OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: Can the flagship killer take another head?

OnePlus seems prefer it’s hit one other one out of the park with this yr’s OnePlus 13. The fanatic model’s newest flagship launched in China in late October, and this week, the corporate formally introduced it is going to be touchdown in North America on January 7, 2025. As one of many first mainstream telephones to be powered by Qualcomm’s bleeding-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, it ought to convey vital enhancements within the OnePlus 13’s efficiency, battery life, and photographic prowess in comparison with its predecessor.

This additionally places the OnePlus 13 first in line to problem Apple’s 2024 flagship. This yr, the iPhone 16 Professional has raised the bar with Apple’s A18 Professional chip that powers new Apple Intelligence options and turns the smartphone right into a gaming powerhouse. There’s additionally a intelligent new Digicam Management and studio-quality cinematography options. Does Qualcomm’s newest silicon give the OnePlus 13 sufficient of an edge, and has the smartphone maker put it to good use? Let’s dig in and learn how these two measure up to one another.

OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Professional: specs

OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Professional: design

Though the OnePlus 13 preserves the enduring design language of its predecessors, this yr’s entry modernizes issues to match an aesthetic that’s now turn out to be the norm amongst flagship smartphone makers: flat sides.

That’s a departure from the rounded curves of the OnePlus 12 and prior fashions, however this new cellphone continues to be unmistakably a OnePlus gadget. It preserves the elegant round digicam bump that’s turn out to be an indicator of the lineup since its introduction on the OnePlus 11, but additionally refines it in some fascinating methods.

For one, the digicam ring now stands alone. Gone are the horizontal tangents connecting it to the cellphone’s facet, and the outer ring is significantly extra delicate than earlier than. The LED flash has been moved contained in the digicam bump, and the Hasselblad emblem, which went from a full wordmark to a stylized “H” on final yr’s mannequin, has been moved out to the sting, above a horizontal line that bisects the digicam array. The OnePlus 12 was already a slick-looking smartphone, however the modifications within the OnePlus 13 add a brand new stage of sophistication to the design.

OnePlus can also be making two huge modifications to its colours this yr, departing from final yr’s Flowy Emerald and years of inexperienced shades in favor of a brand new blue end. That was launched in China as “Blue Moments,” however it is going to be dubbed “Midnight Ocean” for the North American launch. That’s joined by “Black Eclipse” because the extra typical impartial shade (generally known as “Obsidian Secret Realm” in China). Nonetheless, we’re getting the corporate’s third shade right here this yr, with the ordinarily China-exclusive “White Dew Morning Daybreak” coming to the U.S. as “Arctic Daybreak.”

Nonetheless, there’s extra to those than merely colours. Solely Black Eclipse will sport the normal OnePlus end. Midnight Ocean will likely be coated in a micro-fiber vegan leather-based end — a primary for OnePlus — whereas the Arctic Daybreak will use a particular coating on the glass to present it a silky easy end. We’ll have to attend and see what that final one means for grip and smudge resistance, but it surely certain sounds good.

In comparison with what OnePlus has finished this yr, the iPhone 16 Professional appears significantly extra pedestrian. That’s to not say it doesn’t have an amazing design, however little has modified on the iPhone entrance up to now 4 years. Apple led the best way within the transfer to flat edges with the iPhone 12, and this appears to be the yr the place everybody else is catching as much as that design.

Apple switched from chrome steel to titanium for the iPhone 15 Professional lineup in 2023, which diminished the burden and smoothed the perimeters a bit, but it surely hasn’t made the identical sort of daring design selections that OnePlus has. Even the cellphone’s colours have been comparatively muted over the previous two years, with the iPhone 16 Professional accessible in Pure Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium, and Desert Titanium. The primary three are precisely what they sound like, whereas Desert Titanium leans extra towards champagne than brown.

The OnePlus 13 retains the alert slider in its left-side place after shifting it there on final yr’s mannequin, whereas the iPhone 16 Professional equally sticks with the Motion button launched on the iPhone 15 Professional and provides a brand new Digicam Management button for rapidly pulling up the digicam and snapping footage. Apple retains its commonplace IP68 mud and water resistance score for immersion in as much as 6 meters of water for as much as half-hour, whereas OnePlus significantly upped its sport this yr by giving the OnePlus 13 each IP68 and IP69 scores — a major enchancment over the comparatively weak IP65 of its predecessor.

For OnePlus, this IP68 score means it may well maintain up in as much as 1.5 meters of water for as much as half-hour, so it’s not rated to go as deep because the iPhone 16 Professional. Nonetheless, the extra IP69 score provides it extra safety in one other space, certifying the OnePlus 13 to deal with high-pressure and high-temperature water jets. This implies you possibly can power-wash your cellphone for those who wished to — although please don’t.

With a cultured look, distinctive finishes, and an IP69 score, the OnePlus 13 is the clear winner for this spherical.

Winner: OnePlus 13

OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Professional: show

The OnePlus 13 show stays primarily the identical as that of its predecessor. It’s nonetheless a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED panel with a 3168 x 1440-pixel decision and an adaptive refresh price starting from 1Hz to 120Hz. That works out to a pixel density of 510 pixels per inch.

The principle change on this yr’s OnePlus 13 show is a slight enhance in brightness — 800 nits of typical brightness in comparison with 600 nits for the OnePlus 12. The height brightness continues to be 4,500 nits, however that’s greater than sufficient for anybody.

Though the specs stay the identical, the change to flat edges on the OnePlus 13 means the display screen can also be virtually totally flat, so that you’ll find yourself with barely extra of it going through you. There’s technically a really delicate curve on the edges — by definition, it’s a 2.5D quad-curved display screen — however don’t anticipate it to be wherever close to as curvy because the OnePlus 12.

Apple’s iPhones by no means embraced curved screens, and the iPhone 16 Professional is not any exception. This yr’s mannequin has grown over its predecessor, however the brand new 6.3-inch show continues to be smaller than that of the OnePlus 13 (you’ll need to go along with the pricier iPhone 16 Professional Max to get one thing comparable in measurement) and affords a decrease 2622 x 1206-pixel decision at 460 ppi. That makes it barely much less crisp than OnePlus’ bigger display screen, but it surely does get brighter throughout on a regular basis use, with 1,000 nits of typical brightness. It will probably additionally drop to a single nit on the low finish, making it very best while you need to use it in a darker room with out overpowering your eyeballs.

The iPhone 16 Professional maxes out at 2,000 nits of peak out of doors brightness, which is lower than half of what the OnePlus 13 can do on paper, but it surely’s arduous to see this as rather more than a spec sheet distinction, as we’ve by no means had any drawback seeing the iPhone 16 Professional even in direct daylight.

The underside line is that each telephones supply shiny and vivid shows, Full HDR and Dolby Imaginative and prescient assist, quick 120Hz refresh charges for buttery easy scrolling, attractive colours, and deep blacks. The first variations come all the way down to specs like peak brightness and pixel density, which most individuals gained’t discover, and whereas the OnePlus 13 is bigger, measurement isn’t all the things; some of us want a extra pocketable cellphone, so we’re calling this one even.

Winner: Tie

OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Professional: efficiency

Over the previous few years, top-of-the-line flagships have confirmed how a lot we’ve reached the purpose of diminishing returns in efficiency, and the OnePlus 13 and iPhone 16 Professional show that much more this yr. Each telephones are powered by silicon with energy far past what most folk will want, so the straightforward reply to which of the 2 performs higher is that it gained’t matter as you’re unlikely to push both to its limits.

The OnePlus 13 is among the first mainstream telephones available on the market to be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite cell platform. Apple develops its personal chips; this yr, it’s the most recent A18 Professional contained in the iPhone 16 Professional.

We’ve finished a extra detailed comparability of the Snapdragon 8 Elite versus the Apple A18 Professional for individuals who need to delve into the small print, however the variations have extra to do with the platform than the efficiency.

As an illustration, Apple has labored arduous to courtroom AAA sport builders for the App Retailer. Final yr’s iPhone 15 Professional lineup, powered by the A17 Professional chip, ushered in an period of console-quality video games in your pocket, from Resident Evil Village to Murderer’s Creed Mirage. These performed nicely on the A17 Professional chip due to Apple’s new GPU know-how with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and Metallic impact upscaling, and so they run even higher on the A18 Professional.

Nonetheless, Apple’s coup right here wasn’t solely in producing groundbreaking silicon, however in convincing sport studios to embrace the iPhone. The Adreno GPUs in Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon chips can simply compete head-to-head with Apple’s A-series silicon, however you’ll be able to’t discover the identical high quality of video games within the Play Retailer to show it.

That issues for those who’re a hardcore cell gamer, the iPhone 16 Professional wins, not as a result of it has extra succesful specs, however as a result of it has higher developer assist. That’s been Apple’s benefit for years, so it’s not too stunning.

Winner: iPhone 16 Professional

OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Professional: battery

For non-gamers, the extra vital benefit to this yr’s chips comes not from uncooked efficiency, however from energy effectivity. The brand new 3-nanometer (3nm) manufacturing course of utilized by each Qualcomm and Apple ought to translate to longer run occasions between fees.

We’ll have to attend and see what this implies for the OnePlus 13, however the iPhone 16 Professional dissatisfied us by barely getting by way of a day of use. We anticipate the OnePlus 13 to do significantly better due to its 6,000mAh cell, and it’s most likely extra truthful to match it to the bigger iPhone 16 Professional Max, which we discovered has unbelievable battery life, on this one space. Battery life continues to be the largest value one pays for having a smaller cellphone.

Unsurprisingly, OnePlus continues to run circles round Apple — and practically everybody else — on the subject of charging speeds. The OnePlus 13 helps wired charging speeds as much as 100 watts and wi-fi charging as much as 50W. You’ll want to purchase OnePlus’ proprietary chargers to benefit from these speeds, and if previous traits proceed, we’ll most likely “solely” get 80W charging within the North American fashions, however that’s a number of occasions sooner than what the iPhone 16 Professional formally affords.

Apple’s specs say you’ll be able to recharge an iPhone 16 Professional to 50% in about half-hour utilizing a 20W charger. Exams have revealed {that a} 30W charger shaves about 5 minutes off that. Nonetheless, if final yr’s OnePlus 12 is something to go by, 80W charging speeds ought to get you to 50% in 12 minutes and depart you totally charged in half an hour. Once more, you should use the SuperVOOC charger, however OnePlus consists of one within the field.

For wi-fi charging, OnePlus helps commonplace 15W Qi charging or 50W charging for those who go for its AirVOOC charger. These speeds are twice as quick because the iPhone 16 Professional, which may attain solely 25W with Apple’s proprietary MagSafe charger. You’re caught at 7.5W with an ordinary Qi charger, though the iPhone 16 Professional additionally helps Qi2 for magnetic attachment and 15W charging speeds — one thing that almost all Android units have sadly didn’t embrace.

Whereas it could have been good to see Qi2 within the OnePlus 13, even for nothing greater than the magnetic attachment options, that’s a minor omission for a cellphone we will cost up within the time it takes to make a superb espresso.

Winner: OnePlus 13

OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Professional: cameras

Due to its partnership with Hasselblad, OnePlus has delivered spectacular cameras on its flagship telephones over the previous few years. The OnePlus 11 and OnePlus 12 take nice photographs, and there’s no motive to consider the OnePlus 13 will likely be any completely different.

If something, this yr’s mannequin ought to see some enhancements within the picture pipeline due to the Snapdragon 8 Elite and its AI-powered picture sign processor. OnePlus hasn’t leaned into AI and computational pictures the best way its rivals have, however that doesn’t imply it may well’t use what’s already there. We’ll have to attend and see what sort of photographs the OnePlus 13 produces, however between the {hardware} and Hasselblad’s color-tuning algorithms, we’re very optimistic.

By way of uncooked specs, you’re getting a trio of 50-megapixel (MP) shooters, and whereas the telephoto lens drops from the 64MP of its predecessor, we expect the brand new sensors OnePlus is utilizing this yr will make up for that. The telephoto digicam has the identical 3x optical zoom, though the ultrawide lens positive factors an elevated 120-degree discipline of view. We anticipate the brand new sensors, mixed with Qualcomm’s newest ISP, to ship higher lowlight efficiency. OnePlus additionally appears to be profiting from the brand new 480 frames-per-second (fps) slow-motion video capabilities of the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

The iPhone 16 Professional is a way more identified amount. It follows Apple’s typical playbook of offering three lenses with year-over-year sensor enhancements. Nonetheless, this time round, the ultrawide digicam will get a lift to 48MP, and the iPhone 16 Professional positive factors the 5x optical zoom that was unique to the bigger iPhone 15 Professional Max final yr. Whereas the ultrawide lens is the one you’ll seemingly use the least typically to take precise photographs, Apple’s computational pictures engine collects knowledge from that sensor, and extra megapixels means extra knowledge for it to work with. The ultrawide lens additionally kicks in for macro pictures, and there’s a noticeable enchancment there.

The iPhone 16 Professional additionally has just a few extra tips up its sleeve. Apple’s new Photographic Types allow you to apply a broad assortment of superior filters to your photographs, however the perfect half is that these are totally nondestructive. In different phrases, you’ll be able to change them up later or take away them totally for those who don’t like them. It’s also possible to shoot photos within the Apple ProRAW format for superior enhancing controls, and the built-in lidar Sensor permits you to take depth-mapped evening mode portraits. On the video facet, the iPhone 16 Professional may deal with 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient recording at 120 fps, which produces Cinematic Sluggish Movement playback when pulled all the way down to 24 fps. Lossless ProRes, Log, and the Academy Shade Encoding System (ACES) codecs assist skilled work, and there’s a four-mic studio array that powers a brand new AI-powered Audio Combine characteristic that may separate background and foreground audio (consider it as a portrait mode for sound).

Winner: iPhone 16 Professional

OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Professional: software program and updates

The OnePlus 13 will ship globally with Android 15 and OxygenOS 15 layered on high (the China model makes use of Oppo’s ColorOS). OxygenOS has been considerably controversial over time, but it surely’s been steadily bettering, and we’ve been pleasantly stunned by OxygenOS 15. It’s turned out to be much less of an iOS clone than Oppo’s ColorOS 15, though it nonetheless veers nearer to Apple’s facet of the fence. It nonetheless doesn’t really feel as easy as different platforms, but it surely’s undoubtedly gotten higher.

The iPhone 16 Professional comes with iOS 18 out of the field, which will likely be readily acquainted to anybody who has used an iPhone up to now few years. As regular, iOS 18 refines the expertise fairly than rewriting it. This yr’s most important addition is Apple Intelligence — Apple’s suite of AI instruments. Whereas these are rolling out regularly over the course of the iOS 18 life cycle, as of the latest December iOS 18.2 replace, there’s built-in assist for AI writing instruments, picture technology, and even direct integration with ChatGPT to assist Siri reply questions it may well’t deal with by itself.

As for updates, OnePlus is now committing to 4 main Android updates and 5 years of safety updates, which ought to preserve the OnePlus 13 present till at the least 2028 or when Android 19 ships. Apple doesn’t make such guarantees, but it surely’s by no means actually wanted to because it has a confirmed observe file; iPhones have been getting 4 and even 5 years of software program updates within the days when it was uncommon for many Android telephones to see one or two. This makes it a secure wager that the iPhone 16 Professional will make it to at the least iOS 22, and probably even one or two releases past that.

Winner: Tie

OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Professional: particular options

After holding out longer than most different huge gamers, Apple and OnePlus are delving extra into AI options this yr. Nonetheless, Apple goes all-in with Apple Intelligence whereas OnePlus continues to be taking a extra measured method centered predominantly on pictures.

In OxygenOS 15, the OnePlus 13 positive factors a set of AI photo-editing instruments, together with an AI Eraser, AI Element Increase, AI Reflection Erase, and AI Unblur. These work very like you’d anticipate, though they’ve some work to do earlier than they meet up with Google’s Magic Eraser and Magic Editor. Nonetheless, these aren’t completely OnePlus 13 options; they’re additionally coming to the OnePlus 12 within the OxygenOS 15 replace. Alternatively, Google Gemini assist and a brand new Intelligence Search characteristic will likely be restricted to the OnePlus 13.

Apple Intelligence is a a lot bolder AI initiative general. Whereas the photograph options are restricted to a Magic Eraser-like Clear Up instrument, the broader AI options embody instruments that can assist you compose and refine textual content, reply to emails, summarize audio recordings and name transcripts, generate photos, and even create customized “Genmoji.” Apple has additionally partnered with ChatGPT to combine it into iOS. This consists of letting you name it up that can assist you write emails and different blocks of textual content to creating voice requests through Siri.

This additionally ties into the iPhone 16 Professional’s marquee characteristic: the Digicam Management. Because the title suggests, this new button on the lower-right facet of the iPhone can be utilized to name up the digicam app, but it surely additionally doubles as a classy management system due to a two-stage capacitive sensor. A lightweight press will lock autofocus and autoexposure, much like a DSLR; you then press all the best way all the way down to take the image. It’s also possible to slide your finger alongside the management to regulate parameters corresponding to zoom, publicity, taking pictures mode, and extra.

Apple Intelligence comes into the image by way of a brand new Visible Intelligence characteristic that permits you to rapidly carry out Google Lens-like searches on real-world objects. Maintain down the Digicam Management and level your iPhone 16 Professional at one thing like an animal, a plant, a film poster, a landmark, or perhaps a product, and you’ll ship it off to Google or ChatGPT to get extra details about it. The idea isn’t precisely novel, as there have been apps doing this for this for years, however having it inbuilt and solely a button press away makes it rather more helpful.

Winner: iPhone 16 Professional

OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Professional: value and availability

Following a typical first launch in China on October 31, the OnePlus 13 will likely be launched globally on January 7, 2025. OnePlus has confirmed that we’ll get the identical three colours because the China model with completely different names: Midnight Ocean, Black Eclipse, and Arctic Daybreak. There’s no official phrase on pricing or storage capacities, however there’s a superb likelihood they’ll be near final yr’s OnePlus 12, which began at $800. The OnePlus 13 sells in three capacities in China: 256GB storage with 12GB of RAM, 512GB with 16GB, and 1TB with 24GB, however a November leak suggests we could not see the most important 1TB/24GB model stateside.

That might be according to the OnePlus 12, which was bought in the identical three capacities in China, with solely the decrease two accessible internationally. Nonetheless, OnePlus might shock us this yr because it did with the colour choices. OnePlus’ white finishes, such because the Glacial White OnePlus 12, have been primarily unique to China. Seeing a worldwide launch of Arctic Daybreak is a fairly large deal, which implies the 1TB/24GB mannequin will not be far behind.

The iPhone 16 Professional launched globally in September. Apple’s smaller Professional mannequin didn’t get the storage bump many have been hoping for; it nonetheless begins at $999 for 128GB, with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB variations accessible for $1,099, $1,299, and $1,499, respectively. RAM is commonplace at 8GB throughout all capacities, and it’s accessible in Desert Titanium, Pure Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium.

OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Professional: verdict

Like many smartphone comparisons involving Apple, measuring the OnePlus 13 instantly towards the iPhone 16 Professional is hard. The 2 telephones dwell in basically completely different worlds, so it’s an apples-to-oranges comparability (no pun supposed).

For a lot of of us, the choice between the OnePlus 13 and iPhone 16 Professional was made way back primarily based on the platform they’ve already invested in. Nonetheless, for those who’re on the fence or in search of a change, these telephones every supply one thing that may tempt you to see how the opposite facet lives.

The iPhone 16 Professional is forward of the pack with a extra mature platform and an app ecosystem that takes full benefit of its gaming capabilities. The cameras take glorious footage, the 5x zoom permits you to stand up shut and private, and the videography options are unmatched. Apple’s AI options aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, however they’re nicely forward of what OnePlus affords. Apple Intelligence can also be complemented by the final match and end and easy efficiency of iOS.

However, the OnePlus 13 affords a stunning and chic design that’s much more refined than earlier than, plus enjoyable colours with distinctive finishes. If earlier fashions are something to go on, the Hasselblad-tuned digicam system is bound to be glorious. The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip affords efficiency to spare with new photographic capabilities, and few smartphones can cost up as rapidly as something that OnePlus makes. OxygenOS 15 will not be fairly as refined as we’d like but, however there’s loads to love right here and it’s extra prepared for prime time than ever earlier than.