After many weeks of leaks and rumors, OnePlus has now officially unveiled its latest flagship, the OnePlus 16. I must say the device looks as impressive in reality as it appeared in all the surface rumors, both design- and specification-wise. In fact, it is really looking far better than the upcoming Galaxy S27 when compared with its surfaced details.
Key highlights of the OnePlus 16
The specifications of the OnePlus 16 really do justice to the flagship tag it comes with. Starting with the display, the device features a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED screen that offers up to 2000 units of brightness and supports a 185 Hz refresh rate. This is really a big jump from its predecessor that comes with a 165 Hz refresh rate screen.
OnePlus has continued the tradition of shocking everyone with battery capacity as the OnePlus 16 packs a 9000 mAh cell, which is a big upgrade from the already massive 7300 mAh battery you get in the OnePlus 15. This monstrous cell can be juiced up in minutes using 100 W wired and 50 W wireless charging that the device supports. The phone is available in two RAM options: 12 GB and 16 GB.
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Camera is one area where I believe OnePlus phones have often lagged behind the iPhone, Galaxies and Pixels. However, that might change with the OnePlus 16, as it has received a major camera upgrade over its predecessor. You get a triple camera setup at the back: a 200 MP primary shooter with f/1.6 aperture, a 50 MP ultra-wide lens with f/2.0 aperture, and a 50 MP telephoto camera with f/2.6 aperture and 3x optical zoom.
OnePlus has not only killed with the specifications but with the color options as well. The phone is available in Starlight, Martian Masterpiece, and Dark Forest shades. My personal favorite is Starlight, which has exclusive LED lighting on the back and displays a large number 16.
OnePlus 16 vs Galaxy S27: which one you would pick?
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OnePlus 16 looks a beast in front of the Galaxy S27
While we are still months away from the expected Q1 release window of the Galaxy S27 lineup, some details about them have leaked online from reputable sources. Almost all surface information suggests that the vanilla Galaxy S27 would not get any major upgrade over the Galaxy S26. Starting with the processor, the device is reported to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, which is less powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 that is available in the OnePlus 16.
The Galaxy S26 features a 4300 mAh battery. Although it is reported that its successor might come with a bigger battery, would it be close to the 9000 mAh gigantic cell you get in the latest OnePlus 16? I am pretty confident it wouldn't. The charging numbers are also most likely not going to be as impressive as the OnePlus 16, because we all know Samsung believes in small upgrades instead of taking a massive leap, like taking the 25 W wired charging you get in the S26 to close to near 100 W in the S27.
The Samsung phone can win in the privacy battle if it comes with the privacy display, but the possibility of that happening seems very low, as only the S27 Pro and the S27 Ultra are reported to come with the feature. Camera is one area where we might see a tough battle between the base S27 and the OnePlus 16 as the former is reported to come with a new Sony camera, instead of ISOCELL, which the South Korean giant has been using in its phones for a long time.
In addition to all these, the OnePlus 16 appears to be taking a lead in the price segment as well. The device starts at CNY 5,999, which roughly equates to $900. While there have been mixedreports about the pricing of the Galaxy S27 series, there is a possibility that the vanilla model would launch close to the price of $1000, as Galaxy S26 is already selling at $999.
There's just one issue with the OnePlus 16
The hardware of the OnePlus 16 is really outstanding. Its pricing could be better, but let's be practical: it's really hard for smartphone manufacturers as well to offer devices at the same price as last year because of the ongoing memory shortage. Besides these two points, I believe there is a big problem with the OnePlus 16: its availability.
Comment about OnePlus US exit. | Image by Reddit
If you are not living under a rock, you must be aware that OnePlus has stopped selling its phones in Europe and the US. OnePlus fans living in these regions who are interested in getting the OnePlus 16 are surely not liking this decision from the company. One user commented under a relevant post that it's really sad that the device is only available in China. Another user mentioned that the competition in the US smartphone market has been destroyed after OnePlus made an exit from it.
I wish I could get the OnePus 16
By now you must have realized that I'm awed by the wild specifications of the OnePlus 16. Unfortunately, I might also not be able to get the device, despite not living in the US. I live in India, and there is a very high possibility that the device isn't launching here as well, even though India is one of the biggest markets of OnePlus.
That said, I am not completely calling off the Galaxy S27. There are still plenty of months left until its release, so I am really hoping that Samsung surprises us all by giving some really killer specs to its upcoming vanilla model. But based on everything we know about the device currently, I can say without any hesitation that the OnePlus 16 looks like a clear winner.
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Aman Kumar is a news writer at PhoneArena covering Google Pixel phones, Android features, AI-powered smartphone tools, and mobile tech news. Before joining PhoneArena, he spent over five years writing about consumer technology for publications like MakeUseOf, How-To Geek, and Guiding Tech. His current daily drivers are the Pixel 10 and Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, while his red iPhone SE (2nd gen) remains a personal favorite. Aman also appreciates bold smartphone experiments and still considers the Nokia N-Gage one of the industry’s most iconic designs.
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