Understanding when to improve your smartphone is often extra sophisticated than it must be. High firms like Google, Apple, Samsung, and OnePlus all the time come out with a few of the greatest {hardware} and software program assist, which makes these choices much more tough. However it’s early 2025, and OnePlus and Samsung have their subsequent flagship lined up. We have been anticipating the OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S25 sequence since final 12 months.
As indicated in our overview, we beloved what OnePlus provides with the OnePlus 13, so we have highlighted a few of the greatest the reason why the OnePlus 13 is perhaps the improve you want.
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An even bigger battery, IP69, and a lot extra
7
The OnePlus 13 has superior water resistance
IP69 is the very best safety you possibly can realistically get
Your telephone could have to climate a storm (actually). The IP69 protects towards high-pressure liquids, steam cleansing, and dirt. In idea, the OnePlus 13 can face up to a sudden downpour, and for those who by accident depart it close to a steam tub, the telephone ought to be capable to deal with it. We by no means suggest submerging your gadget deliberately, but when an accident happens, you ought to be okay. Climate forecasts are always altering and may be unpredictable at instances, so not worrying about your gadget’s situation is all the time a perk. The OnePlus 13 stays adaptable, and we’re grateful for that.
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The OnePlus 13 has Aqua Contact 2.0
The display sensitivity is spectacular
One in every of my favourite options of the OnePlus 12 sequence is its use of Aqua Contact know-how. Aqua Contact permits OnePlus telephones to detect when water droplets are on the display or for those who’ve touched the gadget with moist palms. After detecting moisture, the contact sensitivity is adjusted. When you’ve got naturally moist fingers like me, you’ll understand how difficult it may be to unlock your telephone with fingerprint biometrics.
OnePlus 13 takes it a step additional by bettering on the components. The display will get much more delicate on liquid contact, even for those who’ve by accident spilled your drink or tried searching for your telephone after a bathe. It stays operational regardless of the circumstances, and seeing the OnePlus 13 carry this on in its subsequent era is nice.
Additionally, do you know that the OnePlus 13 has a Gloves Mode? Turning this mode on enables you to use your telephone even whereas carrying gloves — it is nifty!
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5
The OnePlus 13 has tremendous quick charging
You do not have to attend too lengthy
Final 12 months, we heard rumors that the OnePlus 13 would supply quick charging of as much as 100W. Beforehand, 100W was supported within the earlier 12 months, however solely an 80W charger made it out to the US. A wired 80W charger continues to be coming, however not in Europe. Sadly, OnePlus would not ship the quicker charger; you’d have to purchase one individually from OnePlus to get these perks.
The OnePlus 13 additionally helps 50W wi-fi charging. Nonetheless, the gadget would not have built-in magnets for Qi2, however it could actually nonetheless use Qi2 and MagSafe equipment with OnePlus’ official magnetic instances.
It took our reviewer solely 34 minutes to cost the OnePlus 13 with fast sensible charging enabled.
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The OnePlus 13’s battery is spectacular
It revolutionizes smartphone battery life
The OnePlus 12 had a beefy battery of 5400mAh. OnePlus determined to extend this 12 months’s battery to six,000mAh. Most smartphones of comparable dimension solely have round 5,000mAh. The OnePlus 12 sequence already had spectacular batteries together with environment friendly CPUs. So, having the corporate construct on this basis may be very thrilling and turns into nicely well worth the funding for those who’re rocking an growing old telephone. The OnePlus 13’s big battery ought to comfortably get you thru a whole day.
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3
The OnePlus 13 makes use of a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset
Qualcomm’s new era of SoC is bonkers
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite is taken into account among the finest for cell chipsets. The chip is performance-driven, power environment friendly, and may deal with demanding duties like higher-end gaming. Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 8 Elite is 44 % extra energy environment friendly than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. We already know that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 was a powerhouse in earlier flagships, as proven in our raving overview of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely. There’s lots to like, and if you’d like your telephone to be a imply machine, having Qualcomm’s greatest chip but will not allow you to down.
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The OnePlus 13 comes with OxygenOS 15
It comes with nice software program
OxygenOS is OnePlus’ customized Android software program. It is nearer to a inventory expertise than Samsung’s OneUI. The software program all the time felt clear, easy, and clutter-free. OxygenOS 15 relies on Android 15. It additionally comes full of new instruments like parallel processing, AI options for photograph enhancing, Circle to Search, and extra. OxygenOS 15 is a step up from its predecessor, lastly closing the hole with different units which have AI baked into the software program. OxygenOS 15 appears like an absolute deal with to make use of, and we’re glad to see it launched with the OnePlus 13.
1
The OnePlus 13 has inexpensive pricing for a flagship
The trade-in provides are pretty first rate
The OnePlus 13 prices $899.99 (USD) for the bottom 12/256GB mannequin. The 16GB of RAM and 512GB model will price round $999.99 (USD). In comparison with the OnePlus 12, it prices $100 extra, so it is probably not price it for those who’re nonetheless hanging onto your OnePlus 12. Nonetheless, you possibly can commerce it any eligible gadget to knock off a number of hundred {dollars} on that price ticket, so it could be price it for those who’re a number of generations behind. Plus, relying on the timeframe and nation, you possibly can rating reductions and freebies on storage and RAM.
If the OnePlus 13 continues to be barely out of your value vary, chances are you’ll wish to look into the OnePlus 13R; it carries comparable specs (worse digital camera and processor) however nonetheless provides a extremely premium expertise at a lower cost level. We beloved the OnePlus 12R a lot that it felt like a disservice to name it a midrange telephone — it has the “flagship killer” label for a purpose. The OnePlus 13R brings that very same hearth.
Do you have to improve to a OnePlus 13?
The OnePlus 13 is a good telephone. It improves the components however would not change a lot for those who purchased the OnePlus 12 from final 12 months. What you search for in a smartphone improve is subjective. Nonetheless, for those who’re already accustomed to the OnePlus ecosystem and wish a telephone improve now, the OnePlus 13 may serve you nicely, particularly if the highlighted options attraction to you from this checklist.
The one draw back is that OnePlus nonetheless would not have the strongest software program assist; OnePlus confirmed that the OnePlus 13 and 13R will obtain 4 main Android updates however can have 5 years of safety patches. It is higher than it was once, however to not the identical degree as Samsung’s and Google’s seven-year promise.