OnePlus 16 colours and design officially revealed; new variant gets lighting effects
OnePlus 16 was officially teased last week after months of leaks and rumours. As expected, OnePlus has begun sharing more details about its flagship smartphone. It has now revealed the complete design and colour options. OnePlus 16 will launch in three colours, with one featuring a rear panel that lights up for calls, notifications, and more. The 2026 OnePlus flagship is slated to debut in China this month, with the launch date expected to be revealed soon.
OnePlus 16 colours, design
OnePlus 16 will launch in three colours: Tomorrow’s Starlight, Dark Forest, and Mars Masterpiece. The Dark Forest variant has a deep black shade for those who like the classic look. The Mars Masterpiece looks like salmon pink and is similar to the OPPO Find X9s.
Tomorrow’s Starlight is the special one here, with a rear panel that has lighting effects. OnePlus China President, Lie Jie Louis, calls it the “Interstellar Light Effect”, which gives a quiet and understated look during the day but adds a touch of ambience at night.
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The lighting effects work for incoming calls, notifications, music, charging, games, and more features. All of them show different lighting effects according to the Weibo post. It also looks quite subtle and not too flashy, keeping a cool look overall.
Louis adds that the OnePlus 16 continues to feature the refined, flat design style, while using a new “silk glass process” that feels delicate and comfortable to touch and won’t easily attract fingerprints.
OnePlus 16 specifications: what to expect
Officially, the OnePlus 16 is confirmed to feature a 165Hz refresh rate display, same as its predecessor, the OnePlus 15. The smartphone is also confirmed to launch with ColorOS 17 out of the box. It will most likely be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, which is set to debut this week. It’s the upcoming flagship chipset by Qualcomm, which will be part of a dual-chipset series, with the Pro model as the more powerful one. It’s expected to deliver significant performance improvement over the OnePlus 15.
According to leaks, the OnePlus 16 is tipped to pack a massive 9,000mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging support. It would be a notable upgrade over the OnePlus 15’s 7,300mAh battery. The smartphone could house a 200MP primary camera, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and a 50MP periscope telephoto lens. If accurate, this would be a major upgrade over the OnePlus 15’s triple-50MP setup.
The OnePlus 16 is shaping up to be a powerful Android flagship with a focus on design, performance, and cameras too. With the launch expected soon, it would be worth waiting for the OnePlus 16 if you’re looking for a performance-focused flagship with a large battery.
