OnePlus 16 officially teased with three performance-focused upgrades

OnePlus is getting ready to release one of the first phones that will be powered by the next-gen flagship SoC from Qualcomm, the OnePlus 16. There’s no certain launch timeline yet, but at a recent event that took place in China, the Snapdragon Gaming Technology Awards show, the company officially teased its upcoming phone.

At the event, OnePlus highlighted that the upcoming Snapdragon-powered flagship phone will bring three core upgrades. One of them is focused on the refresh rate of the display.

To look back, the OnePlus 15 is one of the first mainstream phones of 2026 to feature a 165Hz display. It seems that the company wants to push it further, as the company has teased a display upgrade. Recent leaks suggest that the upcoming flagship phone will come with a 6.78-inch OLED display with a 185Hz refresh rate.

During the event, the company added that the OnePlus 16 will bring improvements in terms of its gaming kernel and “eSports tri-core.” These two, combined with a higher refresh rate display, could make the upcoming flagship phone a proper pick for competitive gamers (EasySMX M20 smartphone controller curr. $59.99 on Amazon).

There’s still no concrete word on when the phone may launch, but an October 2026 Chinese release is rumored. It’s also unclear whether OnePlus will officially bring its upcoming flagship outside the Chinese market, as leaks so far suggest otherwise.