OnePlus 16 Stays in China: Import Costs, Missing Bands and What Buyers Face

Buyers outside China who want the OnePlus 16 face a familiar route: a OnePlus 16 import from specialist retailers, because OnePlus has withdrawn from the US and European markets and no official model is expected in either region. The phone was unveiled in China last week as a flagship built with gaming in mind, and the only way to get one in the West is through China-focused sellers.

Hardware that stands out

The spec sheet is unusual even by flagship standards. OnePlus has fitted a 185 Hz display, a 9,000 mAh battery and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset. Those numbers point to a device aimed at sustained gaming rather than thin-and-light design. Magnetic accessories are available in China, though they are part of the China-only ecosystem for now.

Where to buy and what it costs

Several import retailers list the device. Trinity Electronics, AverageDad, Giztop and Tradingshenzhen all carry it; Wondamobile does not stock the OnePlus 16. Giztop generally undercuts Tradingshenzhen on most storage tiers, while Tradingshenzhen is cheaper only for the 16 GB / 1 TB version. The author of the original report, Alexander Fagot of Notebookcheck, named Tradingshenzhen as his preferred import partner.

• 12/256 GB: €875 / US$999 at Giztop; €897 / US$1,010 at Tradingshenzhen
• 12/512 GB: €1,049 / US$1,199 at Giztop; €1,057 / US$1,190 at Tradingshenzhen
• 16/512 GB: €1,138 / US$1,299 at Giztop; €1,157 / US$1,302 at Tradingshenzhen
• 16/1 TB: €1,313 / US$1,499 at Giztop; €1,287 / US$1,439 at Tradingshenzhen

The spread between retailers is modest on most tiers, but the 1 TB model flips the pattern. Import duties and warranty terms are not covered by the listings, so buyers should confirm those separately.

Network bands: what is missing

The Chinese model lacks LTE band 20, which is used for rural 4G coverage in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. It also lacks US bands 12, 13 and 71/n71. 5G support is described as decent, but the missing low-band LTE is the bigger concern for buyers in the US and rural parts of the EU. Whether the band 20 gap matters in practice will depend on where the phone is used.

Software and service gaps

The China model does not support eSIM or Wear OS. Android Auto, Google Quick Share and Gemini may also run into problems. These are not cosmetic omissions: they affect how the phone fits into a Western user’s daily routine, from smartwatch pairing to car connectivity and Google’s AI features.

Will a global model appear?

OnePlus has not confirmed a global variant. A leaker on Weibo, Digital Chat Station, has suggested a launch outside China is possible, but likely not in the EU or US. That leaves buyers weighing an import against waiting for a model that may never arrive in their region. The phone’s exact release date outside China, the countries that might receive it and the full list of supported 5G bands all remain unknown.