OnePlus confirms system-wide 165Hz on the OnePlus 16

OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 16 will run at 165Hz across the system rather than inside a short list of approved games, a change that targets the most persistent complaint about last year’s OnePlus 15.

Li Jie, president of OnePlus China, announced the feature as a "global 165Hz ultra-high refresh rate" and confirmed the handset will be the first to ship with ColorOS 17. The company has teased a display upgrade for several weeks without detailing it.

The confirmation aligns with claims made by tipster Digital Chat Station since late August. According to the leaker, the OnePlus 16 uses new Oriental Screen X4 panel material paired with updated circuitry, a combination said to deliver hardware-level support for the higher refresh rate. OnePlus has not verified the panel details.

Digital Chat Station also published what it presents as the phone’s display settings screen. The 165Hz option appears in the standard display menu, which would remove the Developer Options step that OnePlus 15 owners still face. Testing described by the same source showed the refresh rate holding in system apps and in titles installed from the Play Store.

The OnePlus 15 launched in October 2025 with a 165Hz panel and rarely used it. Outside a small set of supported games, the screen generally topped out at 120Hz. OnePlus later extended 165Hz to apps including WhatsApp, Instagram and X through a software update, but the toggle sat in Developer Options and locked the panel at 165Hz instead of allowing it to step down when the screen showed static content. The result drained the battery and never amounted to a true system-wide mode.

OnePlus has not announced a launch date for the OnePlus 16. Leaks point to a China release in October, with a rumored specification sheet that includes a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chipset, a 9,000mAh battery and a 200MP main camera.

Availability outside China is also unknown. OnePlus exited the North American, Canadian, and European markets in July, leaving software updates and service support for existing owners in those regions, and recent reports have questioned whether the OnePlus 16 will reach any international market at all.