The Realme 16 series is here. Launched at the start of the month, this series comprises a Pro and a Pro+ model as of now. Realme will likely add a vanilla variant to this lineup down the line. This is a quick turnaround for the tech outfit, given that the Realme 14 series came out in January 2025 and was followed by the Realme 15 series in July 2025. However, the latter release did not have a top-spec Pro+ model. As we step into 2026, the Pro+ variant is back, looking better than before. It dons a new look that’s inspired by the flagship GT 8 series. Furthermore, it gets a big camera upgrade in the form of a 200MP primary shooter. We’ve been using the smartphone as our daily driver for the last week, putting it through a series of tests. Here’s our review of the Realme 16 Pro+.
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In This Article
Realme 16 Pro+ Review: Design and Display
Before we dive into the review, let’s take a look at what you get inside this smartphone’s retail box:
- Smartphone
- 80W power adapter
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Clear plastic cover
- SIM ejector
- Quick guide
- Phone seal stickers
The square camera panel on the back of this smartphone looks identical to the one on the brand’s flagship offering – the GT 8 Pro. However, this island is not detachable. The back panel comes in 3 colour options and 2 finishes – Camellia Pink (plastic), Master Gold (eco leather), and Master Grey (eco leather). We used the Master Grey variant for this review. Its soft-touch texture offers an excellent in-hand feel and keeps annoying smudges and fingerprints at bay. The ‘Realme’ lettering mimics the glossy mirror finish of the camera island.
The back panel curves gently into the aluminium alloy frame. This frame has curved edges and rounded corners. The glossy right edge houses the volume rocker and the side button. At the bottom lie the SIM tray, primary microphone, USB-C port, and primary speaker. The secondary speaker, IR blaster, and noise-cancelling microphone are positioned up top. The smartphone is rated IP68/IP69K for dust and water resistance. It can survive high-pressure water jets and is immersible in water up to 2 metres for up to 30 minutes.
The 6.8-inch curved AMOLED display has a 144Hz refresh rate and hits a peak brightness of 6,500 nits while playing HDR content. In outdoor daylight conditions, it hits 1,800 nits in High Brightness Mode, maintaining perfect legibility. The touch response is as smooth as it gets, thanks to the high refresh rate. Despite its curved form factor, the display doesn’t register any accidental touches. The optical fingerprint scanner is snappy and accurate.
During the review period, we used the Realme 16 Pro+ as our primary media streaming device. The FHD+ (1,280 x 2,800p) display put up a fine performance while streaming content across OTT apps like Netflix, Prime Video, and JioHotstar. The visuals packed amazing details and rich colours. The punchy contrast and dynamic range made the viewing experience all the more enjoyable. The audio output from the stereo speaker setup was loud, but could have used a more pronounced low end.
Realme 16 Pro+ Review: Performance and Cameras
The Realme 16 Pro+ draws power from the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 SoC. This is the same processor that powered the Realme 15 Pro (our review here). The smartphone comes in 3 RAM (LPDDR5X) and storage (UFS 3.1) combinations:
- 8GB + 128GB: Rs 39,999
- 8GB + 256GB: Rs 41,999
- 12GB + 256GB: Rs 44,999
We put the smartphone through a couple of benchmark tests. Here’s how it performed:
- AnTuTu 3D: 1,442,419
- Geekbench 6: 1,321 (single-core) | 4,271 (multi-core)
The Realme 16 Pro+ doesn’t leave you hanging for power while handling routine tasks like calling, texting, web browsing, media streaming, navigation, and the like. You can rely on it as your daily driver to get you through demanding tasks. Apps load almost instantly, and juggling them around does not take the smartphone out of second gear. Lastly, the well-tuned haptic feedback ties a nice bow to the splendid general performance.
We put the smartphone’s gaming performance to the test by playing Call of Duty Mobile and BGMI on it. There were no frame drops or lag to be seen on either title. We limited the frame rate to 60fps and graphics to their medium settings for optimum performance. You can push BGMI to 90fps, with 120fps supports reportedly in the works. The AirFlow VC cooling system does a passable job of keeping the internal temperature in check. We noticed warmth on the back panel after 20 minutes of gaming.
Software duties on the Realme 16 Pro+ are handled by the Android 16-based Realme UI 7. The smartphone has been promised 3 major OS upgrades and 4 years of security patches. If you’re familiar with Oppo’s ColorOS 16 or OnePlus’ OxygenOS 16, you know what you’re getting on Realme UI 7. The home page and app drawer layouts, menu screen, notification shade, quick settings menu, and other design elements are identical across the three Android skins.
You get the usual Google AI tools on this device – Circle to Search and Gemini Assistant. Realme also has a custom AI suite of its own dubbed ‘Next AI’, with features like AI Suggest, AI Writer, AI Translate, AI Camera, AI Gaming Coach, and AI Smart Loop. The editing tool in the native Photos app has AI tools for object removal, recomposition, glare and reflection removal, unblur, and more. The AI Edit Genie takes requests in natural language and applies the necessary edits to the images.
With a massive 7,000mAh battery pack under its hood, the Realme 16 Pro+ coasts through the day without needing to be plugged into a charger. On moderate usage, we ended our days with 30-40% charge left in the tank. You can push the battery life to 2 days if you’re conservative with your usage. This means turning off the Always on Display, limiting the refresh rate to 60Hz, and cutting down your screen time. Once the battery is fully discharged, the 80W power adapter provided in the box can fully replenish it in an hour.
There are some interesting changes on the camera panel of this smartphone. After skipping the Realme 15 series, the 50MP telephoto camera is back on the Realme 16 Pro+. This time, it has a 3.5x optical zoom. The primary shooter has been upgraded with a whopping 200MP sensor. An 8MP ultrawide lens completes the rear camera array. Up front, a 50MP selfie camera is nestled inside a punch-hole cutout.
The 200MP primary shooter captures splendid shots in outdoor daylight conditions. The images are packed with detail and deep, rich colours. The contrast levels are tasteful, and do not appear heightened for the sake of making the images ‘social media ready’. The dynamic range is tasteful as well. We like how the sky was exposed in outdoor shots. In limited lighting conditions, the Night Mode did a good job of illuminating the shot and getting rid of the grain.
The new 50MP telephoto lens offers 3.5x optical zoom. The quality of these shots is consistent with the ones taken using the primary shooter. The colours appear vibrant, and there is no noticeable loss of detail. We found ourselves using this lens quite a lot during the review period. It allows you to easily capture subjects that are at a distance, without needing to move towards them.
The 8MP ultrawide takes decent shots, but they appear a bit washed when you compare the results with the primary shooter. The images pack good detail, but the tonal shift is highly apparent. This seems like a decent tradeoff to us, given the comfort that comes with the 3.5x telephoto lens. In limited lighting conditions, the ultrawide lens relies on the Camera app’s Night Mode for artificial illumination and noise reduction, but the results are noticeably soft.
The Realme 16 Pro+ allows you to take portrait shots between 1x and 4x at varying focal lengths. The portraits are well-focused at every zoom level, although we don’t see the point in going beyond 3.5x. The smartphone does a great job of detecting the edges of the subject and applying a healthy dose of background blur. The 50MP front-facing camera takes good and clear selfies, keeping tone and texture corrections to a minimum. It can record 4K footage at 30 and 60fps, similar to the primary shooter and telephoto lens. Meanwhile, the ultrawide lens can record 1,080p videos at 30fps.
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Verdict
The Realme 16 Pro+ has set the benchmark in the Rs 30,000 price bracket. Its consistently charming and powerful performance will be used as a metric to judge other releases throughout the year. This smartphone checked all the important boxes for us. Its unique design is a breath of fresh air in a segment where brands usually play it safe. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset goes through everyday tasks like a hot knife through butter. If you like to indulge in gaming every once in a while, you find yourself short on power.
The 200MP primary shooter is the highlight of the camera setup, putting up a versatile performance in a multitude of lighting conditions. The return of the 50MP telephoto lens also deserves a shout-out. This camera gives you a lot of breathing room while zooming in on a faraway subject. The 7,000mAh battery pack is the icing on the cake, offering 2-day battery life if you restrict your usage to basic tasks.
Pros
- Nice design
- Bright display
- Good performance
- Great primary camera
- Big battery
Cons
- Contains bloatware
- Mediocre ultrawide lens
