OnePlus may be crafting a ‘people’s phone’ with a massive 9,000mAh battery

With the earlier-than-usual unveiling of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, followed by the less powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, we’ve already seen Android flagships lining up for global launch. Although Samsung is expected to delay its announcement of the Galaxy S26 series, OnePlus’  flagship, the OnePlus 15, is already up for sale in global markets. The brand also recently followed up with the launch of the OnePlus 15R, much sooner than the typical launch cycle. Now, with the spare time on its hands, OnePlus is working on less premium options, and one of them is already emerging in leaks and may launch soon.

Per fresh leaks, OnePlus is gearing up to launch yet another phone set for global markets. Leaker Abhishek Yadav recently posted on X and Instagram Threads that a OnePlus phone codenamed “Volkswagen” is under development.

The phone is expected to be stocked with a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 — a chipset intended for the upper mid-range and packing an architecture similar to the two-year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This could give us an idea of its positioning in OnePlus’ product lineup, as well as confirmation that the codename may be a metaphor relating to the origin of the German automaker’s name.

While we’re unsure of this phone’s exact naming, Yadav has shared additional aspects about it. Foremost, the covert OnePlus phone comes with a humongous 9,000mAh battery, backed by 80W of fast wired charging to replenish it.

Along with these, the phone is claimed to feature a 165Hz refresh rate display, just like the OnePlus 15 and the recently unveiled 15R. The said display is also expected to come with a 1.5K resolution, which, once again, is identical to the 15 and the 15R. It’s unclear whether this phone uses the same display as either of the two phones, but if so, it would be the OnePlus 15R, which uses a slightly less advanced LTPS. As with flagship series phones, the 165Hz display should enable smoother gameplay in supported titles, including Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, and Call of Duty: Mobile.

In addition to the 165Hz refresh rate, the phone is also rumored to feature a dual-camera setup on the back.

Now, while we’re unsure of which phone this is, there are some speculations. The first phone to come to mind is the OnePlus Nord 6. The tipster hasn’t confirmed whether that’s true, but responded to one of the replies, suggesting it’s true, probably indicating that the assumption may have some truth. The OnePlus Nord 5 features a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, a 144Hz display, and a 6,800mAh battery, so the upgrade would make perfect sense.

The other phone we can think of is the rumored OnePlus Turbo, which has previously leaked with the same 165Hz display and the same chipset. While the specifics of the battery and charging speeds from the previous one don’t match those of OnePlus’ Volkswagen, a newer rumor from tipster Anvin aligns perfectly. Anvin spotted a Geekbench listing for the OnePlus phone with model number PLU110 (considered the OnePlus Turbo), featuring a 9,000mAh battery and the same chip.

While these leaks add to the confusion, it’s highly likely that the OnePlus Turbo remains exclusive to China and releases globally as another model, perhaps the Nord 6 or something else. We hope we won’t have to wait for much longer, especially as Turbo is set to be unveiled in China as early as January 2026. We hope for an official confirmation, or at least some leaks, to contribute to our knowledge in the coming weeks.