The Xiaomi 16 compact smartphone could have a class-leading display and battery, which could go some way to making up for the recent OnePlus 13T disappointment.
Following the news that the OnePlus 13T probably isn’t coming to the US or Europe, fans of a compromise-free ‘small’ phones need a new champ. We might just have one in the Xiaomi 16.
According to fresh rumours from leaker Smart Pikachu, the Xiaomi 16 will feature “the most beautiful small straight screen 2.0” (via machine translation), together with “the largest battery” in the 6.3-inch class.
Why the Xiaomi 16 is a potential OnePlus 13T-beater
That latter point would include the OnePlus 13T in its estimation.
OnePlus’s new compact flagship is perhaps most notable for featuring a huge 6260mAh battery, which is even bigger than that of the OnePlus 13. If Xiaomi is able to fit an even bigger battery into a “light and thin body” (as has previously been rumoured), it’ll be quite something.
It’s also notable that this Xiaomi 16 will apparently feature “leading four-sided eye protection”. Cutting through the machine translation fug, this suggests it’ll have the best PWM dimming (or related eye-preserving technology) in a phone of its size.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
We recently reported that the Pixel 10 series was likely to address this very situation after the Pixel 9 series was criticised for being one of the worst on the market.
For reference, the Xiaomi 15 is already one of the best compact phones in this regard with 1920Hz PWM Dimming at low brightness, though the OnePlus 13T one-ups it at 2160Hz.
This claim would have it that Xiaomi is going to go even higher on eye protection with its next smartphone generation.
Xiaomi 16 specs: the best of the rest
We also hear that the Xiaomi 16 will feature a 50mp triple camera, which is unsurprising given that the Xiaomi 15 also features such a provision. Even so, that’s one better than the OnePlus 13T, which lacks an ultra-wide camera.
News that the Xiaomi 16 will run on HyperOS 3.0 is even less surprising. Here’s hoping it’s cleaner and less cluttered than previous Xiaomi UIs.
Expect to see the Xiaomi 16 announced in China sometime in October, if it follows the Xiaomi 15’s lead.
