Midrange telephones have come a good distance

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  Premium flagship

  Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely
  

  The Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely is a strong and premium gadget that goals to ship the whole lot you would ever need in a smartphone. It is an incredible Android gadget however carries a excessive price ticket like all full-featured gadget that claims to be the very best.

  Execs & Cons

  • Highly effective efficiency
  • Nice digital camera versatility
  • Stunning show
  • Lengthy software program help

  • Very costly
  • Galaxy AI is well ignored
  • Slower charging speeds

• 

  Flagship high quality for much less

  OnePlus 13R
  

  The OnePlus 13R is an incredible cellphone that one way or the other manages to maintain the worth low whereas sustaining wonderful efficiency. It is a very well-rounded cellphone that makes you suppose twice about spending any extra on a cellphone when it will really feel the identical ultimately.

  Execs & Cons

  • Vivid and delightful show
  • Nice efficiency
  • Multi-day battery life
  • OxygenOS is nice

  • Middling digital camera high quality
  • No wi-fi charging
  • Software program help is not as lengthy

It’s nonetheless early, however OnePlus has been on hearth this 12 months. The OnePlus 13 generated a ton of well-deserved buzz, and the inexpensive OnePlus 13R is virtually a shoo-in for the finest finances cellphone. There’s so much to love in regards to the OnePlus 13R, particularly its performance-to-price ratio, however how does it stand as much as one thing dearer?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely might not be probably the most thrilling model within the Extremely sequence, but it surely’s an ideal cellphone. It’s filled with premium specs and lengthy software program help however has a sky-high price ticket. Can the OnePlus 13R, which prices lower than half the worth of the Galaxy S25 Extremely, stand toe-to-toe and make a compelling argument that it’s the higher choice? This battle is nearer than you might suppose.

Worth, availability, and specs

Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 Extremely in February 2025. It may be discovered at most carriers, instantly from Samsung, or from a retailer like Amazon or Finest Purchase. It comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage, which prices $1,300, $1,420, and $1,660 respectively. There are seven titanium colorways, which embody Black, Grey, Silverblue, Whitesilver, Jadegreen, Jetblack, and Pinkgold. The final three are unique to Samsung.

The OnePlus 13R launched in January 2025 and is available in a single configuration consisting of 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It may be had within the Nebular Noir or Astral Path colorways. OnePlus doesn’t promote its units by means of carriers in the US. As an alternative, you’ll purchase it instantly from OnePlus or a retailer like Finest Purchase. At solely $600, the OnePlus 13R prices considerably lower than the $1,300 Galaxy S25 Extremely and has the identical 256GB of storage.

• 	Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely	OnePlus 13R
  SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
  Show sort	LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz	OLED, 120Hz
  Show dimensions	6.9″	6.78″, 19.8:9
  Show decision	3120 x 1440	2780 × 1264
  RAM	12GB	12 or 16GB LPDDR5X
  Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	256GB or 512GB
  Battery	5,000mAh	6000mAh
  Cost pace	45W	55W
  Cost choices	USB-C wired, Qi wi-fi	USB-C wired
  Ports	USB-C	USB-C
  Working System	Android 15 and One UI 7	Android 15 and OxygenOS 15.0
  Entrance digital camera	12MP f/2.2	16MP f/2.4
  Rear digital camera	200MP f/1.7 important, 50MP f/1.9 ultrawide, 10MP f/2.4 telephoto, 50MP f/3.4 telephoto	50MP f/1.8 important, 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide, 50MP f/2.0 2x telephoto
  Mobile connectivity	Sub-6 & mmWave 5G	Sub-6 5G
  Wi-Fi connectivity	Wi-Fi 7	Wi-Fi 7
  Connectivity	NFC, UWB	NFC
  Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4
  Dimensions	162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm	161.72 × 75.77 × 8.02mm
  Weight	218g	206g
  IP Ranking	IP68	IP65
  Colours	Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Silverblue	Nebula Noir and Astral Path
  Stylus	Sure, S Pen	No

Design

Acquainted, however nice designs

Smartphone producers don’t wish to reinvent the wheel and are comfy reusing previous designs, particularly if they’ve an iconic look. Maintaining that in thoughts, don’t anticipate these units to hold radically completely different designs from earlier generations.

The Galaxy S25 Extremely has extra rounded corners and an aluminum body with flat edges than earlier iterations, however there isn’t any mistaking this for an Extremely gadget. You’ll discover its quad digital camera array on the glass again, with every lens protruding independently of one another. The S Pen is current, though it loses Bluetooth this 12 months. There are skinny bezels on the entrance, and the ability and quantity buttons are on the fitting facet.

OnePlus has additionally gone with an aluminum body, a glass again, and skinny bezels on the entrance. The fitting facet homes the ability and quantity buttons, and the left facet homes the alert slider. OnePlus has caught with its round digital camera housing for the 13R, which provides it a novel look.

With an IP68 ranking and Gorilla Armor 2 glass on the back and front, the S25 Extremely provides extra resistance to the weather than the IP65 ranking and Gorilla Glass 7i on the OnePlus 13R. Samsung additionally incorporates an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, whereas OnePlus makes use of an optical one. By way of measurement, the OnePlus 13R is a bit smaller and lighter than the Galaxy S25 Extremely.

Show

Stunning and shiny

The Extremely sequence is thought for its stunning shows, and the S25 Extremely continues that legacy. Samsung outfitted the Galaxy S25 Extremely with a big 6.9-inch dynamic LTPO AMOLED show with a 3,120 x 1,440 decision, which makes for a pixel density of 498ppi. It has a 120Hz refresh price that may drop to 1Hz to preserve battery and is loads shiny due to its 2,600 nits of peak brightness.

To not be outdone, OnePlus went with a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED show with a 2,780 x 1,264 decision, which makes for a barely decrease pixel density of 450ppi. It has a 120Hz refresh price that may drop to 1Hz and has a brighter display with 4,500 nits of peak brightness. The show sharpness is a contact lower than the Galaxy, however you’ll be happy with both show.

Software program

OxygenOS is an excellent match for One UI

The Galaxy S25 Extremely and the OnePlus 13R include Android 15 and their customized software program layer on high. The S25 Extremely comes with One UI 7, which locations a big emphasis on AI. The OnePlus 13R comes with OxygenOS 15, which is nice sufficient to rival Samsung’s One UI.

One UI and OxygenOS are extremely customizable Android skins which can be quick and assist you to arrange Android the way you need it. They will run a number of apps on the identical time, though Samsung takes it a step additional with DeX. Dex lets you connect with an exterior show and peripherals for a desktop-like expertise. Each have numerous AI capabilities, however Samsung locations extra emphasis on AI than OnePlus.

With seven years of Android OS upgrades and safety updates, Samsung provides higher software program help. OnePlus is getting higher, with 4 years of Android OS upgrades and 6 years of safety updates, but it surely falls behind what Samsung provides.

Efficiency

Right now’s flagship or yesterday’s

Samsung went with the newest and biggest Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and 12GB of RAM within the Galaxy S25 Extremely. The OnePlus went with 12GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which was utilized in most flagship units final 12 months.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite processor is the stronger performer right here in most something you ask it to do. Nonetheless, smartphone processors have reached some extent of diminishing returns, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor within the OnePlus 13R will really feel simply as succesful.

They each play the newest video games at their highest graphical settings and haven’t any hassle doing superior duties. Routine issues like internet shopping or video playback gained’t trigger both to interrupt a sweat. Does the Snapdragon 8 Elite benchmark larger? Completely, however you gained’t discover a lot distinction in real-world efficiency.

Battery life

Charging pace vs. charging choices

Samsung went with a 5,000mAh battery within the Galaxy S25 Extremely, which is nice for a stable day of heavy use. You’ll wish to cost it every evening, however Samsung provides an array of charging choices, albeit at slower speeds. It may be charged at as much as 45W wired and 15W wi-fi and is able to 4.5W reverse wi-fi charging.

The OnePlus 13R has a large 6,000mAh battery, which is nice for 2 days of use except you do one thing notably taxing. Charging choices are restricted to wired solely, so you’ll be able to’t do wi-fi charging with the 13R. The wired charging choice is quick, with as much as 100W of charging pace, though it comes with a 55W charger within the field.

Digicam

A transparent winner

The Galaxy S25 Extremely comes with a quad-camera setup consisting of a 200MP, f/1.7 major lens with OIS, a 50MP, f/1.9 ultrawide with a 120-degree area of view, a 50MP, f/3.4 periscope telephoto lens with OIS and 5x optical zoom, and a 10MP, f/2.4 telephoto lens with OIS and a 3x optical zoom. You additionally get a 12MP, f/2.2 front-facing digital camera in your selfie wants.

OnePlus makes use of a triple digital camera setup, which features a 50MP, f/1.8 major lens with OIS, a 50MP, f/2.0 telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, and an 8MP, f/2.2 ultrawide with a 112-degree area of view. You additionally get a 16MP, f/2.4 selfie digital camera.

Each units get great-looking photographs and video, however the S25 Extremely is the clear winner right here. It has extra highly effective digital camera lenses, along with a larger number of lenses to select from. It will probably zoom in additional, and its ultrawide provides a wider area of view.

Which is best for you?

Deciding between telephones could be troublesome, particularly when they’re in an analogous value bracket. It will get exponentially tougher when the worth hole is as extensive as on this comparability, because the cheaper gadget may have some trade-offs to maintain the worth to a minimal.

In a stunning twist, the OnePlus 13R will get the victory on this comparability. OnePlus needed to lower corners to maintain the worth down, but it surely made some good selections that didn’t impression the standard of the cellphone. The 13R provides a flagship-level design, highly effective efficiency, nice software program, and unimaginable battery life. Its digital camera, whereas good, doesn’t fairly match up with the S25 Extremely. It’s the largest space the place price financial savings could be discovered, but it surely’s nonetheless a succesful shooter.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely is an incredible gadget, geared up with a stunning show, top-of-the-line efficiency, a incredible design, lengthy software program help, and a flexible digital camera array. Whereas it’s unquestionably the higher gadget on the specs sheet, it’s not $700 higher. If you’re firmly within the Samsung ecosystem or need the extra versatile digital camera array and S Pen, you might have considered trying the S25 Extremely, however for everybody else, the OnePlus 13R is greater than ok.