For those who take heed to the grapevine, you will be underneath the impression {that a} once-illustrious Chinese language telephone model was about to go the way in which of the dodo.
For months now, rumors have steered that OnePlus is to cease promoting its tech within the US, UK, and Europe, and it is honest to say that the corporate has gone very quiet.
Android Police writers have already mourned the impact on the smartphone market, and I’ve put in my eulogy for OnePlus’ nice wi-fi earbuds, so we’re all prepared to maneuver on.
Besides that OnePlus, apparently, just isn’t able to go simply but.
We’re beginning to hear rumors a few new system coming round October, and it sounds just like the OnePlus 16 might go all out on large specs for the model’s final telephone.
I do not perceive how a model on its final legs is placing collectively such a powerhouse, however the leaked specs paint a formidable image.
If the telephone has these specs and matches its predecessor in worth, it may very well be one thing actually particular.
QuizOnePlus telephones and historical past
Trivia problem
From flagship killers to foldables — how properly do you actually know OnePlus?
Historical past{Hardware}Software programFlagshipsInnovation
In what yr was OnePlus based?
Appropriate! OnePlus was based in December 2013 by Pete Lau and Carl Pei. The corporate was spun out of Oppo with the purpose of making premium smartphones at disruptive costs.
Not fairly. OnePlus was based in December 2013 by Pete Lau and Carl Pei. The 2 former Oppo staff needed to problem the concept an incredible smartphone needed to break the bank.
What was the unique asking worth of the OnePlus One at launch in 2014?
Appropriate! The OnePlus One launched at $299 for the 64GB mannequin, incomes it the ‘flagship killer’ nickname. It supplied specs similar to units costing twice as a lot, which shocked the business.
Not fairly. The OnePlus One launched at $299 for the 64GB mannequin. That worth level for a Snapdragon 801-powered system with a 5.5-inch show is strictly what earned it the legendary ‘flagship killer’ title.
What controversial gross sales methodology did OnePlus use to promote the OnePlus One at launch?
Appropriate! OnePlus used an invite-only system, the place present homeowners might invite associates to buy a tool. Whereas it created buzz and shortage, it additionally pissed off many potential patrons who could not get an invitation.
Not fairly. OnePlus used an invite-only system for the OnePlus One. The technique was designed to generate hype and handle provide, however it turned probably the most controversial advertising and marketing strikes in smartphone historical past.
What’s the identify of OnePlus’s present Android-based working system, launched in 2021?
Appropriate! OnePlus runs OxygenOS, which has been the model’s software program identification since 2015. Though it turned controversial when OnePlus merged its codebase with Oppo’s ColorOS, OxygenOS stays the official identify for international markets.
Not fairly. The reply is OxygenOS, OnePlus’s long-running Android pores and skin. HydrogenOS is definitely the Chinese language market variant, and whereas ColorOS underpins OxygenOS behind the scenes now, OnePlus nonetheless manufacturers its international software program as OxygenOS.
The OnePlus 6T was notable for being one of many first OnePlus telephones to function which expertise?
Appropriate! The OnePlus 6T, launched in 2018, launched an in-display optical fingerprint sensor — a primary for OnePlus. The transfer got here alongside the elimination of the three.5mm headphone jack, which additionally sparked debate amongst followers.
Not fairly. The OnePlus 6T was notable for its in-display optical fingerprint sensor, launched in 2018. OnePlus has nonetheless by no means supplied wi-fi charging on lots of its units, preferring its wired Warp Cost expertise as an alternative.
What’s the identify of OnePlus’s proprietary fast-charging expertise, initially launched as Sprint Cost?
Appropriate! OnePlus rebranded Sprint Cost to Warp Cost beginning with the OnePlus 6T McLaren Version. The rebrand was reportedly because of a trademark dispute with Amazon, which used the Sprint identify for its personal merchandise.
Not fairly. The reply is Warp Cost. OnePlus initially known as its fast-charging system Sprint Cost, however renamed it Warp Cost after a reported trademark battle with Amazon. The expertise itself remained largely the identical regardless of the brand new identify.
Which OnePlus system was the corporate’s first foldable smartphone?
Appropriate! The OnePlus Open, launched in October 2023, was OnePlus’s first foldable smartphone. It was broadly praised for its slim profile, Hasselblad-tuned cameras, and enormous cowl show, making it probably the most aggressive foldables of that yr.
Not fairly. The OnePlus Open, launched in October 2023, was the corporate’s debut foldable system. OnePlus positioned it as a premium providing with Hasselblad digicam tuning and one of many thinnest foldable designs accessible at launch.
Which co-founder left OnePlus in 2020 to ultimately begin a brand new smartphone firm known as Nothing?
Appropriate! Carl Pei departed OnePlus in October 2020 and went on to discovered Nothing, the corporate behind the Nothing Cellphone sequence. His exit shocked many within the tech world, as he had been the general public face of OnePlus for years.
Not fairly. Carl Pei left OnePlus in 2020 to discovered Nothing, which later launched its personal line of smartphones and earbuds. Pete Lau remained at OnePlus and in addition took on a broader function at guardian firm Oppo following Pei’s departure.
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A display screen with a report refresh charge
How briskly are you able to go?
Just a few years in the past, there was a quick arms race to see how briskly a refresh charge manufacturers might use on their shows. It quickly fizzled out — a excessive refresh charge is ineffective if there aren’t many apps which assist it — and now most shows appear to be 120Hz ones.
OnePlus will need to have missed the memo, shedding it amongst its overdue payments letters, as a result of rumors level to the OnePlus 16 getting a 240Hz refresh charge (or, in line with extra conservative leaks, 165Hz, just like the OnePlus 15).
Only a few telephones previously have launched with 240Hz shows, and the few which have come from manufacturers like Sharp, which do not promote within the US. So it isn’t one thing we have been in a position to mess around with an excessive amount of, which might be why it by no means caught on.
However with what number of 240Hz gaming shows promote properly, I am satisfied there’s house for telephones with this show charge.
The leaks additionally level to the telephone operating the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Professional chipset, which hasn’t really been unveiled but. However tech followers know the rating. This might be barely extra highly effective than the Gen 5, and possibly run hotter in consequence.
Good for gaming, not so good for individuals who like their handsets to stay at room temperature whereas doing so.
I am going to solely settle for a OnePlus exit on one situation, and it is a shake-up that is sensible
If there’s solely house for one model, Oppo is the one I would like in 2026
A digicam with super-zoom and a excessive megapixel rely
One final digicam hurrah
OnePlus hasn’t all the time offered its flagship telephones on their digicam prowess — again when it was simply making “flagship killers,” snappers had been only a helpful additional — however with the rise and fall of the Hasselblad partnership, it turned clear that pictures was a spotlight for the corporate.
We’re now within the post-Hasselblad days, with the Swedish digicam model having switched its allegiances to Oppo, and now plastering Discover telephones with its “H” brand. However apparently, the model desires one final digicam hurrah.
Leaks level to the OnePlus 16 getting a 200MP zoom digicam, paired with a 3x periscope lens. There is not any phrase on the principle digicam, or any auxiliaries, for that matter. The OnePlus 15 had a 50MP digicam with 3.5x zoom, for context.
Now, I am within the camp that zoom distance is extra essential than megapixel rely, and I am unsure 3x will reduce it. I nonetheless mourn the times Samsung Extremely telephones had 10x lenses, however the usage of a 200MP lens is evident messaging.
This tells us that OnePlus is making an attempt so as to add some pizazz to its telephoto sport, sending the message that it is a handset you’ll be able to actually use to zoom with. And on condition that confidence is half of the battle with pictures, it is a transfer I am all for.
A fully big battery
Now issues are getting foolish
I’ve beforehand written about how massive battery telephones steal my consideration from top-end flagships, and apparently OnePlus is an everyday reader.
Based on leaks, the telephone might need a 9,000mAh battery, which might be one of many highest capacities we have seen on a telephone releasing within the US.
It would be almost double the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely’s capability of 5,000mAh, and way over double the 4,252mAh of the iPhone 17 Professional.
During the last yr, we have seen a dramatic arms race in battery capacities in telephones. The OnePlus 15 was surprising when it launched with a 7,300mAh energy pack, and that was solely six months in the past.
Since then, we have seen a number of handsets tickle the ten,000mAh line, however they’ve all been China-only.
A battery pack like this might give heavy customers two straight days of use, or lighter customers three to 4 days. That is primarily based on my time utilizing comparable battery-capacity telephones, although the precise determine will depend on software program, show, and some different specs.
Both means, that is a implausible determine that’d go away Samsung, Apple, and Google far, far behind within the mud, and it is in all probability my favourite rumored spec thus far.
In spite of everything, a cell like this will get way more use than a reliable digicam or highly effective chipset: a long-lasting battery issues masses for on a regular basis use.