OnePlus has been a bit up and down because it merged with Oppo again in 2021. It gained larger entry to highly effective elements and partnerships with manufacturers like Hasselblad, whereas its software program and product lineup took just a few steps again earlier than discovering its stride once more. However now, three generations after the merger, OnePlus’ newest flagship cellphone — the OnePlus 13 — seems like a improbable return to kind. In some areas, the corporate is even pushing the boundaries of {hardware} and gadget design in ways in which rivals from Samsung and Google aren’t. And with a beginning worth of $900, OnePlus has managed to undercut its closest competitor too, which makes this cellphone a terrific selection for anybody who cares extra about getting {hardware} upgrades than fancy new AI tips.
Design and show: Peak brightness and magnificence
In a time when Apple, Google and Samsung’s prime telephones all sport minor twists on virtually the identical method, I like that OnePlus is doing its personal factor. As a substitute of a very boxy design, the OP13 has tapered edges that curve gently to satisfy its steel body. You continue to get the corporate’s signature Alert Slider which makes it a cinch to set your cellphone’s ringer to silent, vibrate or absolutely audible. However my favourite design function is that for those who go for the Midnight Ocean or Artic Daybreak colours, the cellphone comes with a micro-fiber vegan leather-based again. And in a world stuffed with glass bricks, OnePlus’ natural upholstery is just a pleasure to the touch. That is the sort of handset I’d really feel unhappy to throw in a case.
In the meantime, the OP13’s 6.8-inch OLED panel dazzles because of vivid, vivid colours and a silky 120Hz refresh fee. With a peak of as much as 4,500 nits, it will get even brighter than different Android flagships together with Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 Extremely (2,600 nits). The one aesthetic selection I’m nonetheless unsure about is the big round digital camera module on the again. Between its pearlescent end and the 4 circles for its lenses and the flash/autofocus system, it virtually appears to be like like OnePlus smashed a chronograph watch into the rear of the cellphone. However possibly that’s simply me.
Efficiency and software program: A lot reminiscence
The OnePlus 13 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip together with 16GB of RAM and as much as 512GB of storage. Nonetheless, not like the processors utilized in Samsung’s Galaxy S25 household, the chip within the OP13 doesn’t function any further customizations or overclocking. This results in benchmark outcomes which are about 5 p.c decrease (9,267 for the OP13 vs 9,828 for the Galaxy S25 Extremely in Geekbench 6 multi-core). In the actual world, although, the cellphone nonetheless feels blisteringly quick.
I’d even argue that because of the OP13’s larger quantity of reminiscence, it’s a more sensible choice for multitaskers or anybody who likes holding a bunch of apps open within the background. Moreover, over the previous few years, OnePlus has refined Oxygen OS in order that it feels smoother and extra responsive than it did when it turned a fork of Oppo’s ColorOS again in 2022.
On the AI entrance, OnePlus is holding issues refreshingly lowkey. The cellphone helps Google Gemini and Circle to Seek for all of your summarizing and question-asking wants. There’s additionally an improved search function contained in the cellphone itself that makes it a bit simpler to seek out particular recordsdata and a wiser Notes app that makes use of machine studying to shine up, elaborate or condense fast ideas. However that’s about it other than an AI-powered translation function that arrived shortly after launch, which is usually competent however not particularly novel or thrilling. So whereas AI is certainly current, it isn’t almost as massive of a spotlight as it’s on the Galaxy S25 household, which isn’t a nasty factor.
Cameras: Almost prime tier
The OnePlus 13 contains a trio of 50-megapixel sensors for its primary, ultra-wide and 3x telephoto lenses, plus a laser-detect autofocus system for elevated sharpness. Altogether, it’s a stable bundle that may seize great-looking pictures at quite a lot of distances and viewing angles, with OnePlus including issues like its twin publicity Clear Burst tech to assist make snapping fast-moving topics a bit simpler.
When it comes to picture high quality, the OP13 does a very good job of splitting the distinction between having wealthy, saturated colours and crisp particulars, however with out exaggerating issues such as you typically see on Samsung telephones, which are likely to oversharpen or push heat tones a bit too laborious. OnePlus’ 3x optical zoom lens matches these on equally priced rivals just like the S25+, although it is nonetheless in need of the 5x lenses discovered on the Pixel 9 Professional and S25 Extremely.
One small concern is that in low mild, the OP13’s Night time Mode generally struggled to maintain up with the Pixel 9’s Night time Sight, leading to pictures that aren’t fairly as sharp or detailed as you’d like them to be. It’s shut, however to me, OnePlus’ cameras stay a half-tier under Samsung, Google and Apple when taking pictures pics in darker environments.
Battery life and charging: Tremendous quick, however it’s proprietary
It seems like each high-end Android cellphone has been caught with 5,000mAh batteries for the previous half-decade. However for this go round, the OnePlus 13 has smashed previous that barrier with a 6,000mAh cell, leading to class-leading longevity. On our native video rundown take a look at, it posted a time of 30 hours and 18 minutes, which is sort of an hour longer than the Galaxy S25 Extremely (29:27) and almost three hours higher than a primary Pixel 9 (27:32).
In the meantime in terms of recharging, the OnePlus 13 leads the best way too with wired speeds of as much as 100 watts or a formidable 50 watts wirelessly. Nonetheless, the foremost caveat is that as a result of OnePlus depends on its proprietary SUPERVOOC tech, you’ll solely get these blistering charges when utilizing the corporate’s first-party peripherals. Fortunately, an 80-watt charger comes within the field, although if you wish to hit max energy, you’ll have to improve to OnePlus’ 100W Twin Port adapter. It’s an analogous scenario for wi-fi charging, which requires the corporate’s 50W AIRVOOC puck. That mentioned, the OP13 recharges greater than twice as quick as a Galaxy S25 when utilizing a cable and greater than thrice faster wirelessly. Plus, you may nonetheless use common energy adapters in a pinch, you’ll simply must stay with tremendously lowered wattages.
One other small wrinkle is that although OnePlus says the 13 helps Qi2 charging, it doesn’t play properly with magnetic third-party equipment with out some assist. In my testing, whereas the cellphone offers a weak magnetic connection, each Qi2 peripheral I attempted slid off with the slightest motion. Like Samsung did with the Galaxy S25, OnePlus’ answer was to make a case with its personal set of magnets that permits add-ons to connect with a lot larger safety.
Wrap-up
All through the years, OnePlus has used taglines like “flagship killer” and “extremely in each means” as a method of taking photographs at its largest rivals from Samsung, Google and extra. However for the OnePlus 13, it seems like the corporate simply went and made a extremely stable premium handset with no bunch of AI fluff. The cellphone has glorious efficiency, an enormous battery and a beautiful display screen that may hold with the shows on any of its rivals. It additionally sports activities a novel design with some down-to-earth touches like its optionally available fake leather-based again.
Granted, digital camera high quality could possibly be a contact higher, particularly in low mild, and I actually want OnePlus had simply included full magnetic Qi2 compatibility as an alternative of forcing individuals to depend on a case. However hey, at the least you get a superfast wired energy adapter (which, not like a variety of telephones, comes within the field) and the choice to make use of the corporate’s blazing charging puck if you wish to go cable-free.
However most significantly, for a beginning worth of $900, you get longer battery life, a brighter display screen, extra RAM, larger storage and the identical 3x zoom as a base Galaxy S25+ — all for $100 much less. There’s no different solution to put it, that’s only a whole lot, even when OnePlus’ software program help solely lasts for six years as an alternative of the seven you get from Samsung and Google. The OnePlus 13 is an instance of the right way to preserve issues easy in an more and more advanced and AI-obsessed world whereas delivering on all of the necessities.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cellular/smartphones/oneplus-13-review-a-focused-flagship-that-ignores-the-ai-hype-140013418.html?src=rss
