I used the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R over the past month, through the 2024 holiday season and CES 2025– meaning I put them through some of the lightest and busiest workloads. There is not much to say about these new Android Phoneswho are fans of a little bit of everything. The premium OnePlus 13 has pretty much all the features you’d expect from a modern-day flagship smartphone.
THE OnePlus 13 starts at $900 for the base version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which slightly undercuts competitors, while the OnePlus 13R costs $600 – it has lesser specs than its sibling and lacks a few features. The updates for this generation are all about finesse. Software runs smoother, batteries last longer, screens are brighter, and phones are more water resistant. If you’re looking to change phone brands and battery life is the number one priority on your list, these OnePlus phones are worth considering.
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The OnePlus 13 and 13R look identical but have slight differences in their dimensions: the flagship has a 6.82-inch screen, while the cheaper phone has a 6.78-inch screen. The most obvious difference between the two is the Hasselblad branding on the OnePlus 13, as well as the more curved edges around the screen. The OnePlus 13R has flat edges, which I prefer because they’re easier to grip.
There’s a fun marbled pattern on the OnePlus 13 and a brushed look on the 13R, but neither looks as good as last year’s. OnePlus 12 and 12R-emerald and ice blue were chef’s kiss. There East a lovely Midnight Ocean color this year for the OnePlus 13, which features a luxurious-looking microfiber vegan leather, but I haven’t had a chance to try it out.
OnePlus has finally improved the water resistance of its high-end device. You now get a combined IP68 and IP69 rating, meaning the OnePlus 13 can be submerged underwater for 30 minutes up to 1.5 meters and can handle heavy rain. This finally puts him on par with his peers. The screen uses Ceramic Guard, which is OnePlus’ version of Apple’s Ceramic Glass, and it’s supposed to be tougher than the Gorilla Glass Victus found on other phones. Glass is glass and you should use a screen protector – my iPhone 16 Plus screen cracked during testing.
Speaking of displays, 120Hz OLED displays are sharp, colorful, and smooth. The only difference other than size is sharpness, although by default the OnePlus 13 is set to a lower resolution to save battery. Both are superb. My only complaint is that I had to manually adjust the brightness slider more often than on most other Android phones. These devices simply dimmed the brightness a little too much for me.
The OnePlus 13R makes do with an IP65 rating, which is acceptable in the rain but might not survive a dip in the pool. It is also one of the first to use the Corning system. Gorilla Glass 7iwhich is a budget-to-mid-range offering from the Glass maker, so don’t expect the same level of durability, although it should be comparable, or even slightly better, than other phones at this price. The rest of the hardware is perfect, and the OnePlus alert slider makes me wish every phone had a slide switch to go from Mute, Vibrate, and Sound (ahem, Apple). I don’t mind the extremely large camera bump.
