- OnePlus is gearing up for next-gen flagship series for this year and OnePlus 16 Pro could be one of them.
- Also called as OnePlus 16 Ultra, the phone will bring all-rounder specifications and more, slated to launch in Q4 2026 during the same time as OnePlus 16 launch.
- The Pro/Ultra will bring Snapdragon 8 Gen 6 SoC, a better refresh rate to sustain with better display specs, and an amazing camera for photography.
The OnePlus 16 Pro launch is happening soon. You asked for it, and the Chinese smartphone maker finally listened. Apparently, OnePlus has allegedly decided to launch a ‘Pro’ model in its OnePlus 16 lineup (or it could be called the OnePlus 16 Ultra), after going through user feedback, and this will be an all-arounder unlike before.
OnePlus may revive the ‘Pro’ branding after several years
OnePlus rolled out the OnePlus 10 Pro in 2022, and it marked the last device with a ‘Pro’ suffix. The 2024 OnePlus 13 was the perfect specimen of a ‘Pro’ smartphone competing against other flagships, but it had no ‘Pro’ branding on top. In fact, OnePlus has largely stayed out of these ‘Pro’ and ‘Ultra’ monikers for quite some time; however, it all changes in Q4 2026 as OnePlus launches its most all-arounder flagship phone, aka the OnePlus 16 Pro or OnePlus 16 Ultra.
We heard about this development from leakster OnePlus Club via X, according to whom, OnePlus took a set of user feedback and decided to deliver an all-arounder for this year. As the timeline suggests, the Pro or Ultra would launch sometime in Q4 this year. Given OnePlus’s release cadence, the flagship numbered series usually arrives in Q4 each year, which means the purported OP16 Pro could arrive alongside the vanilla flagship as well.
OnePlus is eyeing a Q4 2026 launch
To put things into perspective, the OnePlus 15 release happened in October 2025; similarly, we got the OnePlus 13 in October 2024. Given this cadence, it is safe to assume the OnePlus 16 and OnePlus 16 Pro launch will happen sometime in October 2026, at least in China. Once the phone arrives in its home country, it barely takes a few weeks to reach Indian shores and global markets.
OnePlus 16 Pro launch is on the way and here are the specs on the fly
The alleged upcoming OnePlus 16 Pro/Ultra is likely to pack in better specs than ever. It includes a not-so-ecstatic 165Hz refresh rate that could spike the price tag, but rather a decent refresh rate & better display specs for a flagship phone. Most importantly, we will get to see the OnePlus 13 level of camera performance on board the upcoming Pro or Ultra. Apart from that, we should get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 6 SoC under the hood without any second thoughts about it.
The key takeaway is that we are all ears about the OnePlus 16 series, including the Pro and 16R, which are coming later this year. The Pro will feature an all-rounder specs sheet and experience, making it an obvious choice of the year. It will compete against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series and the Apple iPhone 18 series, to name a few.
