OnePlus is dead, but demand for the OnePlus 16 clearly isn't

OnePlus will launch its latest flagship in China this month, followed by wider availability expected in November. The OnePlus 16 is shaping up to be a stacked device, and all we can do is wave at it from the sidelines. That’s because the company has pulled out of the North American market, which means buyers in the US won’t get a direct shot at the OnePlus 16. And a lot of you wish that weren’t the case.

We recently asked our readers whether they would buy the OnePlus 16 if the flagship were available in their market, and the results were overwhelmingly positive.

2,252 of you weighed in, and a massive 61% (1,379 respondents) indicated that they would buy the OnePlus 16 “without question.” 32% of you (719 respondents) would be open to the OnePlus 16, but the final purchase would depend on the flagship’s price. Only 7, or 154 respondents, said that they wouldn’t buy the OnePlus 16.

Essentially, 93% of our respondents are at least open to buying OnePlus’ upcoming flagship if it were to be sold where they live. That’s significant interest in a brand that’s not even focused on the US.

It’s not difficult to see why you’d want the OnePlus 16

The flagship, which is confirmed to launch on October 12, has a lot going for it. It’s expected to run on the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor, while a massive 9,000mAh battery will reportedly be tasked with keeping things running.  Those specs alone make the device a compelling choice, but of course, there’s more.

The device is expected to boast a fast 165Hz panel that can reportedly go up to 185Hz when gaming. Look for it to retain a triple camera layout, with the main camera being a 200-megapixel primary sensor, and the telephoto and the ultra-wide lenses being 50-megapixel shooters.

We don’t know much else about the internals, but we do have a clear look at what the device will look like from the outside. The flagship will be available in Dark Forest (black), Mars/Martian Masterpiece (orange), and Tomorrow’s Starlight (silver), though only one of those colorways will offer something unique that OnePlus hasn’t experimented with before.

The silver colorway is confirmed to feature a new “Interstellar Lighting Effect,” which is essentially a bolder and louder version of Google’s HiLight feature, and akin to Nothing’s more established Glyph Matrix design.

The design splits the OnePlus 16’s rear into three distinct lighting zones. There’s an X symbol on the top right, a “16 AREA” text block on the bottom left, and coordinates on the bottom right. These zones light up in an orange-yellow hue and might stay on or blink, depending on the type of notification.

It’s unclear how customizable the lighting system will be, but it’s still interesting to see how OnePlus will implement an idea that definitely isn’t the safest design choice around. It’s nice to see that the company isn’t forcing the design down potential buyers’ throats. If you don’t like the Interstellar Lighting, you simply opt for the Dark Forest or Mars/Martian Masterpiece colorways. Maybe our next poll should be about which colorway you’d buy if you had the option.

Importing the OnePlus 16, for what it’s worth, will still be an option for determined buyers. Whether it’ll be a viable option is ultimately up to you to decide.