The OnePlus 13 has arrived, OnePlus’ brand new flagship. The phone launched on the last day of October 2024, and it does have a lot to offer, as expected. It may look similar to its predecessor at first, but don’t let that fool you. This time around the company included a flat display and flat sides, changing things quite a bit in terms of ergonomics. The in-hand feel will be entirely different with this phone.
Much like last year, the company announced one variant of the phone. We’re not getting Pro, Plus, Ultra, or any other models. This is also one of the first smartphones in the market to utilize Qualcomm’s brand-new flagship processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite. It also has BOE’s new display, blazing fast wired and wireless charging, and much more. We’ll try to give you plenty of information below, so let’s get started.
OnePlus specs
The OnePlus 13 features is made out of metal and glass. It has a flat display, and flat frame all around the device. A display camera hole is centered on the front, while its bezels are very thin. With that being said, the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC fuels this smartphone. That is the most powerful chip Qualcomm has to offer. OnePlus also announced three different RAM and storage models of the phone. 12GB, 16GB, and 24GB LPDDR5X RAM variants are on offer. The same goes for 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB UFS 4.0 flash storage variants.
A 6,000mAh battery is included, along with 100W wired & 50W wireless charging
There is a 6.82-inch 3168 x 1440 LTPO AMOLED display included on the front. That is a flat display with an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). It supports HDR10+ content, and it goes up to 4,500 nits of brightness at its peak. It is protected by the Crystal Shield ceramic glass. That display will also work when it’s wet thanks to Rain Touch 2.0. A 6,000mAh battery is also a part of the package. The company increased battery capacity quite a bit compared to its predecessor. The OnePlus 13 is also offering 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, in addition to 10W reverse wireless charging.
OnePlus upgraded ultrawide & telephoto camera hardware
A 50-megapixel main camera (Sony’s IMX808, 1/1.43-inch sensor, OIS, f/1.6 aperture) sits on the back. In addition to that, a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (Samsung’s JN1 1/1.27-inch sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 114-degree FoV, 3.5cm macro) is located back there, along with a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (1/1.95-inch sensor, 3x optical zoom, Sony LYT-600 sensor, f/2.6 aperture, 120x digital zoom). On the front of the phone, you’ll find a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Hasselblad is also a part of the package, of course. The company helped OnePlus with color tuning, while there is also the Hasselblad Master Mode included.
Android 15 + IP69 certification
Android 15 comes pre-installed on the device with ColorOS 15 in China, but OxygenOS 15 will be included on the global model. The phone also includes an in-display fingerprint scanner, though this time around it’s an ultrasonic one. That’s a notable improvement. Bluetooth 5.4 is also included here, while the phone supports WiFi 7 connectivity, and 5G as well. The OnePlus 13 is IP68 and IP69 certified. There is an IR blaster at the top, while a Type-C port sits at the bottom of the device. The OnePlus 13 measures 162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5mm, and weighs 213 grams.
How much does the OnePlus 13 cost?
At this point in time, the OnePlus 13 launched only in China. So we only have its price for China. There are 12GB, 16GB, and 24GB RAM versions, and four variants to choose from in general. The 12GB RAM variant comes with either 256GB or 512GB of storage, and those two models are priced at CNY4,499 ($632) and CNY4,899 (688). A 16GB RAM model comes with 512GB of storage and costs CNY5,299 ($744), while the 24GB RAM variant includes 1TB of storage and costs CNY5,999 ($842). The global launch will follow later on, so we’ll know other price tags once that happens. The phone will be more expensive in other markets. Based on what we’ve seen from the OnePlus 12, the price tags in Europe will be notably higher than in the US, for example.
Where can I buy the OnePlus 13?
Considering that the phone launched only in China at the moment, that’s the only place it will be available to purchase once the pre-order period is over. While you’ll be able to import the Chinese version, that is not advised. The global launch will follow in the coming weeks/months, and the phone will have wide availability. It will launch in the US, Canada, Europe, and various other markets. Depending on the market, you’ll be able to buy it from OnePlus directly, retailers, and/or carriers. In the US, it will be available from the OnePlus Store and various retailers. It remains to be seen if carriers will offer it this time around. Not a single one offers the OnePlus 12, so… we’ll see.
What carriers does it work on?
In terms of US carriers, we can only base this on what was the case with the previous model. The phone launched only in China thus far, so… we cannot know for sure. If the OnePlus 12 is any indication, however, the OnePlus 13 will work on all carriers in the US, pretty much. That goes for the big three, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, and all their MVNOs. Yes, even if you buy it from OnePlus or retailers, it doesn’t really matter. So chances are you won’t have to worry about that.
What colors does the OnePlus 13 come in?
The OnePlus 13 launched in three color variants in China. It arrived in black, blue, and white colors. Those colors, based on machine translation, are called Obsidian Black, Moment Blue, and Dew Morning Light. Chances are that black and white models will be available globally too, but the blue one could be replaced by a green color based on what we’ve heard via rumors. Nothing is for certain yet, so we’ll have to wait for the global launch, who knows? It’s also worth noting that the blue variant has vegan leather on the back, while the other two variants include glass.
What new upgrades and/or notable features does the OnePlus 13 offer?
As is the case every year, there are a number of improvements worth noting. We did list the phone’s specs at the beginning of the article, but here we’ll specifically highlight some of the most notable ones. Those will mostly be improvements in general compared to the OnePlus 12, and not only specs, but general improvements, be it features, design, etc. Some of these you probably already guessed, let’s get to it…
A brand new, immensely powerful processor
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is arguably the most powerful mobile processor on the market. It was announced by Qualcomm in October 2024, and it tops the benchmarks in almost every way. It also includes improvements in the power consumption department, and much more. The OnePlus 13 is among the first phones that launched with this processor. That, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, not to mention OnePlus’ optimization… we do expect outstanding performance.
Flat display, finally
OnePlus is finally ditching curved displays, well, at least when it comes to this phone. The company has been using curved panels for years, but it finally did what most other OEMs did… it reverted back to a flat panel. The BOE X2 display is included here, a 6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED panel that gets immensely bright. A display camera hole is centered up top, while this panel is also supposed to offer great viewing angles. HDR10+ is supported, as is Dolby Vision, while high-frequency PWM dimming is also a part of the package. To top it all off, Rain Touch 2.0 should make the display perfectly usable even when wet.
IP69 certification
The OnePlus 12 offered an IP65 certification, which was inferior to the IP68 certification most of its competitors offered. Well, OnePlus completely changed things around with the OnePlus 13. This smartphone comes with an IP69 certification, which only some rugged phones have. It is still IP68 certified at the same time, of course, but… the point is, this is an improvement. IP69 certification is basically the highest level of protection against solids and liquids. Diving is something else entirely, though.
Notable camera upgrades
Some of you may be disappointed to see the same main camera sensor on this phone, as the one on the OnePlus 12. Well, don’t be. Why? Because the periscope telephoto camera received a new periscope telephoto camera, while the ultrawide module has received a huge boost. Sony’s LYT-600 sensor is used for the periscope telephoto camera, a 1/1.95-inch sensor. The OnePlus 12 has a 1/2-inch sensor. For the ultrawide camera, Samsung’s JN1 1/1.27-inch sensor is used, a huge improvement over a 1/2-inch sensor on the OnePlus 12.
Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner
The OnePlus 13 includes an in-display fingerprint scanner, just like the OnePlus 12. The thing is, this phone comes with an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, not an optical one. Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanners are much more advanced and thus more secure than optical fingerprint scanners. This fingerprint sensor is also expected to be faster, even though the one on the OnePlus 12 was plenty fast and we didn’t have any issues while using it. Still, it’s nice to see an improvement here.
Magnetic wireless charging
OnePlus also announced magnetic wireless charging for the OnePlus 13. One thing to note, though, the phone itself does not support magnetic wireless charging. It does support 50W wireless charging, but in order to get the magnets involved, you’ll need a case. OnePlus will offer some of its own cases and other accessories, but we don’t have much information about them at the moment. Well, other than the image in which the company showed them (shown below). We’ll talk more about them once the phone gets globally announced.
What cases are available for the OnePlus 13?
More information regarding cases and accessories coming once the phone launches globally. The company did, however, show some cases and other accessories. Check out the image below.
Should I buy the OnePlus 13?
This is not a question we can answer yet. Not only did we not review the phone yet, but the device didn’t even launch globally at this point. The global launch is coming in the coming weeks/months, so we’ll be able to offer more insight then. The OnePlus 13 does seem like a really compelling device based on what OnePlus said during the China launch. It does bring a number of notable improvements, and I do have a feeling that it will be a true contender in the market. Its price tag will be very important too, though. We’ll see.
2024-10-31 15:07:29