these alleged OnePlus 16 specs look pretty nifty too.
There’ll be a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chip, which sounds like the expected generational bump. This will be backed by speedier LPDDR6 RAM, as well as UFS 4.1 storage.
More interesting is the claim that the OnePlus 16 will go even further than the OnePlus 15 with its battery capacity. The leak claims that it’ll feature a 9,000mAh cell, which would represent a 23% increase if accurate.
We could also be looking at 120W wired charging and 50W wireless charging support.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
OnePlus 16 camera and other specs
If the OnePlus 15 received any sustained criticism, it was over its camera system. It wasn’t bad, but it represented a downgrade, in certain respects, from that of the OnePlus 13.
It’s no great surprise, then, to hear rumours that the OnePlus 16 will feature a new camera system. This is said to be “likely” to include a 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP5 main sensor, which we recently saw used as a telephoto camera in the Oppo Find X9 Pro.
Indeed, we could be getting a second 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP5 sensor on periscope telephoto duty, alongside a new (yet unspecified) ultra-wide camera.
Other smaller specification details include dual coaxial speakers, an upgraded 0916T vibration motor, and a second generation ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.
Given that we’re so far out from launch, we would advise against taking any of these OnePlus rumours as gospel. If accurate, though, we’d be looking at quite the upgrade.
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.