Fresh OnePlus 16 leak doubles down on a key upgrade for next flagship

The OnePlus 16 is expected to be among the first phones to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. Digital Chat Station, a reputed leaker, previously shared that the flagship phone will come with a notable display upgrade.

Compared to the OnePlus 15, which sports a 165Hz display, the upcoming flagship will reportedly come with an 185Hz screen. Now, Smart Pikachu, another notable leaker, reports the same.

Interestingly, Smart Pikachu reports that such a high refresh rate will be a standard across the entire OnePlus 16 series. That hints at the 16R, which is expected to be an affordable sub-flagship phone, will also feature a 185Hz screen.

Digital Chat Station previously shared that the OnePlus 16 is being tested with a 6.78-inch display that's made by BOE. It was reported to sport the narrowest bezels, measuring less than 1mm, which would give it a very clean look.

This 185Hz display, with the reported narrow bezels, would make the OnePlus 16 a great pick for competitive gaming, and it would stand as a solid competitor to the successor to the RedMagic 11S Pro. Getting back to Smart Pikachu’s latest report, Digital Chat Station's report from May 2026 suggested that OnePlus is working on a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phone with a 185Hz screen.

It’s believed to be the OnePlus 16R, and Digital Chat Station reported that it would come with a large 9,000mAh battery and 100W fast charging support (Ugreen Nexode Pro 100W curr. $59.99 on Amazon). The company is said to be even testing it out with an active cooling fan.