The OnePlus 16 is here, and you'll wish you could buy it in the US

OnePlus announced its exit from Europe and the US earlier this year, which means the OnePlus 15 was its last flagship device in these markets. The company is still steaming ahead with the OnePlus 16 in China, though, and it’s just launched the new phone.

The OnePlus 16 is clearly positioned as a performance beast, largely due to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor. That’s great news for gamers and people who simply want smooth performance years down the line. Expect an improved “Glacier” cooling system too, with a vapor chamber cooling system that’s apparently 40% better. OnePlus adds that the phone has custom network, display, and touch chips for improved connectivity and responsiveness.

Another big selling point is the 9,000mAh battery, dwarfing the OnePlus 15’s already large 7,300mAh battery. This is paired with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging. The firm promises an 80% battery after just 37 minutes of wired charging. The company hasn’t detailed charging cycle info, but claims at least five years of battery health. For what it’s worth, we’ve seen some brands, including OnePlus, change the way they calculate battery health.

OnePlus flagships have always excelled on the display front, and the OnePlus 16 now has a 185Hz OLED screen. OnePlus adds that, unlike rival devices such as the POCO F9 Ultra, you can run the system UI and “millions” of apps at 165Hz. That’s also a welcome change from the OnePlus 15, which offered a 165Hz screen but didn’t offer a 165Hz refresh rate for system navigation.

The OnePlus 15 delivered slightly downgraded camera hardware compared to the OnePlus 13, and we felt this downgrade in our OnePlus 15 review. However, the OnePlus 16 ups the ante on paper due to a 200MP main camera (1/1.4-inch, f/1.6), a 50MP ultrawide camera, and a 50MP 3x telephoto camera (IMX882). The company says you can expect full-resolution 200MP shots and an XPAN-style capture mode with a 65:24 aspect ratio. Meanwhile, that 3x telephoto camera delivers a significantly larger 1/1.95-inch sensor size compared to last year’s Isocell JN5 sensor (1/2.76-inch). A 50MP camera is available on the front of the device for selfies and video calls.

It’s worth noting that the phone is available in three colorways, namely Tomorrow’s Starlight, Dark Forest, and Mars Masterpiece. The former color scheme also has LED lighting on the back, displaying a giant number “16,” a tiny “x,” and more. It’s unclear if this lighting effect will be as useless as the Pixel 11 Pro family’s HiLight.

Other features worth knowing include ColorOS 17, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, IP68/69/69K ratings, and dual stereo speakers.

The OnePlus 16 will be available in 12GB/256GB, 12GB/512GB, 16GB/512GB, and 16GB/1TB variants. OnePlus confirmed that the device starts at a recommended price of 5,999 yuan (~$896), but will have a promotional price of 5,699 yuan (~$852). Unfortunately, the phone won’t be launching in Europe or North America. That’s a shame, as it seems like a significant upgrade on paper over the OnePlus 15.