OnePlus prepares new flagship phone with three in-house chips

OnePlus is getting ready to launch its new flagship phone, the OnePlus 16. It's expected to be among the first smartphones to feature the rumored Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, and recent leaks suggested that it could be a better-equipped device than its predecessor.

Now, a new report from Digital Chat Station, a reliable Weibo leaker, shares that the company has packed three self-developed chips inside the upcoming flagship phone. To look back, the current-gen OnePlus 15, which did relatively well in our review, pairs the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with the G2 WiFi chip and a dedicated touch response chip. This combination promises a responsive gaming experience, especially in competitive online games.

As for the upcoming OnePlus 16, Digital Chat Station shares that the flagship phone will equip the T3 touch response chip, G3 network chip, and P4 "super-display" chipset. Among the three, the first two are basically successors to the chipsets found in the current-gen device, but the last one is a new addition.

The leaker didn't go into much detail, but notes that this chipset combination aims to deliver a smooth FPS gaming experience with "significant" improvements in display, touch, and network performance. Digital Chat Station also mentions that the game studios are reportedly working with OnePlus to further optimize the device and the chipsets.

Seeing the brand double down on gaming isn't a surprise, as the company has been placing heavy emphasis on it since the OnePlus 15 (16/512GB curr. $907.81 on TradingShenzhen). Recent rumors have suggested that the company will be focusing on rivaling the likes of iQOO and RedMagic in China, both of which are also gaming-focused brands.

It's also still unclear whether the upcoming flagship will see a wide global release, but the good part is that the potential Chinese launch is around the corner. To be precise, the OnePlus 16 is expected to launch in China in October 2026, and after this release, more concrete details about the global launch could emerge.