Too bad it won't come to Europe. OnePlus 16 is out with up to 185Hz display refresh rate and a giant battery

When OnePlus announced its departure from Europe this July, it was clear that we would mainly be watching its next flagship from afar. Now it’s here. OnePlus 16 comes with Qualcomm’s most powerful chip, a 200Mpx camera, and a 9,000 mAh battery. If you’re looking for a new top-tier Android, it shows well where the bar is moving this year – and that it won’t get any cheaper.

Display jumps up to 185 Hz in games

The phone received a flat 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,772 × 1,272 pixels. Its main trump card is the refresh rate: throughout the system, it adapts in the range from 1 to 165 Hz and jumps up to 185 Hz in supported games. The manufacturer kept the default 165 Hz for stable framerates, according to its product manager, so you will only enjoy the higher mode in selected titles.

The panel comes from BOE, and OnePlus states its brightness is up to 2,000 nits in high brightness mode. According to the manufacturer, the bezels are only 1.15 mm, and an ultrasonic fingerprint reader is hidden under the display.

Inside, a Snapdragon with a clock speed over 5 GHz is working

The new device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, which is the more powerful of Qualcomm’s two flagship chips this year. It is manufactured using a 2nm process, and its strongest cores, according to OnePlus, run up to 5.01 GHz. An improved vapor chamber takes care of heat, which, according to the manufacturer, is supposed to dissipate it 40% better than before. We discussed how the Extreme version differs from the basic one during the chip’s introduction.

It is worth noting that, according to Qualcomm, the chip can handle LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage. However, OnePlus stuck with LPDDR5X operating memory and UFS 4.1 storage. Variants with 12 or 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB to 1 TB of data storage are available.

Battery is almost a quarter larger than last year

However, the manufacturer made the biggest leap in the battery. It has a capacity of 9,000 mAh, while last year’s OnePlus 15 settled for 7,300 mAh. The capacity consists of two silicon-carbon cells of 4,500 mAh each, with the nominal value being slightly lower, specifically 8,780 mAh.

It can be charged via cable with 100 W and wirelessly with up to 50 W. According to OnePlus, the phone should go from an empty battery to 80% in 37 minutes, but this is a manufacturer’s claim that we have no way to verify yet.

Telephoto lens received a much larger sensor

The rear setup is led by a 200Mpx main camera with a 1/1.4″ sensor and optical stabilization. It is complemented by a 50Mpx ultrawide lens with a 116° field of view and a 50Mpx telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The selfie camera also has 50 Mpx and autofocus.

The most interesting change compared to its predecessor is precisely the telephoto lens. It uses a 1/1.95″ sensor, significantly larger than last year’s 1/2.76″, and like the main camera, it can rely on optical stabilization. OnePlus 15, however, slightly reduced its photo equipment compared to the thirteen, so this year’s model is catching up on lost ground.

The phone records video in 8K at 30 frames per second and in 4K at 120 frames, even with Dolby Vision. The chip could handle 8K at 60 frames, but OnePlus did not utilize this option.

The back can light up the number sixteen

There are three colors to choose from: Tomorrow’s Starlight, Dark Forest, and Mars Masterpiece. The light variant, Tomorrow’s Starlight, has LED backlighting on the back that can display a large number 16. The phone weighs around 220 grams, is approximately 8.5 mm thin, and runs on the ColorOS 17 system based on Android 17. The complete specifications are summarized in the table.

OnePlus 16 will not arrive in the Czech Republic

In China, the OnePlus 16 went on sale on October 13. In the introductory promotion, which will last until November 13, the base version 12/256 GB costs 5,699 yuan, which is approximately 18,600 CZK (converted). The 12/512 GB variant costs 6,499 yuan (about 21,100 CZK), the 16/512 GB costs 7,199 yuan (23,400 CZK), and the highest 16 GB/1 TB costs 8,199 yuan (26,700 CZK). Regular prices are roughly another thousand (converted) higher.

Compared to last year, this is a noticeable price increase. The starting price is 1,700 yuan (about 5,500 CZK converted) higher than what the OnePlus 15 started selling for a year ago. Chinese media attribute this to more expensive memory and chips, which are causing electronics prices to rise across the market.

The OnePlus 16 will not officially arrive in the Czech Republic. The brand ceased launching new phones in Europe and North America in July, and its role here has been taken over by its parent company Oppo. Anyone interested in the new device would have to resort to importing it from China – and be aware that the Chinese version of the system usually does not have Google services pre-installed, and the phone is not covered by a Czech warranty.

Are you disappointed that you won’t be able to officially buy the OnePlus 16 in the Czech Republic?

Sources: OnePlus, Notebookcheck, GSMArena