OnePlus 16 leak hints at Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro processor and 200MP telephoto camera

The chip mentioned in the leak carries the codename SM8975, which is expected to belong to Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon flagship platform. Reports suggest Qualcomm may release two versions this year: the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and a more powerful Gen 6 Pro model. The Pro variant is rumoured to be built on a 2nm process and could push clock speeds to around 5GHz. It may also support LPDDR6 RAM, replacing the LPDDR5X memory used in current flagship devices. Notably, Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 this year with the world’s first 2nm mobile processor, the Exynos 2600. What’s interesting is that the company preferred to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and kept the 2nm Exynos 2600 for the lower models.

OnePlus has usually been among the early adopters of Qualcomm’s latest chips. The current OnePlus 15, for instance, launched with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. If the new leak proves accurate, the OnePlus 16 will likely follow the same pattern and debut soon after Qualcomm introduces its next generation platform.

Camera hardware may also change this time. The leak claims the phone could use a 200MP periscope telephoto camera, reportedly based on a 1/1.56-inch sensor. That would be quite a step up from the 50MP telephoto sensor used on the OnePlus 15. A larger sensor paired with higher resolution could improve zoom photography, an area where several flagship brands have been pushing upgrades recently, even with additional lenses in photography kits in some cases.

Some earlier rumours have also mentioned a battery approaching 9,000mAh and a display with a refresh rate above 200Hz. Those numbers are unusually high for a flagship smartphone, so it’s possible they refer to early prototypes rather than the final hardware.

Before the OnePlus 16 arrives, the company still has another launch lined up. The OnePlus 15T is expected to debut in China later this month as a compact flagship with a 6.3-inch display. The OnePlus 16, on the other hand, is currently tipped for a Q4 2026 launch. When it does arrive, it’ll face competition from other Snapdragon-powered flagships expected later this year from companies like Samsung, Xiaomi, and OPPO. Many of those devices will likely run on the same generation of Qualcomm chips.

For buyers planning a flagship upgrade next year, the OnePlus 16 could be worth watching if these early details hold up. A faster processor and a higher-resolution periscope camera could make a noticeable difference, particularly for gaming and long-range photography. At the same time, current devices like the OnePlus 15 already offer strong performance, so some users may prefer to wait and see how large the real-world improvements turn out to be.