OnePlus 16 design leak reveals what to expect from first flagship after US exit

Tushar Mehta / Android Authority

TL;DR A new leak points to the OnePlus 16 having the same fundamental design as the OnePlus 15.

The phone is tipped to have a similar square camera bump and a 6.78-inch screen with thin bezels.

The OnePlus 16 is also tipped to launch in October, but will miss Europe and the US following the brand’s exit in these markets.

OnePlus recently announced plans to exit North America and Europe, following months of rumors about the brand’s fate. The company is focusing on China instead, and it’s still working on the OnePlus 16. Now, new leaks have revealed more information about this upcoming flagship.

Leaker Digital Chat Station recently revealed more design-related details regarding the apparent OnePlus 16. The tipster claimed the phone’s overall design direction remains unchanged compared to the OnePlus 15. You can specifically expect a 6.78-inch screen with “ultra-narrow” bezels as well as a small, square camera bump. Check out the machine-translated screenshot below.

I certainly wouldn’t complain if the OnePlus 16 had a similar design to the previous model. The OnePlus 15 offered a fresh design in the first place, following the circular camera bumps seen on prior models.

Digital Chat Station also says the OnePlus 16 is now expected to launch in October. This would be in line with the OnePlus 15, which also had an October launch window. This is also a month later than the source’s previous claims.

We already know the OnePlus 16 won’t be available in North America or Europe, but there’s also bad news for India. Tipster Yogesh Brar has claimed that the OnePlus 16 and IQOO 16 are both “DOA” (dead on arrival) in India. This strongly suggests that the phone and future OnePlus flagships won’t be available in this market, either.

Otherwise, previous OnePlus 16 leaks point to a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chipset, a 200MP telephoto camera, and a 9,000mAh battery. It certainly sounds like an impressive Android flagship, so it’s a pity that it won’t be available in more markets.

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