OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 16 will support a 165Hz refresh rate system-wide, rather than limiting the faster mode to a few compatible games. It will be the first OnePlus phone to ship with ColorOS 17, although there is still no confirmed release date.
Li Jie, president of OnePlus China, announced display refresh as a “global 165Hz ultra-high refresh rate”. This solves one of the biggest limitations of the OnePlus 15, which launched with a 165Hz panel but rarely used the full refresh rate outside of supported games.
The OnePlus 15 finally got 165Hz support in apps like WhatsApp, Instagram and X through a software update, but there was a catch. The setting was buried in Developer Options and when enabled locked the screen at 165Hz instead of dropping the refresh rate when the screen was showing static content. This could affect battery life and meant it wasn’t actually a system-wide 165Hz mode.
The OnePlus 16 is expected to handle things differently. It is claimed by Tipster Digital Chat Station the phone uses a new Oriental Screen X4 panel material with revised circuitry that is said to offer hardware-level support for 165Hz. OnePlus confirmed the refresh rate but did not verify the panel details.
Digital Chat Station has also shared what it touts as the OnePlus 16’s display settings. The 165Hz option is said to be directly in the normal display menu, not in the Developer Options. Testing from the same source reportedly showed higher refresh rates in system apps and apps downloaded from the Play Store.
Aside from the display, rumors point to a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, a 9,000mAh battery, and a 200MP main camera, though OnePlus hasn’t confirmed those specs.
The company has not announced when the OnePlus 16 will be released, but leaks suggest that it will launch in China in October. Its international availability is even less certain, with OnePlus pulling out of the North American, Canadian and European markets in July. Recent reports have also questioned whether the OnePlus 16 will even make it to international markets.
