The most powerful OnePlus phone ever also offers outstanding battery life

If a phone with flagship specs still costs less than US$ 1,200 in 2026, that is something to be happy about. The OnePlus 16 manages that, at least as a direct import from China, for example from our review unit supplier TradingShenzhen, starting at US$ 877.

The OnePlus 16 delivers plenty of power without overdoing it

The phone delivers excellent performance with Qualcomm's Snapdragon Elite Extreme Gen 6 as its SoC, although it does not quite lead the pack compared to other top smartphones. 

In the past, we have often criticized OnePlus for prioritizing the highest possible performance from an SoC, which could not be sustained and consequently often caused the phones to overheat. 

Surprisingly, OnePlus is now taking exactly the opposite approach with the OnePlus 16: slightly less performance, but with less throttling than many other high-end smartphones. We really like this because we consider it more honest with customers. And whether you get 3 fps more or less in a game is unlikely to be noticeable at the OnePlus 16's performance levels.

Battery life is also top-notch

And then there is the battery, which is the standout feature of smartphones in general this year: investments in battery technology research and the emergence of silicon-carbon batteries have brought major leaps in endurance to many smartphones. 

The OnePlus 16 also lasts much longer than its predecessors and beats many direct competitors: we measured over 29 hours in our real-world Wi-Fi test, with continuous use, mind you. If you also put your phone into standby mode from time to time, it will last considerably longer. Several days of use should therefore be no problem.

Fast charging on the OnePlus phone and further information

The phone can be charged via cable at up to 100 watts, taking no more than 1 hour and 30 minutes to fully recharge the 9,000 mAh battery. The phone also supports wireless charging at up to 50 watts.

You can find out more about the OnePlus 16 and whether importing it from China is really worthwhile in our in-depth review of the smartphone.