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OnePlus had a powerful 2024 on the again of the OnePlus 12 and 12R, and it’s seeking to emulate the same success this yr. The OnePlus 13 introduces a daring new design, higher cameras, and a bigger battery — all whereas being thinner than final yr’s telephone. The software program can be significantly better this time round, and though you do not get a clear interface, it’s fluid and would not have many bugs.
I actually just like the OnePlus 13, and assume it has the potential to be top-of-the-line telephones of 2025. That stated, the telephone is costlier by $100, edging it ever nearer to what Google and Samsung cost. For those who do not need to shell out that a lot money, there’s another — the OnePlus 13R.
Similar to final yr, the OnePlus 13R is launching globally, and that is completely the precise name — there’s clearly loads of curiosity within the machine exterior India and China. Additionally, the OnePlus 12R continues to be one of the best mid-range telephone you should purchase, and the 13R builds on that basis, delivering elevated efficiency by the use of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and a much bigger 6,000mAh battery.
OnePlus is making appreciable adjustments to the imaging as effectively, with the telephone that includes a brand new 50MP important digital camera and a devoted 50MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom. With these upgrades comes a worth hike, and the OnePlus 13R prices $100 extra because of this in North America and the U.Okay. Fortunately, Indian consumers needn’t fear about paying extra, because the machine prices the identical because the 12R a yr in the past.
Does the OnePlus 13R do sufficient to retain its mantle as one of the best worth flagship? I used the telephone as my every day driver for 2 weeks, and here is what I feel.
OnePlus 13R: Pricing and retail availability
The OnePlus 13R was unveiled on January 10, 2025, and the telephone is now available for purchase in India, the U.S., U.Okay., and choose world markets. Like final yr, OnePlus is promoting the telephone in 256GB and 512GB storage variants, however North American consumers will simply get the 256GB mannequin.
Fortunately, the bottom mannequin comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage, and it will get UFS 4.0 storage as normal — not like final yr. This mannequin prices $599 within the U.S., £599 within the U.Okay., and ₹42,999 ($501) in India. The 16GB/512GB variant is debuting at ₹49,999 ($582) in India, and also you get the same old launch incentives.
Whereas the machine prices extra within the U.S. and U.Okay., that is not the case in India; OnePlus tends to be aggressive within the nation on this class, and I feel it’s a good worth contemplating the {hardware} you are getting.
OnePlus 13R: Design
Like each different telephone launching today, the OnePlus 13R switches to a flat aesthetic with boxy sides. Whereas the OnePlus 13 additionally has the same design, that telephone has beveled edges that make it snug to carry and use. You aren’t getting the identical on the 13R, and it would not have wherever near the identical in-hand really feel.
The edges are likely to dig into your palm, and whereas it’s technically lighter than the OnePlus 13, it would not really feel that manner when holding each telephones. It is thinner as effectively at 8mm, however the boxier sides reduce that impact — I just like the in-hand really feel of the 12R significantly better to this yr.
That stated, the design on the again extremely fascinating; the Astral Path mannequin has a set of rings etched into the glass that appears cool, and the digital camera housing has a cleaner design than earlier years. The mid-frame makes use of aluminum, and there is a clear distinction within the sturdiness of the machine over the 12R.
For those who want a matte texture, the 13R can be obtainable in a Nebula Noir coloration variant, however that mannequin would not fairly have the identical placing design on the again. The alert slider is unbroken, and it simply lets you swap between ring, vibrate, and silent profiles with out an excessive amount of of a trouble.
Whereas the slider continues to be a differentiator, I do not just like the OxygenOS 15 bundles calls and notifications right into a single class in Do Not Disturb; when you allow DND however need calls to come back by (as I do), there is not any solution to set it up. Each different producer has calls and messages cut up into totally different classes, and that must be the case in OxygenOS as effectively.
Though the OnePlus 13 will get a brand new ultrasonic fingerprint module, the 13R has an optical unit as a substitute, and it’s positioned too low on the display, making it awkward to entry when holding the telephone one-handed. The module was greater up than typical final yr, and that made it uncomfortable as effectively, and OnePlus course-corrected an excessive amount of this time, placing it too low on the panel — now we’ll want to attend and see if subsequent yr’s telephone has it within the goldilocks zone.
You get IP65 mud and water resistance, and whereas that’s first rate sufficient in its personal proper, it is not fairly as efficient as IP68 or IP67 that is utilized by a number of producers on this class. Whereas there are a number of quibbles with the design, the OnePlus 13R seems to be higher than final yr, and extra importantly, it’s extra sturdy.
OnePlus 13R: Show
OnePlus retained the identical 6.78-inch AMOLED panel as final yr, however it’s flat this time; it goes as much as 120Hz and has a most brightness of 1600 nits in HBM. There’s Dolby Imaginative and prescient and HDR10+, and apparently, the panel is protected by Corning’s new Gorilla Glass 7i, which has elevated scratch resistance.
As you get the identical BOE panel, I did not see any points with coloration vibrancy or distinction ranges. The panel will get brilliant sufficient in every day use, and even below harsh daylight, I did not discover any issues. It would not get fairly as brilliant because the Pixel 9 Professional or Vivo X200 Professional, however you may solely discover the distinction when utilizing the 13R subsequent to those units.
You get a good quantity of customizability with the panel with regards to adjusting coloration steadiness, and OxygenOS has one of the best always-on types you will get on any telephone, with distinctive choices that permit you to tailor the lock display to your tastes. And similar to the OnePlus 13, you get Aqua Contact on the 13R, which supplies you the flexibility to make use of the telephone when there’s water on the display.
Gaming is equally satisfying, and whereas you do not get 120fps on the machine, it does an admirable job at 60fps with most titles. The one constructive is that BGMI goes as much as 120fps utilizing body interpolation, but it surely has jitter at occasions. Stereo sound is detailed sufficient that you need to use the onboard audio for informal gaming, however I like to recommend utilizing earbuds when you’re listening to music — the OnePlus Buds 3 proceed to be a terrific alternative on this regard.
OnePlus 13R: Efficiency
OnePlus tousled with the storage variants final yr, incorrectly stating that the 256GB model had UFS 4.0 storage. It is addressing these shortcomings with the 13R, with the telephone now providing 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage on the bottom mannequin. Indian consumers additionally get a 512GB mannequin, and this variant additionally will get UFS 4.0 storage.
There’s excellent news on the {hardware} aspect as effectively, with the telephone powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It’s simply as succesful as final yr, and continues to ship excellent efficiency — I am but to see any video games problem the chipset. There’s thermal throttling after the 30-minute mark, however the telephone has a better threshold than the common OnePlus 13; I observed it going as much as 47 levels in prolonged testing, whereas the OnePlus 13 did not transcend 42.2 levels.
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| Class | OnePlus 13R | iQOO 13 |
|---|---|---|
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Total) | 12459 | 16043 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Internet Searching) | 11255 | 16307 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Video Enhancing) | 6196 | 6899 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Writing) | 12693 | 20445 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Photograph Enhancing) | 23998 | 39044 |
| Geekbench 6 (single-core) | 2093 | 2954 |
| Geekbench 6 (multi-core) | 6246 | 6650 |
| Geekbench AI (Quantized Rating) | 3041 | 3915 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Excessive (rating) | 4550 | 4514 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Excessive (FPS) | 27.25 | 27.025 |
| 3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (rating) | 8075 | 7287 |
| 3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (FPS) | 30.71 | 27.695 |
I did not encounter any lag or slowdowns within the two weeks I used the telephone, and it held its personal in demanding video games as effectively. Annoyingly, there is not any eSIM connectivity on the telephone, however you get OnePlus’s new BeaconLink normal that builds on Bluetooth, delivering elevated vary of as much as 100 ft.
The rationale for not together with eSIM is that it would not get a lot use in nations like India — the place the telephone will see a bulk of its gross sales — however the producer is betting on BeaconLink as a brand new normal that has potential, so it is included as a substitute. Fortunately, the telephone would not miss out in different areas, and also you get a great Wi-Fi 7 modem, Bluetooth 5.4, AptX HD, LHDC, NFC, and dual-band GPS. That is simply top-of-the-line {hardware} packages you may discover within the sub-$700 class, and barring the omission of eSIM, there is not something to fault.
OnePlus 13R: Battery life
I simply acquired a day and a half out of the OnePlus 12R’s battery, and the 13R manages to final two days due to a much bigger 6000mAh battery. Even with heavy use, the telephone managed to final over a day and a half, and I averaged two days in common use. That is the case on different units I examined not too long ago that had 6000mAh batteries as effectively, and I am excited that we’re at some extent the place you not have to cost your telephone every day.
Not like the OnePlus 13, the 13R would not have silicon-carbon tech, and as a substitute makes use of a single 6000mAh cell. Because it not makes use of twin cells, it takes significantly longer to cost the machine. In my testing, the telephone took simply over 55 minutes to cost utilizing the bundled 80W charger — 17 minutes greater than the OnePlus 13.
Clearly, the charging time is not ideally suited, however it’s nonetheless higher than what you get with Samsung and Google telephones, and there is a charger bundled within the bundle. The draw back with the telephone is that you do not get wi-fi charging, however seeing as how I do not use it in any respect, it is not as massive a limitation.
OnePlus 13R: Cameras
OnePlus is utilizing a 50MP Sony LYT-700 imaging sensor as the primary digital camera on the 13R, and it is joined by a 50MP Samsung JN5 telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and an 8MP wide-angle lens that makes use of Sony’s IMX355 module. The tele lens is restricted in its usability as a 3x sensor would have been significantly better, and in the same vein, the wide-angle lens wants a greater sensor.
The digital camera interface itself is an identical to final yr, however you get a ton of recent AI-assisted enhancing options that do a great job. Similar to the common OnePlus 13, all three modules on the again can shoot 4K60 video, however the video high quality itself is not pretty much as good. The telephone does a greater job capturing photographs of transferring objects, and you’ll take dwell photographs that retain movement even if you transfer the pictures over to iOS.
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Though you do not get any Hasselblad tuning, the OnePlus 13R delivers photographs that look much like the OnePlus 13, which was the case final yr as effectively. The wide-angle lens would not fairly handle to ship the identical vibrancy of photographs, and once more, this was one thing the 12R struggled with. The resultant pictures are first rate sufficient, however you do not get the identical element, and there is seen noise in low-light conditions.
Pictures taken in daylight have good colours and element, however they’ve greater ranges of distinction, and foliage rendition is not as pure. That stated, the resultant pictures look nice in their very own proper, and there is not that massive a distinction on this state of affairs.
It is in low-light circumstances the place the OnePlus 13R struggles to carry towards the usual mannequin. It boosts the publicity to eke out extra element, and in doing so that you get colours that look washed out at occasions, seen grain, and aggressive smoothing on the edges.
That stated, the telephone does a adequate job if there’s some synthetic lighting.
On the entire, the machine manages to ship top-of-the-line cameras in its class. It is a letdown that the auxiliary modules aren’t fairly pretty much as good, however aside from that, it is a nice displaying. Until you want the extra versatility that you just get with the 3x lens on the OnePlus 13, it is a adequate alternative when you’re trying to avoid wasting money.
OnePlus 13R: Software program
Software program has been some extent of competition for OnePlus within the final three years, however the OnePlus 13R would not have any shortcomings on this space. The machine runs OxygenOS 15 primarily based on Android 15 out of the field, and it’s simply as fluid because the OnePlus 13 — and has the identical feature-set.
There is a sprinkling of AI thrown in for good measure this time, however as is at all times the case with these items, the usability is doubtful. Like most different producers, OnePlus is utilizing a mixture of on-device LLMs and cloud servers, and there is a devoted part within the settings that allows you to see all of the options obtainable.
The interface is quick and would not have any slowdowns or bugs, and it is refreshing to have the ability to say that a couple of new model of OxygenOS. There’s good customizability (as at all times), and the most recent iteration of the software program brings a slew of lock display styling choices, they usually look nice.
Outdoors of that, I do not actually have a lot to level out. I did not see any points with notifications or aggressive battery administration, and the machine does an important job with the fundamentals. The one quibble is that the UI is closely custom-made, however that is the case with most telephones aside from Pixels, and if something, I choose OxygenOS to MIUI.
Coming to updates, the machine will get 4 years of software program updates and 6 years of safety updates. OnePlus mainly made it clear final yr that this may be the utmost it could provide on its units, and whereas it is not on the identical degree as Google and Samsung, it is nonetheless first rate sufficient.
OnePlus 13R: The competitors
What’s so good in regards to the OnePlus 13R is that it’s positioned in a section the place you do not have many units. I like what Vivo is doing with the V collection, and the V40 Professional has one of the best cameras on this class, and the glossy design is a differentiator as effectively. That stated, it is not wherever as quick because the 13R, nor does the battery final as lengthy.
The Reno 13 Professional is an efficient alternative to think about as effectively, with the machine touting nice cameras and a long-lasting battery. It would not fairly have the identical energy, however that is about the one limitation, and it’s fairly much like the 13R in common use.
OnePlus 13R: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You want a mid-range telephone with one of the best {hardware}
- You desire a telephone that lasts two days between expenses
- You want an important digital camera
- You need fluid software program
You should not purchase this if:
- You want nice auxiliary cameras
- You desire a watertight design
I referred to as the OnePlus 12R the cut price of the yr in 2024, and if something, the OnePlus 13R does extra to deserve that title this yr. The telephone delivers higher efficiency, has a much bigger battery, double the quantity of storage, takes higher photographs in difficult conditions, and can get extra software program updates. You are paying the identical as final yr’s mannequin whereas getting a good set of upgrades, and I name {that a} win.
The cameras are among the many greatest in its class, and OnePlus nailed the software program as effectively this time, rolling out loads of AI options you may really find yourself utilizing. Similar to the usual OnePlus 13, there is not something inherently flawed with the 13R, and the one limitation I’ve come throughout is that the auxiliary cameras aren’t on the identical degree as the primary sensor. Outdoors of that and IP68 water resistance, you do not have something lacking right here.
If something, I might counsel getting the OnePlus 13R as a substitute of the OnePlus 13 when you do not want the very best cameras. There actually is not some other machine that provides fairly the identical caliber of {hardware} on this class, and for the second yr in a row, OnePlus managed to ship one of the best worth flagship.
