The OnePlus 16 may be shaping up to be one of the most ambitious display upgrades the company has attempted in years, even though the company upped the ante (sort of) with the refresh rate last year. A new leak (via) from tipster Digital Chat Station suggests the upcoming flagship could feature ultra-thin bezels measuring under 1 mm on all four sides, along with a display refresh rate of up to 185Hz.
While the tipster did not explicitly name the device, the specifications closely match previous reports linked to the OnePlus 16. If the claims prove accurate, OnePlus could be focusing on display quality and design refinement at a time when most flagship brands are chasing larger batteries.
OnePlus 16 leaked features
According to the leak, the device is currently being tested with Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipset and a 6.78-inch 1.5K display supplied by BOE. The headline feature appears to be the refresh rate. Earlier reports had suggested OnePlus was exploring extremely high refresh rates, with some speculation pointing to a 240Hz panel. The latest information suggests the company may settle on 185Hz instead.
The tipster claims that pushing refresh rates beyond 200Hz could begin affecting display quality and may not offer meaningful real-world benefits. If true, OnePlus may be prioritising a balance between smoothness, image quality and power efficiency rather than chasing numbers. For context, OnePlus raised the refresh rate to 165Hz with the OnePlus 15, up from 120Hz on the OnePlus 13, but brought the display down to 1.5K.
The display is also said to bring improvements in brightness, colour reproduction and power consumption compared to previous generations. However, the bezel claim may attract even more attention. The leak suggests all four sides of the display could feature bezels measuring under 1 mm. If achieved, that would make the OnePlus 16 one of the most visually immersive smartphones on the market and potentially give it the narrowest bezels in the industry. For context, the Meizu 22 currently holds the record with bezels measuring around 1.2 mm.
The latest leak also aligns with earlier reports that hinted at a massive battery, potentially approaching the 9,000mAh mark, suggesting OnePlus is continuing to focus on endurance alongside performance.
For smartphone buyers, the practical value of a 185Hz display remains open to debate. Most flagships from Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi and OPPO continue to use panels in the 120Hz range, which already feel exceptionally smooth in daily use. That said, ultra-thin bezels and improvements to brightness and efficiency may end up having a bigger impact on the user experience than the refresh-rate figure itself.
