OnePlus 13 review: The Best OnePlus Yet?
OnePlus 13 features Snapdragon 8 Elite, up to 16GB RAM & 512GB storage, delivering strong performance with competitive benchmark scores.
OnePlus 13 has finally gone international after being available in China for a few months. The updates are minor, but they improve the phone overall.
It has a new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a larger battery with updated chemistry. The body is lighter and has better water/dust resistance (IP68/IP69). The camera system remains mostly the same but the telephoto lens gets a new sensor, and the zoom camera is more compact.
A significant change is the switch to an ultrasonic fingerprint reader, which is a more practical upgrade than the camera changes.
Table of Contents
Here are OnePlus 13 key specs:
Size: 163 x 77 x 9 mm, 210g; Glass front, back, and aluminum frame.
Display: 6.82″ AMOLED, 120Hz.
Chip: Snapdragon 8 Elite.
Storage: 256GB/12GB RAM or 512GB/16GB RAM.OS: Android 15.
Cameras: 50 MP main, ultra-wide, telephoto, 32 MP front.
Video: 8K, 4K, 1080p.
Battery: 6000mAh, fast charging.
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4.
Other: Fingerprint reader, stereo speakers.
OnePlus 13 Specifications:
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| 📶 Network | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| 🗓 Launch | Announced: 2024, October 31 Status: Available. Released 2024, November 01 |
| 📏 Dimensions | 162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5 mm or 8.9 mm |
| ⚖️ Weight | 210 g or 213 g (7.41 oz) |
| 🛡 Build | Glass front (Ceramic Guard), glass/silicone back, aluminum frame |
| 💧 SIM/Protection | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM IP68/IP69 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
| 📱 Display Type | LTPO 4.1 AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Ultra HDR |
| 📏 Display Size | 6.82 inches (~90.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| 📐 Resolution | 1440 x 3168 pixels (~510 ppi density) |
| 🛡 Protection | Ceramic Guard glass |
| 🖥 OS | Android 15 (up to 4 major upgrades), OxygenOS 15 (Intl.), ColorOS 15 (China) |
| ⚙️ Chipset | Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm) |
| 🧠 CPU | Octa-core (2×4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6×3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M) |
| 🎨 GPU | Adreno 830 |
| 💾 Memory | No card slot Internal: 256GB-1TB, up to 24GB RAM |
| 📸 Main Camera | Triple: 50 MP (wide), 50 MP (telephoto), 50 MP (ultrawide) |
| ✨ Camera Features | Laser focus, Hasselblad Color Calibration, Dual-LED flash |
| 🎥 Video | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240/480fps |
| 🤳 Selfie Camera | Single: 32 MP (wide) Video: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps |
| 🔊 Sound | Stereo speakers 3.5mm jack: No |
| 📡 Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6/7, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC, Infrared, USB Type-C 3.2 |
| 🔋 Battery | 6000 mAh Charging: 100W wired (50% in 13 min), 50W wireless |
| 🎨 Colors | Black Eclipse, Arctic Dawn, Midnight Ocean |
| 💵 Price | $999.99 / £899.00 / €999.00 |
| ⚙️ Performance | AnTuTu: 2,690,491 Battery: Active use score 15:28h |
OnePlus 13 Design, build quality, handling
OnePlus 13 keeps the design style from previous models, with a few changes. Camera is still off to the left, in a circular shape, but now there’s no visual link between the camera and the frame. Hasselblad logo is still present, showing their collaboration.
The OnePlus 13 comes in blue with a faux leather back made of vegan leather. Other hues are white and black, both with glass backs. The front is shielded with Ceramic Guard, a tough display glass.
OnePlus 13 is rated IP68/IP69 which means it can withstand water jets and be submerged in 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes. The aluminum frame features power and volume buttons on the right and an alert slider on the left. The buttons produce a nice click.
This year, the OnePlus 13 uses an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which is easier to use thanks to its high position.
Phone supports Qi wireless charging (1.3.3) and has magnetic charging cases available. It also has Aqua Touch 2.0, which helps phone work better with wet or oily hands, and even when wearing gloves.
OnePlus 13 Display, battery life, charging speed, speakers
OnePlus 13 has a 6.82-inch OLED screen with sharp resolution (1440x3168px) and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. It can adjust brightness for better sunlight visibility with a feature called Radiant View. Under normal conditions, it reaches about 1,200 nits of brightness, which is decent but not the highest in the market. It supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision for streaming and has good HDR photo display with Android Ultra HDR.
Phone has a 6,000mAh battery, which provides excellent performance for video and web use. It lasts approximately 15 hours of active use. It charges quickly with 100W wired charging, taking approximately 35 minutes to get from 0 to 100%. Wireless charging is also supported, up to 50W.
Speakers: OnePlus 13 has dual speakers—one at bottom and one at the top (also used for calls). Sound is loud and clear, earning a “Very Good” rating for loudness and quality.
OnePlus 13 Software, performance
OnePlus 13 runs on Android 15 with OxygenOS 15.0, which is based on Color OS 15. It will receive 4 years of major Android updates and 6 years of security patches.
OxygenOS has become quite similar to Oppo’s Color OS, with only slight design changes. OnePlus 13 includes several AI features like Circle to Search and Gemini AI assistant, which offer tools like AI Summary, AI Speak, and AI Writer to help with tasks. AI-based photo editing tools, like AI Eraser and AI Unblur, are also available in the gallery.
Snapdragon 8 Elite processor powers the OnePlus 13 which has up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It performs well in benchmarks, earning competitive but not the best ratings.
For cooling, phone uses a vapor chamber solution to manage heat and its performance during stress tests was average compared to other high-end phones.
OnePlus 13 Camera, photo and video quality
OnePlus 13 doesn’t bring major updates to its camera system, but there are some changes. 64MP telephoto camera has been swapped with a 50MP sensor and lens has been modified. The ultrawide camera is also new, with a slightly smaller sensor and a shift to 50MP.
Main camera remains same with a 50MP Sony sensor. Telephoto camera still uses a periscope lens and a 50MP Sony sensor, while ultrawide shares specs with Find X8. 32MP front-facing camera is unchanged but lacks autofocus.
In daylight, main camera takes superb photos with a wide dynamic range and natural detail. portraiture look good and telephoto camera works well at 3x zoom, particularly for portraiture. The ultrawide camera captures amazing detail and color.
Selfies are decent but lack sharpness and absence of autofocus is noticeable. However, colors and dynamic range are good.
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Pros and Cons of OnePlus 13
| ✅Pros | ❌Cons |
|---|---|
| 🌧️ Dust and water resistant | 🌞 Low display brightness |
| 🧲 Supports magnetic accessories | 🎮 Gaming frame rate issues |
| 🔋 Long battery life, fast charging | 🔭 Telephoto camera can’t focus close |
| 📸 Good photo quality, great ultrawide | 📦 EU version has no charger |
| ✅ | 🚫 No eSIM support |
Conclusion
OnePlus didn’t make many camera upgrades this time, so it’s not a top contender as a cameraphone. However, it still captures good photographs, particularly with the outstanding ultrawide lens. The telephoto lens, however, could have focused closer. The display brightness isn’t the highest, but it’s not a huge issue.
The OnePlus 13 excels at the basics, with an amazing battery life and rapid charging. It now rivals the competition in terms of dust and water resistance, and it even includes a magnetic accessory option. While it is no longer a low-cost choice, the OnePlus 13 remains a great competitor and deserves to be on your shortlist.
