OnePlus isn’t making a comeback in the US, which may be disappointing if you like its latest smartphone. The OnePlus 16 is official in China, and it looks like one of the most exciting Android phones right now.
The OnePlus 16 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor, a chipset first announced last month but yet to appear on many devices. The base OnePlus 16 comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but you can upgrade to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
Alongside the new processor, OnePlus revamped its cooling system with a vapor chamber 40% better than previous generations. The phone’s 6.78-inch screen is now an LTPO OLED panel capable of up to 185Hz refresh rate.
The battery sounds remarkable, though we don’t yet know exactly how long the phone can last. The OnePlus 16 features a 9,000mAh cell, far larger than the batteries in Google and Samsung’s phones, alongside 100W wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging.
Interestingly, the OnePlus 15 took home PCMag’s Lab Award for the longest battery life among Android phones. The OnePlus 15 featured a 7,300mAh cell, meaning this new handset has a 23% larger capacity, which may make for a drastically longer-lasting phone.
The camera is also a major upgrade with a 200MP main shooter with a 1/1.4-inch sensor and a faster f/1.4 aperture. There are also 50MP ultrawide and telephoto cameras on the rear, and a 50MP selfie shooter on the front.
The phone comes in three colors called Tomorrow’s Starlight, Dark Forest, and Mars Masterpiece. Tomorrow’s Starlight is a silver shade and sports LED lighting on the rear, showing the number 16 in the bottom-left corner. This then flashes different patterns depending on various factors, such as when you receive notifications or when your phone is low on battery.
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Earlier this year, OnePlus decided to stop selling its devices in Europe and the US. Some US-based fans may choose to import this handset, but that comes with various risks, given you won’t have access to a warranty or easy repairs.
The handset is being sold for a promotional period at 5,699 yuan in China, which is equivalent to around $850.
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