OnePlus 16 sells 70,000 units in its first hour in China
The OnePlus 16 reportedly sold more than 70,000 units in its first hour in China, though there is no European launch announced.
The OnePlus 16 sold more than 70,000 units in its first hour on sale in China, according to OnePlus China president Li Jie, giving the new flagship an unusually strong opening at home.1
What happened
The phone went on sale in China at 10am local time after being unveiled earlier this week. Li said the first-hour result puts the OnePlus 16 ahead of comparable Android flagship launches this year, although OnePlus has not published like-for-like figures for the previous model.1
The claim is therefore a company-reported sales milestone rather than an independently audited market comparison. It still gives the phone a useful early signal: the OnePlus 16 is attracting attention in its home market despite a difficult year for smartphone makers.
What the OnePlus 16 offers
OnePlus lists a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor, up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage on its official product page.2 The phone also carries a 200-megapixel main camera, a 9,000mAh battery, 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
The specifications are aimed squarely at buyers who want gaming performance and endurance rather than a compact handset. OnePlus says its China model runs ColorOS 17 and supports IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K protection ratings, though regional versions and availability may differ.2
The UK and European catch
The early sales figure does not mean the OnePlus 16 is coming to Britain or mainland Europe. GSMArena reports that OnePlus officially exited both regions in July, with the company continuing to focus on markets including China and India.1 OnePlus has not announced European availability in the material reviewed for this story.
Our opinion
A 70,000-unit first hour is a meaningful opening, but it is not proof that the OnePlus 16 has beaten every rival in a comparable test. The more useful takeaway is geographical: this is a strong home-market launch for a phone whose biggest selling points are unusually ambitious battery capacity, gaming hardware and a premium camera specification. For UK readers, it is an interesting indicator of OnePlus’s momentum rather than a product they can currently order locally.