OnePlus Turbo: Is this OnePlus’ first true gaming phone?

OnePlus seems on the verge of making its most serious attempt at a gaming smartphone yet with a new phone that goes by the name of the OnePlus Turbo. Premature leaks and benchmark listings have, at this point, provided an idea of whatever the brand may have the most performance centric handset to date. With a huge battery capacity of 9,000mAh using silicon-carbon and a high-refresh display with OLED, the OnePlus turbo is forming a picture of some of the most interesting game-oriented models in the year 2026 that could mark OnePlus’ official entry into the gaming phone market in India and globally.

Can OnePlus Turbo be the Brand’s first true gaming phone?

The positioning of the OnePlus Turbo as the brand based on being the first actual gaming phone is founded on recent leaks as opposed to a lengthy lineage of hand-sets based on gaming with OnePlus.  This raises an important question: is the OnePlus Turbo truly the company’s first true gaming phone? Oneplus has previously produced high-performance smartphones such as the OnePlus 12 and Oneplus 12R that have been acclaimed to play games, due to their use of flagship level chipsets and high refresh rate screens, but this was not advertised or promoted as a gaming phone.

The Turbo line-up, though, is positioned as a gaming-oriented brand with specs like a 165Hz display, Fengchi gaming kernel and an e-sports triple core system being an option OnePlus claims as custom-built to the needs of hardcore gamers. With features like a 165Hz panel and gaming kernel, it positions itself as a flagship gaming phone. Such gaming-focused improvements, paired with an enormous 9,000mAh battery, and the Snapdragon 8's Gen 4 are what help the Turbo surpass its predecessors, and as such, there is a possibility that it is the first device in the history of OnePlus that could actually be considered a real entrant into the gaming smartphone market. Unlike previous flagships, this device appears designed specifically as a OnePlus gaming phone.

Whereas in some cases, OnePlus has released special edition releases or game optimisations (such as the Genshin Impact edition), it is evident that the Turbo is trying to move the product toward a gaming market with hardware and software that can be used intentionally.

Massive 9000mAh Silicon-Carbon battery with 100W fast charging

The leak indicated the OnePlus Turbo will have a 9,000mAh silicon-carbon battery which is much higher than the 5,000mAh being used in major flagship telephones these days. The massive capacity makes it a rare 9000mAh battery smartphone enabled by advanced silicon-carbon battery technology. This new battery chemistry enables the use of high density without going to the extremes of making the device too heavy or too thick.

To ensure this arrangement is still more feasible, the phone is also reported to have 80W or, perhaps, 100W fast charging. This combination may provide the ultimate both in terms of long-lasting performance during the day and very high performance with top-ups up to the minute - something that is uncommon in the present smartphone market. This also places it among the most powerful fast charging smartphones for gamers.

Snapdragon 8's Gen 4 and Android 16 confirmed via Geekbench

It was just recently discovered on Geekbench with the model name PLU110, which was internally known as Volkswagen. According to the Geekbench listing, the phone runs on the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. As the listing shows, the OnePlus Turbo will be powered by Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, which also has a prime core with a 3.21GHz clock.

The phone achieved great scores, 2,161 points in a single-core and 6,864 points in a multi-core test, and fitted comfortably in the category of the top-end flagship performers. Configurations of up to 16GB of RAM and Android 16 out of the box are also confirmed by the benchmark. This ensures top-tier mobile gaming performance for competitive players. This indicates that one possibility is that before rolling out the device on a global scale (to the whole world), OnePlus is awaiting the official release of the next major android system.

165Hz BOE OLED Display emphasises gaming focus

The display leaks reaffirm the gaming-first nature of the Turbo. It is reported that BOE made a 6.78-inch OLED screen with a 1.5K screen resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate. The 165Hz OLED display from BOE reinforces its gaming-first identity. The BOE OLED panel offers smoother visuals than standard flagship screens.

This is faster than the standard 120Hz which is found on most flagship models and provides improved frame rates as well as reduced motion blur - important features to competitive mobile gamers. The specifications of the display make OnePlus match with the high-end gaming mobiles of such companies as ASUS ROG and Nubia RedMagic

Oneplus has not officially announced it but the listing on Geekbench and the Android 16 base shows that the Turbo may come as early as early 2026. Running Android 16 out of the box, the Turbo is future-ready for long-term gaming use. Based on its features, OnePlus is poised to venture into the gaming phone market, a market not yet conquered by the company.

This places OnePlus Turbo firmly in the gaming smartphone segment alongside ROG and RedMagic. Supposing that these leaks are correct, the OnePlus Turbo would be able to compete with such phones as the ASUS ROG Phone 8 and RedMagic 9 Pro and would provide an interesting set of raw performance, battery life, and fluid display experience. If launched as expected, the OnePlus Turbo could become OnePlus’ most serious gaming phone, combining power, battery life, and display performance.

Disclaimer: The information regarding the gadgets/devices listed in the table and article has been sourced from various secondary sources. For detailed product specifications, please refer to the brand sources.