- OnePlus 16 is slated to arrive next year but with a few significant upgrades.
- One of such is a 200Hz+ refresh rate on-board, the highest ever on OnePlus phones, and more than that of OnePlus 15' 165Hz.
- The leak also mention presence of 200MP triple rear camera setup on-board.
The OnePlus 16 display upgrades just got serious. We are still in the OnePlus 15 era, but it seems the Chinese smartphone maker has already moved ahead, prepping for next year’s OnePlus 16. Turns out the phone comes with a serious display upgrade, and there’s an alleged insane camera upgrade in the pipeline as well.
OnePlus 16 display upgrades see a 200Hz refresh rate panel
According to tipster Digital Chat Station, OnePlus could be testing an AMOLED display panel boasting a refresh rate of 200Hz+. For the unversed, the OnePlus 15 arrived with a 1.5K AMOLED 165Hz panel, which makes the OnePlus 16 a clear-cut upgrade. The logical upgrade would be 240Hz — unless OnePlus decides to stop somewhere between 165Hz and 240Hz, whichever is better for real-life user scenarios.
Usually, a 120Hz refresh rate is a comfortable spot for most flagships and other segments of phones alike. Crossing the 200Hz mark would give the display an incomprehensible speed and smoothness, although that also means increased battery expenditure. This is why most smartphones use either a variable or set refresh rate that changes based on the content being streamed at the speed. It remains to be seen if and which apps and games will be able to take full advantage of a 200Hz+ refresh rate when most haven’t been able to cope with 120Hz (which is a lot higher even today).
OnePlus 16 camera gets an upgrade as well
Since we are waiting for the next-gen OnePlus 16, it is almost evident that the Chinese maker will bring a few more upgrades on board. One such upgrade is around its camera hardware. Apparently, the OnePlus 16 could see a 200MP primary camera lens on-board, a move much closer to Oppo Find N6.
Again, for perspective, the OnePlus 15 sports a 50MP triple rear camera setup, which means the 2026 flagship phone does bring a hefty upgrade. It remains to be seen just how a 200MP camera would perform, also because OnePlus is no longer in partnership with Hasselblad for color calibration.
OnePlus 16 key specs and launch timeline
OnePlus 16 is slated to arrive next year with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 SoC. The chipset, being the most powerful, should be able to take on a higher refresh rate, a battery pack of at least 7,300mAh, and a 200MP triple camera tech, to name a few.
OnePlus 16 launch is expected to happen sometime in October 2026 in China, as usual. The phone will arrive in India and global markets soon after. For January 2026, we have the OnePlus Turbo series in the works as higher mid-range devices, followed by a few other models under Ace and T-series.
