Realme welcomed the year 2026 with the launch of its 16 Pro series. Earlier, I reviewed the Pro variant of the lineup, and today is the Plus variant. With a starting price of ₹39,999, the Realme 16 Pro+ sits roughly ₹8,000 above the Pro model. That pricing gap immediately makes things interesting; does the Pro deliver enough, or is the Plus variant worth the extra investment? On paper, the jump is insignificant, but the company is clearly pushing the Realme 16 Pro+ as a more premium interpretation of the series.
We break down the differences and see whether the Realme 16 Pro+ makes a stronger case than its sibling.
Design
In my review of the Realme 16 Pro, I noted the refreshed design language, which felt more mature and refined than earlier number-series phones. The Realme 16 Pro+ carries forward the same design philosophy, but elevates it with a very different choice of materials. Instead of a conventional glass back, the Pro+ uses an industry-first bio-based organic silicone material, co-designed with renowned designer Naoto Fukasawa. This gives the phone a softer, more tactile finish that immediately stands out.
In hand, the phone feels premium yet comfortable. The bio-based silicone back has a subtle leather-like texture that is skin-friendly, anti-slip, and resistant to dirt and wear. Despite packing a massive battery, the phone maintains a relatively slim profile at 8.49mm for the Master Gold (review variant) and Master Grey variants, while the Camellia Pink version is even slimmer at 8.09mm. The weight remains around the 200-gram mark, which feels well-balanced during prolonged use. While the Pro feels more conventional, the Plus variant feels warmer and more organic in hand.
Port and button placement remain identical to the Realme 16 Pro, with the power and volume keys on the right and the USB-C port, speaker grille, and SIM tray at the bottom. Where the Realme 16 Pro+ clearly has the upper hand is in durability. The phone comes with IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K certifications, offering comprehensive dust and water resistance. It is also rated to withstand exposure to 36 different liquids and can handle extreme temperatures up to 80°C, making it far more rugged than most phones in this price segment. Combined with the metal mirror camera deco using high-end PVD craftsmanship, the Realme 16 Pro+ not only looks premium but is built to handle harsh real-world conditions with confidence.
Display
The Realme 16 Pro+ features a 6.8-inch AMOLED HyperGlow 4D Curve+ display with a resolution of 2800×1280 pixels, a 144 Hz refresh rate, and 10-bit colour depth covering 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. Slim bezels and the deep quad-curve design allow the display to flow naturally into the frame, making the phone feel immersive yet comfortable to hold. Peak brightness goes up to a claimed 6,500 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even under harsh sunlight, while 4608 Hz PWM dimming helps reduce eye strain during prolonged nighttime use.
What sets the Plus variant apart is responsiveness. Along with a high refresh rate, Realme has added a 2500 Hz instantaneous touch response, making touches feel immediate and precise, particularly during fast-paced gaming. Compared to the Realme 16 Pro, the Pro+ delivers better brightness control and a more immersive curved panel. When compared with the OnePlus 15R, the Realme 16 Pro+ trades raw gaming refresh ceilings for a combination of higher brightness, curved aesthetics, and ultra-fast touch input, making it especially appealing for users who prioritise visual immersion and responsive everyday interactions over competitive-level frame rates.
OS and AI
The Realme 16 Pro+ runs on Realme UI 7.0 based on Android 16. The interface feels clean, colourful, and noticeably smoother than previous iterations, thanks to the new Flux Engine. Animations are fluid, app switching is faster, and daily interactions feel more responsive compared to the Realme 16 Pro.
AI features are integrated thoughtfully. Tools like AI Edit Genie, AI LightMe, and AI StyleMe allow users to experiment creatively with portraits and social media content without feeling gimmicky. AI Recording and AI Translate add practical value for meetings, interviews, and travel. While the AI experience here is not as deeply system-integrated as on some premium flagships, it feels well-suited for the target audience of this phone.
Performance
Powering the Realme 16 Pro+ is the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor, built on a 4nm process. This is where the Plus variant differentiates itself from the Pro, which features a Mediatek processor, by offering better sustained performance and efficiency. The review unit comes with 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256 GB of storage, which is more than sufficient for heavy multitasking.
In benchmarks, the phone recorded a Geekbench single-core score of 1332 and a multi-core score of 4285. GPU performance stood at 4786, while the AnTuTu score reached 1,445,602. These numbers place the Realme 16 Pro+ comfortably ahead of most mid-range devices, though it is important to keep expectations realistic.
This is also where the value comparison with the OnePlus 15R comes into play. The OnePlus 15R, priced around ₹6,000–₹7,000 higher, offers significantly more raw power, with Geekbench scores of 2866 (single-core) and 9506 (multi-core), and an AnTuTu score crossing 3 million. However, for users who do not need flagship-level performance, the Realme 16 Pro+ still delivers smooth everyday usage.
In real-world use, the phone feels responsive and stable. Games like Call of Duty Mobile, BGMI, Asphalt, and Pokémon GO ran smoothly at high settings, with consistent frame rates. The AirFlow VC cooling system does a good job of managing heat during longer gaming sessions, ensuring sustained performance without noticeable throttling.
Camera
I liked the camera performance of the Realme 16 Pro+ quite a bit, and the specifications back that up. The phone features a 200 MP Samsung HP5 main sensor with OIS, a 50 MP 3.5x telephoto portrait camera, and an 8 MP ultrawide lens. On the front, you get a 50 MP selfie camera.
Realme 16 Pro+ camera sample
| Photo Credit:
Haider Ali Khan
The biggest plus over the Realme 16 Pro is the addition of a 3.5x telephoto lens and enhanced portrait algorithms. Daylight images from the main camera are sharp, detailed, and colour-accurate. The AI processing focuses on refining details rather than aggressively altering colours, resulting in images that look close to what the eyes see.
Realme 16 Pro+ camera sample
| Photo Credit:
Haider Ali Khan
Night photography is handled well, with controlled highlights and minimal noise. The LumaColor imaging system helps preserve natural skin tones and realistic lighting, especially in mixed lighting scenarios. Portrait shots are where the phone truly shines. Subject separation is clean, background blur looks natural, and the telephoto lens adds flexibility for different portrait styles.
Realme 16 Pro+ camera sample
| Photo Credit:
Haider Ali Khan
Selfies from the 50MP front camera are detailed and well-exposed, making the phone ideal for social media users and vloggers. Video performance is solid too, with support for 4K recording and reliable stabilisation. Overall, the camera system does full justice to the phone’s price and is one of the strongest reasons to choose the Pro+.
Battery
The Realme 16 Pro+ packs a massive 7,000 mAh battery. Compared to the Realme 16 Pro, this offers even better endurance, comfortably lasting more than a full day of heavy use. Moderate users can easily stretch it to nearly two days. Charging is handled by 80W fast charging, which replenishes the large battery at a respectable pace. Features like bypass charging during gaming help reduce heat and improve long-term battery health. Battery performance is clearly a strong point here.
Verdict
The Realme 16 Pro+ brings something genuinely new in terms of design and camera capabilities, and that is refreshing. However, from a competitive standpoint, things do get tricky when you consider phones like the OnePlus 15R, which sits at a slightly higher price but offers significantly stronger performance.
That said, the Realme 16 Pro+ justifies the “Plus” tag by offering a more premium design, a standout 200 MP camera system, an excellent display, and outstanding battery life. If you value photography, design, and endurance over raw flagship performance, the Realme 16 Pro+ makes a strong case and stands out as a well-rounded premium smartphone in the mid-range segment.