OnePlus 16 Sells 70,000+ Units in First Hour in China, Tops 2026 Android Flagships

The OnePlus 16 is off to a record-breaking start. OnePlus China president Li Jie announced on Weibo that the phone sold more than 70,000 units within its first hour on sale in China — sales began at 10 AM local time on October 13, and the milestone was crossed by 11 AM.

According to Li Jie, that makes the OnePlus 16 the best-selling Android flagship of 2026 in terms of comparable launch-period sales. He called the growth “rare in the industry.” OnePlus hasn’t shared how the OnePlus 15 performed in the same timeframe, so there’s no direct predecessor comparison — but 70,000 units in 60 minutes is a strong number by any measure.

Why It’s Selling So Fast

The OnePlus 16 arrived with serious upgrades. It runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 (2nm), packs a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with 165Hz refresh rate (185Hz in supported games), a 200MP main camera with OIS, a 50MP periscope telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a massive 9,000mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.

The price starts at CNY 5,999 (about $896) — that’s 1,000 yuan more than the OnePlus 15 cost at launch. The fact that buyers showed up in these numbers despite the price hike, and despite the ongoing RAM crisis squeezing the smartphone market, says a lot about the demand.

The Bigger Picture

This is one of the strongest flagship launches in China since the iPhone 12’s record-breaking debut back in October 2020. The OnePlus 16’s gaming-focused upgrades — 40% better thermal performance, the 185Hz display, and bypass charging — appear to have hit the mark with power users.

India Launch and Global Availability

An India launch hasn’t been confirmed yet, but rumours suggest OnePlus could unveil two flagships this year, including the OnePlus 16R. With the iQOO 16’s India launch already confirmed, a OnePlus response seems likely.

Bad news for buyers in the US and Europe: OnePlus officially exited both regions back in July, so the OnePlus 16 won’t be launching there.

OnePlus 16 launched — specs, features, price