OnePlus had a robust 2024 on the again of the OnePlus 12 and 12R, and it’s trying 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 cellphone. The software program can be a lot better this time round, and though you aren’t getting a clear interface, it’s fluid and does not have many bugs.
I actually just like the OnePlus 13, and assume it has the potential to be among the finest telephones of 2025. That mentioned, the cellphone is costlier by $100, edging it ever nearer to what Google and Samsung cost. In case you do not need to shell out that a lot money, there’s an alternate — the OnePlus 13R.
Similar to final yr, the OnePlus 13R is launching globally, and that is completely the correct name — there’s clearly a number of curiosity within the machine outdoors India and China. Additionally, the OnePlus 12R continues to be the very best mid-range cellphone 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 modifications to the imaging as properly, with the cellphone that includes a brand new 50MP foremost digicam and a devoted 50MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom. With these upgrades comes a value hike, and the OnePlus 13R prices $100 extra because of this in North America and the U.Okay. Fortunately, Indian patrons 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 the very best worth flagship? I used the cellphone as my every day driver for 2 weeks, and here is what I believe.
OnePlus 13R: Pricing and retail availability
The OnePlus 13R was unveiled on January 10, 2025, and the cellphone is now that can be purchased in India, the U.S., U.Okay., and choose world markets. Like final yr, OnePlus is promoting the cellphone in 256GB and 512GB storage variants, however North American patrons 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 — in contrast to 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 standard 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 believe it’s a good worth contemplating the {hardware} you are getting.
OnePlus 13R: Design
Like each different cellphone launching lately, the OnePlus 13R switches to a flat aesthetic with boxy sides. Whereas the OnePlus 13 additionally has the same design, that cellphone has beveled edges that make it snug to carry and use. You do not get the identical on the 13R, and it does not have anyplace 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 does not really feel that method when holding each telephones. It is thinner as properly at 8mm, however the boxier sides decrease that impact — I just like the in-hand really feel of the 12R a lot better to this yr.
That mentioned, the design on the again extremely attention-grabbing; the Astral Path mannequin has a set of rings etched into the glass that appears cool, and the digicam 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.
In case you want a matte texture, the 13R can be accessible in a Nebula Noir colour variant, however that mannequin does not fairly have the identical putting design on the again. The alert slider is undamaged, and it simply lets you change 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 return by (as I do), there is no option to set it up. Each different producer has calls and messages break up into completely different classes, and that must be the case in OxygenOS as properly.
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 cellphone one-handed. The module was greater up than traditional final yr, and that made it uncomfortable as properly, 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 cellphone 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 just a few producers on this class. Whereas there are just a few quibbles with the design, the OnePlus 13R appears to be like 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 curiously, 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 colour vibrancy or distinction ranges. The panel will get shiny sufficient in every day use, and even below harsh daylight, I did not discover any issues. It does not get fairly as shiny because the Pixel 9 Professional or Vivo X200 Professional, however you will solely discover the distinction when utilizing the 13R subsequent to those units.
You get an honest quantity of customizability with the panel on the subject of adjusting colour stability, and OxygenOS has the very best always-on types you will get on any cellphone, with distinctive choices that will let you tailor the lock display to your tastes. And identical to the OnePlus 13, you get Aqua Contact on the 13R, which provides you the power to make use of the cellphone when there’s water on the display.
Gaming is equally gratifying, and whereas you aren’t getting 120fps on the machine, it does an admirable job at 60fps with most titles. The one optimistic is that BGMI goes as much as 120fps utilizing body interpolation, nevertheless it has jitter at instances. 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 cellphone now providing 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage on the bottom mannequin. Indian patrons additionally get a 512GB mannequin, and this variant additionally will get UFS 4.0 storage.
There’s excellent news on the {hardware} aspect as properly, with the cellphone 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 cellphone has the next 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.
| Class | OnePlus 13R | iQOO 13 |
|---|---|---|
| PCMark Work 3.0 (General) | 12459 | 16043 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Net Searching) | 11255 | 16307 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Video Modifying) | 6196 | 6899 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Writing) | 12693 | 20445 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Photograph Modifying) | 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 cellphone, and it held its personal in demanding video games as properly. Annoyingly, there is no eSIM connectivity on the cellphone, 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 does not get a lot use in international locations like India — the place the cellphone 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 cellphone does not miss out in different areas, and also you get a superb Wi-Fi 7 modem, Bluetooth 5.4, AptX HD, LHDC, NFC, and dual-band GPS. That is simply among the finest {hardware} packages you will discover within the sub-$700 class, and barring the omission of eSIM, there is not something to fault.
OnePlus 13R: Battery life
I simply received 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 cellphone 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 just lately that had 6000mAh batteries as properly, and I am excited that we’re at some extent the place you now not have to cost your cellphone every day.
Not like the OnePlus 13, the 13R does not have silicon-carbon tech, and as a substitute makes use of a single 6000mAh cell. Because it now not makes use of twin cells, it takes significantly longer to cost the machine. In my testing, the cellphone 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 excellent, however it’s nonetheless higher than what you get with Samsung and Google telephones, and there is a charger bundled within the package deal. The draw back with the cellphone is that you aren’t getting 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 digicam 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 a lot better, and in the same vein, the wide-angle lens wants a greater sensor.
The digicam interface itself is equivalent to final yr, however you get a ton of latest AI-assisted modifying options that do a superb 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 nearly as good. The cellphone does a greater job taking pictures photographs of shifting objects, and you’ll take dwell photographs that retain movement even once you transfer the photographs over to iOS.
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Though you aren’t getting any Hasselblad tuning, the OnePlus 13R delivers photographs that look much like the OnePlus 13, which was the case final yr as properly. The wide-angle lens does not fairly handle to ship the identical vibrancy of photographs, and once more, this was one thing the 12R struggled with. The resultant photos are first rate sufficient, however you aren’t getting the identical element, and there is seen noise in low-light conditions.
Photographs taken in daylight have good colours and element, however they’ve greater ranges of distinction, and foliage rendition is not as pure. That mentioned, 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 situations 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 instances, seen grain, and aggressive smoothing on the edges.
That mentioned, the cellphone does a adequate job if there’s some synthetic lighting.
On the entire, the machine manages to ship among the finest cameras in its class. It is a letdown that the auxiliary modules aren’t fairly nearly as good, however apart from that, this can be a nice exhibiting. Except you want the extra versatility that you simply get with the 3x lens on the OnePlus 13, this can be a adequate alternative when you’re wanting 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 does not have any shortcomings on this space. The machine runs OxygenOS 15 based mostly 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 all the time the case with this stuff, 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 accessible.
The interface is quick and does not have any slowdowns or bugs, and it is refreshing to have the ability to say that a few new model of OxygenOS. There’s good customizability (as all the time), and the newest iteration of the software program brings a slew of lock display styling choices, they usually look nice.
Exterior 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 awesome job with the fundamentals. The one quibble is that the UI is closely custom-made, however that is the case with most telephones apart from Pixels, and if something, I want 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 could be the utmost it might 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 concerning the OnePlus 13R is that it’s positioned in a phase the place you do not have many units. I like what Vivo is doing with the V sequence, and the V40 Professional has the very best cameras on this class, and the glossy design is a differentiator as properly. That mentioned, it is not anyplace as quick because the 13R, nor does the battery final as lengthy.
The Reno 13 Professional is an effective alternative to think about as properly, with the machine touting nice cameras and a long-lasting battery. It does 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: Must you purchase it?
You can purchase this if:
- You want a mid-range cellphone with the very best {hardware}
- You desire a cellphone that lasts two days between prices
- You want an awesome digicam
- You need fluid software program
You should not purchase this if:
- You want nice auxiliary cameras
- You desire a watertight design
I known as the OnePlus 12R the discount of the yr in 2024, and if something, the OnePlus 13R does extra to deserve that title this yr. The cellphone 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 an honest set of upgrades, and I name {that a} win.
The cameras are among the many finest in its class, and OnePlus nailed the software program as properly this time, rolling out loads of AI options you will truly find yourself utilizing. Similar to the usual OnePlus 13, there is not something inherently fallacious 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. Exterior 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 another machine that gives fairly the identical caliber of {hardware} on this class, and for the second yr in a row, OnePlus managed to ship the very best worth flagship.
