OnePlus is off to a flying begin in 2025 with the OnePlus 13. It goals to ship in all areas and solely misses the mark in a pair whereas exceeding expectations in others. Battery tech, longevity and quick charging are a specific spotlight, whereas the digital camera – though good – doesn’t fairly give prime competitors trigger for concern.
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Though the OnePlus 13 initially launched in China in late 2024, followers internationally have needed to wait till the beginning of 2025 to get their palms on the corporate’s newest flagship cellphone. So the query is, has it been well worth the wait?
As is customized, OnePlus has clearly labored to make its newest flagship probably the most aggressive but, beating Samsung’s Galaxy S25 to the punch with using Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, boasting cutting-edge silicon-carbon battery tech, the corporate’s fifth-generation Hasselblad digital camera system and a dressing of recent AI options.
The {hardware}/software program mix served up by the 13 appears aggressive by any measure however holds specific clout within the US, the place lots of its most like-minded rivals – specifically Oppo, Vivo Honor and Xiaomi – don’t function.
The OnePlus 13 begins at £899/$899 so is it value your money?
There’s no denying that the OnePlus 13 appears like a premium little bit of package, however I’d posit that the design succeeds despite itself.
It’s plagued by a number of high-end smartphone tropes, whereas additionally persevering with the aesthetic narrative the corporate first set out upon with the OnePlus 10 Professional, however the finish consequence simply isn’t as cohesive as I anticipated.
In isolation, the display screen, mid-frame and again are all well-executed. The entrance includes a predominantly flat show with evenly curved edges and balanced bezels, there’s a refined metallic body with chamfered edges, and the again is both textured glass (with a wood-grain impact, if you happen to seize the Arctic Daybreak mannequin) or the world’s first rendition of microfibre vegan leather-based on a smartphone, if you happen to go for the Midnight Ocean model which I examined.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
It’s the sheer quantity of various surfaces, radii and finishes at work that I believe over-complicate the OnePlus 13’s look, however when not below such scrutiny, it’s a pretty cellphone.
Maybe extra importantly, regardless of its measurement, it’s surprisingly gentle within the hand (notably lighter than its predecessor, in addition to the likes of the Apple iPhone 16 Professional Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely), in addition to being pleasantly skinny.
The OnePlus 13 is likely one of the most practically-minded flagships on the market, proper now
All three colourways repel fingerprints properly, and whereas I used to be nervous that fancy new microfibre materials would climate about as badly as Apple’s ill-fated FineWoven iPhone instances, it’s stood as much as the punishment of on a regular basis life over the month or so of testing, with none signal of apparent put on.
Supplied you will get on board with the silver and darkish blue color scheme (which I additionally don’t assume fairly works), the Midnight Ocean variant’s vegan leather-based again is softer and much much less inclined to thermal conductivity than the glass backs of the Arctic Daybreak and Black Eclipse fashions (to not point out metal-bodied OnePlus telephones, just like the OnePlus Nord 4).
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
Actually, the OnePlus 13 is likely one of the most practically-minded flagships on the market, proper now. In addition to high-end aesthetics, OnePlus has additionally pushed for IP68 and IP69 certification; that means it’s constructed to face up to mud ingress, in addition to being each submerged or subjected to pressurized jets (at as much as 80°C) of water. The addition of that IP69 score renders it hardier than massive rivals, like Apple’s, Google’s and Samsung’s newest, too.
The model’s signature three-stage bodily alert slider is current and proper on the left facet of the 13, letting you turn between ring, vibrate and silent profiles (mirrored within the working system’s new Stay Alerts function – extra on that later).
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
Identical to the newest entries (the Oppo Discover X8 and Discover X8 Professional) from its sister model, the OnePlus 13 can also be the primary of the corporate’s telephones to undertake a brand new magnetically removable accent ecosystem.
By means of 4 new instances (in brown or black wooden grain finishes, in addition to a blue and crimson aramid fibre, and a sandstone darkish grey case) you may connect a brand new magnetic 5000mAh energy financial institution or 50W AirVOOC wi-fi charger to the again of the OnePlus 13.
Higher but, the design is suitable with the Apple MagSafe ecosystem too, massively increasing the accent marketplace for the corporate’s newest, a trait I hope continues with future iterations.
Display screen & Audio system
6.82-inch ProXDR LTPO 4.1 OLED show
Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
Ceramic Guard
Persevering with the themes of sturdiness and practicality, the OnePlus 13 is fronted by an expansive 6.82-inch panel that, in contrast to its predecessors, is now not protected by Corning-made Gorilla Glass, and as an alternative depends on what OnePlus manufacturers as ‘Ceramic Guard’, very similar to what’s discovered on the outer display screen of its OnePlus Open foldable.
The corporate claims that it’s “probably the most sturdy smartphone show glasses” on the market, and reportedly gives superior drop and scratch safety, in comparison with Gorilla Glass Victus. Add to {that a} pre-fitted display screen protector out the field, and it’s no marvel that – past the anticipate micro-abrasions – the panel on my OnePlus 13 has no apparent harm or put on to talk of.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
In true OnePlus model, the corporate has thrown virtually the whole lot on the show on its newest flagship, and because of this, it’s the primary smartphone to bag DisplayMate‘s A++ score.
You’ll discover comfort aids like a Glove Mode and its newest Aqua Contact 2.0 algorithm (guaranteeing dependable operation even with water droplets hitting the display screen or moist palms), in addition to the newest LTPO 4.1 OLED tech, which not solely helps a dynamic refresh fee vary of 1- to 120Hz (permitting for super-smooth visuals and higher energy administration) but additionally helps two refresh charges, concurrently; additional decreasing battery drain, in comparison with extra conference 120Hz LTPO panels.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
Regardless of that display screen protector, the OnePlus 13 additionally sees the corporate lastly make the transfer to an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, instead of the optical choices it’s used because the OnePlus 6T.
In addition to being safer (because it accounts for depth) and sooner (by as much as 35%, in keeping with OnePlus), it doesn’t require a brilliant gentle under-finger when pressed and bolsters that Aqua Contact 2.0 tech by additionally proving useful with moist fingers. It’s an improve we’ve solely seen a number of different cellphone makers flip to on higher-end handsets, with Samsung being one of many longest-standing customers of the tech throughout its Galaxy S collection.
there’s no denying that the OnePlus 13 is a feast for the eyes
As for OnePlus’ ProXDR viewing expertise, the {hardware} on supply is outstanding, as anticipated. The 2K OLED panel gives nice distinction with true blacks and vibrant color output, plus an ordinary brightness output of 1600 nits and a peak of a whopping 4500 nits.
That interprets to a considerably sharper and brighter viewing expertise than any of the 13’s most outstanding rivals.
Add to that extra in depth color calibration than the trade customary, and a wealth of instruments to customize your viewing expertise on the software program facet, and there’s no denying that the OnePlus 13 is a feast for the eyes.
The cellphone’s default ‘Pure’ color house must be excellent for many customers, nevertheless it’s good to know there’s fine-grain management over color temperature, in addition to two further color profiles to select from, in ‘Professional’ and ‘Vivid’.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
As for eye consolation, in addition to staples like Adaptive Tone, which alters color temperature relative to your environment, OnePlus has taken a leaf out of the likes of Honor’s e-book and added new 2160Hz PWM dimming into the combination too; to higher scale back show flicker at totally different brightness ranges and thus eye pressure.
In addition to Bluetooth 5.4 and help for wi-fi high-res audio over the likes of LHDC 5.0 (as supported by the latest OnePlus Buds Professional 3), the 13 additionally packs a pair of stereo audio system, which ship clear sound all through their vary.
I’d have appreciated higher bass response and better total loudness too, however what you get is serviceable loudspeaker audio if you happen to worth readability over physique, relating to output.
Specs & Efficiency
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset
As much as 16GB RAM & 512GB storage
RAM Growth as much as an extra 12GB
Even with the staggered rollout of the OnePlus 13 (following its preliminary launch in China, in late 2024), the cellphone’s early January 2025 international launch means it’s one of many first telephones to the worldwide stage rocking Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite flagship silicon (coming in simply behind the likes of Asus’ ROG Telephone 9 Professional).
For tech-savvy early adopters, unwilling to attend for Samsung’s Galaxy S25 collection, its launch timing offers the 13 an plain edge; to not point out the clout to overshadow virtually each different cellphone presently in the marketplace.
OnePlus has clearly labored arduous to enhance facets like sustained efficiency and cooling
OnePlus 13 benchmarks
In testing, it bested MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 – which powers the latest Oppo Discover X8 Professional – and even outpaced Apple’s A18 Professional, discovered inside the newest iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max.
Past the benchmarks, which spotlight the bountiful headroom (preferrred for years of use), OnePlus has clearly labored arduous to enhance facets like sustained efficiency and cooling, by using an excellent bigger pair of vapour chambers (9925mm2, versus 9144mm2 within the OnePlus 12); making this an incredible low-key gaming cellphone too.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
Upgrades to the corporate’s Trinity Engine (a {hardware}/software program interface layer which OnePlus developed in collaboration with Qualcomm), paired with performance-specific additions throughout the newest launch of OxygenOS (specifically a element referred to as Parallel Processing), assist ship an excellent snappier feeling and looking person expertise; from UI animations, to app opening speeds, to multitasking efficiency.
AI-based options are extra prevalent than ever on the OnePlus 13, so the truth that the Elite additionally packs in a stronger NPU (neural processing unit) in comparison with the one contained in the 8 Gen 3-powered OnePlus 12, is vastly appreciated too.
OnePlus cites a forty five% uplift in AI efficiency between generations, and established options like AI Eraser are actually as much as thrice faster.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
The unit I examined got here backed by 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a peak 512GB of UFS 4.0 (each the quickest and most energy environment friendly reminiscence requirements generally in use within the cellular market, proper now), however 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage variants are additionally out there in choose markets.
As with most different latest OnePlus telephones, you even have the choice to reallocate a few of that speedy storage (as much as 12GB) as further RAM as an alternative, serving to additional enhance duties like resuming suspended apps.
This was one thing that stood out while utilizing the 13 greater than different latest flagship Android telephones. I used to be capable of return to apps after far longer intervals of time than on rival units, and the given app would merely be prepared and ready for me to choose up the place I left off.
Cameras
50Mp most important, ultrawide and 3x telephoto sensors
32Mp selfie digital camera
Triprism folded telephoto optics
Whereas a well-known 50Mp Sony LYT-808 sensor leads the OnePlus 13’s digital camera array – simply as on its predecessor – it’s now accompanied by two extra 50Mp sensors (instead of the the OnePlus 12’s 64MP telephoto and 48Mp ultrawide).
Equally to the Discover X8 Professional, the 13’s 3x telephoto depends on a brand new triprism element that’s allowed OnePlus to squeeze in a bigger sensor, with out including bulk to the cellphone’s digital camera bump.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
The ‘Fifth-gen Hasselblad digital camera system for cellular’ ups the ante on the prevailing standout options of the OnePlus 12’s system, with portrait taking pictures now accessible throughout 1x, 2x and 3x magnification, and 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient video recording throughout all the cellphone’s sensors (together with the selfie snapper), together with the flexibility to maneuver between all the cellphone’s rear sensors, while capturing 4K HDR video; a function with restricted availability throughout lots of at this time’s rival flagships.
While there are new sensible scenes (Stage, Fireworks and Silhouettes), which robotically tailor ISO to greatest match a situation (successfully taming the difficult lighting of London’s varied Christmas shows, throughout testing), the OnePlus 13’s customary color science attire photographs with a typically interesting, albeit particular look.
Important digital camera
Entrance-facing digital camera
Whereas there’s no denying that the newest Pixels and iPhones are among the many greatest digital camera telephones presently on the market, at this time’s HDR algorithms have gotten superb at brightening darkish areas in a scene; maybe too good. The resultant impact can go away photographs trying slightly flat, with much less distinction leading to much less dynamism.
The OnePlus 13, doesn’t endure from this impact. The corporate has ensured that even with burst photographs, their Twin Publicity Algorithm works to maintain topics sharp, whereas nonetheless with the ability to apply the complete picture processing pipeline, and usually, outcomes are pleasing. Shadows are the place they’re meant to be, with out leaving contained particulars under-exposed, giving extra drama to most scenes than you’d get out of the likes of a Pixel 9 Professional.
0.6x zoom
1x zoom
2x zoom
3x zoom
6x zoom
That heavier distinction does typically damage color replica, with greens and yellows, particularly, skewing darker than true-to-life, and oversharpening rearing its head below scrutiny, particularly previous 3x magnification.
It’s odd that the cellphone’s AI Zoom doesn’t kick in till 10x magnification, that means it’s nothing however lossy zoom between the sensor crop-based 6x magnification and 10x, however element in long-range photographs is in any other case higher than anticipated till you progress previous 20x, at which level the optical and digital stabilisation can’t sustain if you happen to’re taking pictures handheld, and post-processing oversharpens in an try and compensate.
Low-light taking pictures impressed, almost about gentle seize and shutter pace, whereas the processing and publicity compensation on selfies felt extra in keeping with that particular HDR look talked about earlier, that means well-exposed however much less natural-looking snaps.
Better color consistency is required, particularly between the principle and ultrawide, which may very well be fastened by way of a software program replace, whereas the oversharpening situation may be triaged in publish, because of the ever-expanding suite of AI picture enhancing instruments OnePlus places at your disposal.
Inside the native Photographs app AI Editor, you may upscale photographs utilizing the AI Element Increase function, take away undesirable topics and unblur supposed ones, in addition to take away reflections. Every little thing works as marketed and works properly, with the reflection removing device maybe being the weakest of the lineup, at launch.
Battery Life & Charging
6000mAh battery
100W wired + 50W wi-fi charging
No energy adapter in-box
As talked about earlier, the OnePlus 13 feels deceptively gentle for its measurement. That’s made all of the extra spectacular once you be taught that this cellphone conceals a large 6000mAh battery; a capability sometimes solely reserved for specialised gaming telephones (the latest Pink Magic 10 Professional really pushed previous 7000mAh, whereas rivals such because the Galaxy S24 Extremely prime out at simply 5000mAh).
OnePlus has achieved this feat by switching from typical lithium-ion (Li-ion) to way more energy-dense silicon-carbon (Si-C) battery tech. Actually, OnePlus claims that the ability plant contained in the OnePlus has the “highest vitality density in a serial dual-cell design,” of any smartphone, proper now.
From the battery standpoint, there’s little else that may match the OnePlus 13
As you may think about, this results in outrageous batter benchmark scores – notably for a non-gaming cellphone – with real-world utilization clocking in at an astounding 13 hours of screen-on time, guaranteeing a day of intense utilization, two days of regular use, or doubtlessly much more, if you happen to’re sparing.
Add to that OnePlus’ ongoing dedication to granting its telephones a number of the quickest charging within the enterprise, and from the battery standpoint, there’s little else that may match the OnePlus 13.
Try our rundown of the perfect battery life telephones for extra.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
100W wired charging is blisteringly quick, surpassing 50% cost in simply quarter-hour and refilling utterly, constantly, in 36 minutes. OnePlus’ battery tech additionally permits for Good Charging and Cost Limiting to 80%, guaranteeing higher long-term battery well being with decreased degradation.
These new magnetic equipment embrace a 50W AirVOOC wi-fi charging puck (with an built-in fan), which as you would possibly anticipate takes about twice as lengthy to refill the cellphone in comparison with its 100W wired charging (hitting 50% cost after 34 minutes). That’s nonetheless considerably snappier than something the likes of Apple, Google or Samsung supply.
The one actual caveat is that you simply’ll need to fork out additional to cost the OnePlus 13 at its quickest, as neither an influence adapter or wi-fi charger comes within the field.
Software program & Apps
OxygenOS 15 atop Android 15
AI options and Circle to Search
4 years OS + 6 years safety replace help
One of many firm’s first telephones to return working its newest OxygenOS 15 customers expertise (atop Android 15) out of the field.
Though the melding of Oppo’s and OnePlus’ interfaces has taken away a few of OxygenOS’ individuality, it’s nonetheless an undeniably glorious remodeling of Android that manages to stroll the road between being feature-rich and intuitive to make use of.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
There’s minimal bloat, with extras you’re unlikely to show to usually, like OnePlus’ personal browser, Retailer and Neighborhood apps, however past that, the corporate’s flavour of Photographs, the IR Distant app, Recorder and so forth, are welcome inclusions.
Players will recognize the Sport Toolkit: an in-game overlay that frees up reminiscence, manages energy and contact efficiency, in addition to granting further management over notifications and different system behaviours, whereas additionally letting you seize your greatest gameplay moments.
By no means has AI performance been extra prevalent inside OnePlus’ person expertise
OxygenOS already served up snappy interactions, however the further animations that gown OxygenOS 15 add a degree of polish and element that helps the expertise stand out in opposition to competitors.
It appears as if Oppo and OnePlus have been paying notably shut consideration to Apple too, with the brand new Stay Alerts capsule unapologetically mirroring the performance of the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. I do prefer it although, granting fast visibility or management over media playback and the like, with out taking you out of the expertise you’re already interacting with on-screen.
A strong new function that you simply gained’t readily discover on some other Android cellphone is a brand new ‘Share with iPhone’ wi-fi file switch function, with those that additionally use Apple’s smartphones or tablets, will undoubtedly get pleasure from making use of. It’s not as seamless or as dependable as Apple-to-Apple AirDrop transfers nevertheless it’s a bridge few others have tried to construct, and that provides these units with it, an edge.
By no means has AI performance been extra prevalent inside OnePlus’ person expertise, with the aforementioned picture instruments being simply one-half of the story. Machine-wide semantic search makes discovering images, information and accessing info inside these information simpler and extra pure than ever earlier than.
In the meantime, AI Reply can generate responses based mostly on the context of a message thread on-screen, AI Author can generate full copy, based mostly on a immediate of your personal composition, and the AI Assistant in OnePlus’ native Notes app is nice for refining, formatting or remodeling your copy to higher match a distinct tone.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
Whereas not an AI function in its personal proper, it was the ever-present Good Sidebar that I discovered made accessing and leveraging the 13’s AI options enjoyable and helpful. If I used to be on an online web page, the Sidebar would supply up the AI Reader device, if I used to be responding to a buddy on Instagram, AI Reply would instantly be made out there and AI Author popped up each time I opened the Notes app.
This dynamic surfacing of AI options is one thing I haven’t readily seen from different cellphone makers and it’s an implementation that I believe greatest balances accessibility, with out detracting from present performance; assume Microsoft’s Clippy, however much less pervasive.
A dedication to 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of safety updates isn’t class-leading, nevertheless it ought to show lengthy sufficient for the common smartphone person, based mostly on at this time’s knowledge surrounding how lengthy individuals maintain their telephones earlier than upgrading.
Value & Availability
The OnePlus 13 launched internationally on 7 January 2025, costing £899/$899 for the 256GB mannequin and £999/$999 for the top-tier 512GB variant.
Regional availability comes courtesy of OnePlus straight, in addition to choose retailers like Amazon UK. Nonetheless, it doesn’t look like out there with any provider companions at launch, that means it’s greatest paired with a SIM-only deal, if you happen to’re on the lookout for a whole switch-up.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
It’s good that OnePlus hasn’t included a generational price-hike, regardless of all that’s new contained in the OnePlus 13.
The beginning value means it undercuts the likes of the iPhone 16 Professional, Google Pixel 9 Professional and now year-old Samsung Galaxy S24+ (all of which begin at £999), to not point out it’s cheaper than its most like-minded various the Oppo Discover X8 Professional (which begins at £1049).
Try our rankings of the perfect telephones to see the highest choices.
Must you purchase the OnePlus 13?
Regardless of a full month dwelling with the OnePlus 13, I nonetheless haven’t fallen in love with its appears. That’s private and whereas the digital camera wants some work by way of software program updates (a attribute for a lot of OnePlus telephones), the general bundle marks plain worth within the flagship cellphone house.
Its AI implementation is among the many most participating and fulfilling to make use of at this time, the efficiency and snappy software program are higher than ever, and outlandish battery longevity, paired with versatile quick charging, places virtually each different cellphone to disgrace.
If you need a greater digital camera expertise, Vivo and Xiaomi ship whereas providing up equally compelling {hardware} by way of uncooked efficiency and fashionable battery tech, whereas Samsung, Google and Apple supply totally different and fascinating AI experiences all their very own, for a barely greater value.
The OnePlus 13 is a superb all-rounder that ought to final for years, supplied nerdy-level digital camera efficiency isn’t on the prime of your record.
Specs
OxygenOS 15 atop Android 15
6.82-inch, 19.8:9, 1440 x 3168, LTPO 4.1 OLED, 1-120Hz
Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset
12GB or 16GB RAM (LPDDR5X)
256GB or 512GB (UFS 4.0)
Cameras:
50Mp 1/1.4-inch f/1.6 Sony LYT-808 most important sensor w/ OIS
