Whereas there is a sturdy international market of smartphone producers, within the U.S., most individuals are most likely rocking one thing made by Apple, Samsung, or Google. These corporations all make completely nice flagship telephones, however if you need an alternate, OnePlus 13 may be the one for you.
The newest handset from OnePlus is, if nothing else, proof that the Chinese language firm can hold with the large boys. To be honest, loads of earlier OnePlus telephones have roughly confirmed that too, however the case has by no means been extra convincing than it’s now. The $899 OnePlus 13 provides you almost all the pieces you’d need from a contemporary flagship, together with glorious efficiency, a fairly show, some AI options should you’re into that form of factor, and the most effective smartphone batteries I’ve ever seen.
OnePlus 13: Specs
Beginning at $899, here is what you get whenever you shell out for a OnePlus 13:
Put merely, it is a massive flagship telephone with massive flagship specs. The Snapdragon 8 Elite processor is top-of-the-line, and is making its U.S. debut with OnePlus 13. It’s extensively anticipated to additionally energy the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25, so OnePlus technically beat Samsung to the punch right here. For some further money you possibly can bump the RAM as much as 16GB or the storage as much as 512GB, however sadly, there is not any 1TB choice for the true storage sickos on the market.
Whereas OnePlus makes use of a proprietary working system known as OxygenOS, it was initially based mostly on Android, and thus will likely be acquainted to anybody who repeatedly makes use of Android telephones. The newest OxygenOS construct is clear, missing in a number of the up-front bloatware that used to plague these telephones.
OnePlus 13: Show
It is a good show.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
One factor you will discover instantly upon selecting up a OnePlus 13 is that the show may be very good. Its 3168×1440 decision is sharp as hell, and its 4,500 nits of peak brightness make it a pleasure to take a look at in direct daylight. The refresh price is dynamic, oscillating between 1 and 120Hz to supply peak smoothness whereas preserving battery the place it will possibly.
There’s not way more to say in regards to the show, actually. It has all the pieces you’d need from a flagship smartphone show. Contemplating my iPhone 16 is priced solely $100 cheaper than OnePlus 13 and does not provide anyplace close to as a lot when it comes to decision or refresh price, I might say OnePlus has settled onto a superb worth right here.
OnePlus 13: Design
Design is one space the place I discover OnePlus 13 to be somewhat questionable.
That does not actually have something to do with the best way it appears, although. Whereas a 6.8-inch show means it is a very massive telephone and thus won’t be nice for anybody with smaller fingers, it is at the least trendy to the attention. It is acquired a giant, cool-looking rear digital camera module designed by the Swedish firm Hasselblad, which is not awkwardly hooked up to the facet of the telephone by a giant clamp-looking factor prefer it was on the final couple of OnePlus units. It is a free-floating digital camera module now, oriented to the left facet of the telephone, close to the highest of the rear finish.
It appears cool, however I do not love the best way it feels.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
As for colours, your choices are Midnight Ocean, Arctic Daybreak, and Black Eclipse. In less complicated phrases: Darkish blue, white, and black, respectively. OnePlus offered me with an Arctic Daybreak mannequin, and I do suppose it appears spiffy.
My points with the telephone’s design are nearly fully to do with OnePlus’s selection to make use of a microfiber vegan leather-based texture on the telephone’s rear facet. I will admit that this can be a cool concept in principle. I’ve by no means used a telephone that looks like this within the fingers, and I am certain loads of individuals will prefer it. For me, although, it simply feels type of…greasy? There is not any precise moisture, however the leathery texture at all times makes it really feel prefer it’s on the verge of slipping out of my fingers, as if my fingers are sweaty, even once they’re not.
OnePlus 13: Efficiency
Because of the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor powering the OnePlus 13, I am unable to actually consider something adverse to say in regards to the telephone’s efficiency profile.
In terms of every day use (which, for me, largely manifests as social media and streaming music or movies), all the pieces runs easily. Apps open and cargo shortly and I detected no quantity of slowdown when attempting to do lots directly. I additionally respect that the telephone by no means turned heat on me, even whereas doing considerably intensive battery testing.
If you would like a extra analytical method to efficiency appraisal, the Geekbench 6 benchmarking software program was additionally form to OnePlus 13. Its multi-core CPU rating was 9,092, which is greater than 2,000 factors greater than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely, which got here in at 6,782. That Snapdragon 8 Elite processor is the actual deal.
OnePlus 13: Battery life
You will not want to make use of the charging port all that usually.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
Having mentioned all of that, by far probably the most spectacular factor in regards to the OnePlus 13’s efficiency is its battery life. It lasts so lengthy that testing it for this evaluation was truly tougher than it often is for smartphones.
I believe you would simply begin sooner or later at one hundred pc battery and make it effectively into the afternoon of the following day with out plugging in should you wished to. Proof: I used to be ready to try this. This factor merely refuses to die, until you do what I did and loop an HD video in full display till it dies. Utilizing that methodology, I used to be capable of wring 24 hours of steady playback out of the OnePlus 13. Unimaginable.
If that is not sufficient, it additionally fees unbelievably quick, offered you utilize the included cable and wall adapter. Simply half an hour of charging will most likely get you thru a full day.
OnePlus 13: AI options
Sure, the OnePlus 13 brings some AI options to the fold that weren’t current in earlier OnePlus units. Full disclosure: I hate a lot of the issues we name “AI” as of late. I made it clear after I reviewed the Google Pixel 9 final 12 months that “magic” textual content and photograph modifying instruments that use generative AI truly cheapen the experiences of written communication and images. Sadly, OnePlus packed in a handful of AI options which can be roughly an identical to what I used to be speaking about again then.
As an illustration, you possibly can have AI clear up or reformat textual content in your notes or textual content messages. Ho-hum. Each telephone can try this now, plus you must actually have the ability to write your personal textual content messages should you’re an grownup. Circle to Search can be right here, which is without doubt one of the few AI options that’s truly helpful and sensible.
Left:
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable
Proper:
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable
Many of the AI options are within the realm of photograph modifying. You may circle or spotlight objects in photographs to have objects erase them, identical to on Pixel telephones. This labored OK in my transient testing, although it inexplicably could not take away an object that ought to have been simply detachable in a single photograph. “Magic Unblur” supposedly removes movement blur from photographs, however I had a tough time getting it to make a lot of a distinction.
The identical goes for “AI Element Enhance,” which is meant to sharpen pictures and make them look higher. Once I tried this, the top outcomes had been almost indistinguishable from the unique photographs. Your mileage might range. I do not essentially need to sound like a Luddite, however the rising encroachment of those options that make all the pieces look too excellent and faux does not make me really feel good.
OnePlus 13: Cameras
The aforementioned Hasselblad digital camera array on the rear finish of the OnePlus 13 features a trio of lenses, within the extensive, ultrawide, and telephoto selection. All three measure in at 50MP, which is good and easy.
In follow, photographs taken on the OnePlus 13 utilizing default settings look nice. You may must excuse how gray and gloomy New York Metropolis was throughout the testing interval. I discovered that photographs typically seemed sharp and fairly, if somewhat unnaturally vibrant in comparison with what my eyes had been truly seeing at occasions.
It was nasty exterior.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable
The zoom lens is ready to produce spectacular ranges of readability from distant, although I might level out which you could see the software program fudging some particulars should you look intently sufficient.
Zoomed all the best way in.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable
One challenge, which is per my experiences utilizing earlier OnePlus telephones, is that nighttime photographs typically appear to be they’ve studio lighting on them or one thing. They’re just too vivid for my style. Sure, you possibly can see what’s occurring in them higher than you would previous to software-enhanced nighttime images, nevertheless it does not look something like what I noticed with my eyes.
Too vivid IMO.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable
Nonetheless, apart from that, it is a good set of smartphone cameras. Macro images permits you to get excessive quantities of element on small objects, as an example.
Macro is cool.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable
And, as at all times, portrait mode can create a pleasant bokeh impact whenever you want it.
Good boy.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable
OnePlus 13: Remaining ideas
By a lot of the metrics that matter, OnePlus 13 is a superb smartphone. For $899, you get a vibrant show, AI options that at the least have some parity with the competitors, the most effective smartphone batteries ever, and top-level efficiency.
Personally, I would not name the OnePlus 13 cameras a promoting level on their very own, regardless that they’re completely nice. Past that, I do not love its vegan leather-based again texture, and I nonetheless have main qualms with all the AI creep in our lives. However should you want a brand new Android (or Android-like) telephone and need to get out of the Apple/Google/Samsung bubble, that is most likely the best way to do it.
