Quick Byte: OnePlus has opened pre-orders for the OnePlus 16 in China, confirming its design, three color options and four RAM and storage variants topping out at 16GB+1TB. The Tomorrow Starlight model gets a light on the back that works as a notification indicator. The launch is expected in October.
OnePlus has started the countdown for its next flagship in China. The company has opened per-orders for the OnePlus 16 on its official store, and the listing confirms the phone’s design, color options and memory variants ahead of an expected October launch. The biggest change is a new light built into the back of one of the colors.
OnePlus 16 Gets a Light-Up Back Panel and Up to 1TB Storage
The OnePlus 16 comes in three colors: Tomorrow Starlight, Dark Forest and Martian Masterpiece. Dark Forest is the black option, and Martian Masterpiece has a light orange shade. Tomorrow Starlight is the gray model. OnePlus has also fitted it with an interactive light on the rear panel that lights up the branding.
The light works as a notification indicator when the phone is face down, glowing for calls and messages, and it also reacts to music and games. The same model has a nano-grating texture that shifts as the phone moves, plus a silk glass finish meant to resist fingerprints.
Beside these changes, the OnePlus 16 looks identical to last year’s OnePlus 15. It features the same square camera island, large rounded corners and a customizable AI key on the left edge. Memory options include 12GB+256GB, 12GB+512GB, 16GB+512GB and 16GB+1TB.
OnePlus has also confirmed a 165Hz refresh rate on the display, and a 3C listing has already confirmed 100W wired charging. The rest is still unofficial. The phone reportedly runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro with ColorOS 17 based on Android 17, and uses a flat BOE X4 OLED panel that can go up to 185Hz in supported games.
The OnePlus 16 is also tipped to pack a 9,000mAh battery with 50W wireless charging, a big jump from the 7,300mAh cell on the OnePlus 15. The rear cameras reportedly include a 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide and a 50MP periscope telephoto.
OnePlus has not shared a launch date yet, and there is no word on when the OnePlus 16 will reach India. Existing rumors suggest the phone may skip India launch this year. In China, it will compete with the iQOO 16, which launches there on September 29.
