Realme 16 Pro Series Debuts in India with Bigger Batteries, 200MP Cameras and Aggressive Pricing

Realme has officially expanded its popular number series in India with the launch of the Realme 16 Pro and Realme 16 Pro Plus, targeting buyers in the upper mid-range segment. With starting prices at Rs 31,999 and going up to Rs 44,999, the new lineup largely maintains familiar pricing, easing concerns over sharp price hikes seen across the smartphone market in recent months. While the Pro Plus variant sees a slight increase compared to its predecessor, Realme has focused on meaningful upgrades in design, camera capabilities, battery size and durability. Both smartphones are now available through Flipkart and the Realme India online store.

Leading the lineup is the Realme 16 Pro Plus, positioned as a performance-driven and camera-centric device. It is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset, a processor known for reliable everyday performance. One of the biggest highlights is its massive 7,000mAh battery, supported by 80W fast charging, aimed at users who prioritise long battery life.

Camera hardware is another key differentiator for the Pro Plus. The phone features a 200-megapixel primary camera, accompanied by a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens. Realme has confirmed optical zoom of around 3.5x, which should deliver cleaner zoom shots than most phones in this segment. The inclusion of a periscope lens gives the Realme 16 Pro Plus an advantage for users interested in long-range photography without stepping into flagship-level pricing.

On the front, the Realme 16 Pro Plus sports a curved AMOLED display with up to 6,500 nits of peak brightness, ultra-slim 1.48mm bezels and a 2,500Hz touch sampling rate. It also supports Netflix HDR content. Durability has been a strong focus, with the device carrying IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K ratings, making it one of the most rugged smartphones on paper in its category.

The Realme 16 Pro is positioned as a more balanced alternative for users seeking premium features at a lower price. It also comes with a 200-megapixel main camera with support for 4K HDR video recording. Powering the device is the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Max chipset, which Realme says is optimised for efficiency and sustained performance. Like the Pro Plus, it packs a 7,000mAh battery with 80W fast charging and offers up to 6,500 nits of display brightness. The Pro model additionally introduces a 300 percent ultra-volume mode for louder speaker output.

Both phones share several design and software features, including AMOLED displays with full-HD+ resolution, a triple rear camera setup in a square module, an aerospace-grade frame and right-aligned buttons. They run Realme UI 7.0 based on Android 16 out of the box, with a promise of three major Android updates and four years of security patches.

In India, the Realme 16 Pro 5G is priced at Rs 31,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant, Rs 33,999 for 8GB + 256GB and Rs 36,999 for 12GB + 256GB. The Realme 16 Pro Plus 5G starts at Rs 39,999, rising to Rs 44,999 for the top configuration. Sales begin on January 9, with bank offers providing discounts of up to Rs 3,000 on the Pro and Rs 4,000 on the Pro Plus.