I haven’t been on OnePlus for a while. The last time I picked one up was the 3T, way back in 2016. It’s been a minute. But after spending some time with the brand-new OnePlus 13, I’ve got to say, OnePlus, I now choose you, and here’s my full review.
Design and Durability
I can tell you that this thing is loaded with high-end features, some I’ve never seen before, and it still manages to undercut the competition on starting price $899.99 . Launching this in the US and Canada right now, before Samsung drops the Galaxy S25, is a bold move, but honestly, it deserves all the attention. I’ve got the white model here, officially named Arctic Dawn. I’m not crazy about the offset circular camera design, but at least it doesn’t wobble like crazy when used on a table. It’s also much easier to wipe off and isn’t as much of a dust magnet as phones where the lenses sit on their own.
The back has a nice matte texture with a sparkly finish, which is kind of cool. Bonus points because it pretty much eliminates fingerprints. It does feel a bit like plastic but apparently, it’s glass.
About durability OnePlus has gone from being behind the curve to ahead of it. This phone is not just IP68-rated for dust and water resistance; it’s also IP69-certified. This means it can handle splashes, spills, and apparently even a trip through the dishwasher.
Display
On the front, OnePlus 13 has what they’re calling a 2.5D quad-curved display. Basically, the display area itself is completely flat, but there’s a subtle curve that wraps around the bezels on the top, bottom, and sides. Putting it next to the 13R, which has a completely flat display, it looks like the 13 has larger bezels due to the curves. The other drawback is that glass screen protectors will probably still be a pain to get right. I think I still prefer a completely flat display, but I have to admit this does make the phone look very sleek and elegant.
So, what’s it like to use? First of all, gestures feel way smoother since your thumb naturally glides over the curved edges. Plus, because the curves don’t extend over the display, there’s very little distortion, and glare isn’t as much of an issue. I also appreciate that it comes with a pre-installed screen protector right out of the box.
Besides that, the display also has some thoughtful quality-of-life features. First, there’s glove mode. With it being winter here in Toronto, I’ve genuinely appreciated this. Next, there’s the built-in Aqua Touch feature, which keeps the screen fully responsive even when it’s wet. Water tends to make touch screens go crazy, but not on this. Finally, the display comes with some anti-flicker modes. If you’re sensitive to OLED screen flicker, this could be the difference between feeling totally fine or getting a headache or feeling nauseous.
Software and OxygenOS
The software experience can really make or break a device, and man, I didn’t realize how much I’d like Oxygen. It’s like they took the fluid responsiveness of Pixel phones and combined it with the features and customization Samsung phones are known for. For example, they’ve got floating windows you can minimize and call back up as needed. There’s a handy sidebar that gives you quick access to apps, AI tools, and even files, thanks to this cool little file dock where you can quickly save all kinds of stuff.
Split screen? They’ve actually made it better. The open canvas feature lets you keep one app in an almost full-screen view while the other stays open but slightly off-screen. From there, just tap anywhere on the second app to bring it into view.
When it comes to customization, they let you do a lot. You can rename apps on the home screen or even remove titles in the quick settings for a much cleaner look. Then there are the little quality-of-life features: a three-finger swipe up lets you quickly jump into split view, and a three-finger swipe down takes a screenshot. Swiping upwards from the edge of the display pulls down all visible icons to make the phone more one-hand friendly. Screen-off gestures are super handy too draw an “O” to open the camera or a “V” to toggle the flashlight.
They’ve even borrowed some ideas from iOS, like the option to use a split-view dropdown panel: swipe down on the left for notifications and the right for quick settings, and you can easily switch between the two. The live alerts are basically a mini Dynamic Island replica—not a bad one either but yeah, it doesn’t have nearly as many functions as Galaxy phones or iPhones.
As for updates, you’re looking at 4 years of OS and 6 years of security patches, which is good but doesn’t quite match what Samsung and Google are giving you. Plus, there’s always the question of how timely those updates will be. The software experience can really make or break a device, and man, I didn’t realize how much I’d like Oxygen. It’s like they took the fluid responsiveness of Pixel phones and combined it with the features and customization Samsung phones are known for. For example, they’ve got floating windows you can minimize and call back up as needed. There’s a handy sidebar that gives you quick access to apps, AI tools, and even files, thanks to this cool little file dock where you can quickly save all kinds of stuff.
Battery Life
The OnePlus 13 has a massive 6,000 milliamp-hour battery, combine that with the improved efficiency of the new processor, and I’ve been getting about two days of use per charge with upwards of 11 hours of screen-on time. If you’re a really light user, two and a half to three days isn’t out of the question.
It comes with an 80W charging brick in the box—thank you for that, OnePlus. It can go from 0% to 100% in just around 36 minutes or 50% in just 15 minutes. That’s very fast. Once you get used to that kind of charging speed, it’s honestly kind of painful going back to anything slower. Great battery life and wicked fast charging are a killer combo.
It also supports wireless charging up to 50W, but only if you use the OnePlus wireless charger; otherwise, it’s much lower. This phone is CH2 certified, but it doesn’t have any magnets in the phone itself, so you’ll have to rely on cases for MagSafe compatibility. Oh, it also does reverse wireless charging, if you care about that.
Performance and Gaming
| Processor | Single-Core | Multi-Core |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Gen 3 | 2134 | 6670 |
| 8 Gen Elite | 3064 | 9364 |
OnePlus 13 powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm’s flagship processor for 2025. This will be in most flagship phones this year. If you care about numbers, it’s a very sizable jump in performance over last year. Plus, they’ve improved the cooling as well, so gamers will be happy. It’s definitely a powerhouse, and like I’ve mentioned, the battery efficiency is clearly very good. However, for everyday tasks, you likely won’t feel a huge difference from last year’s chip. The Gen 3 was already plenty fast for the majority of us. Here’s hoping we start seeing more AAA games or pro-level apps make their way to Android to take advantage of all this power we’ve got in our pockets now.
The haptics are really well done, right up there with the Pixel phones. If you get the chance, try the haptic demo in the settings, it’s very impressive stuff. You’ve got to feel it to appreciate it. I believe OnePlus is still the only brand doing a three-position alert slider for silent, vibrate, and ring modes. I wish it was more customizable, but yeah, still a standout feature. Then there’s the IR blaster, which I didn’t think I would like as much as I do, but being able to control my TV with my phone is underrated. You can even add remotes to a widget for quicker access.
Cameras
The cameras are tuned by Hasselblad, giving photos their own unique look. In general, I’m happy with the pictures—they do look good—but shadows are a bit darker than I’m used to, and highlight control is hit-or-miss at times. A big win for OnePlus, though, is how well it captures moving subjects, like an energetic 2-year-old. So for you parents and pet owners out there, you don’t have to miss these types of moments.
The zoom lens is three times optical, so you won’t get quite the same quality as some other phones with five times zoom, but it’s been more than good enough for my everyday use. Shots up to six times zoom are apparently lossless, which is why OnePlus has a dedicated six-times button.
My only real complaint with the telephoto is how far the focus distance is. It’s really obvious in manual mode for example, if I try to take a three-times zoom shot of this keyboard, you’ll see it just won’t focus. I found that whatever you’re shooting needs to be at least an arm’s length away. In auto mode, they counteract this with the focus assist feature, where it basically switches to the ultra-wide for the photo instead.
Video quality is decent. It captures videos in Dolby Vision, which look great on HDR displays. It’s nothing groundbreaking but it gets the job done. While I don’t think the cameras are quite on the same level as Apple, Google or Samsung, the gap isn’t all that big, and it’s much better than I was giving it credit for. I just don’t have as many of those “wow, that’s an amazing photo” moments.
Conclusion
So, if you haven’t noticed by now, I’m genuinely impressed with how solid the OnePlus 13 is. My perception of OnePlus was that their software was unpolished, and they must be cutting corners to keep the price lower than the competition. But after spending some time with this phone, I think I owe them an apology. The software is silky smooth, the battery and charging are insane, the cameras are better than I expected, and the features you get for the price—yeah, it’s all really attractive. It just feels like a very well-rounded phone with no real obvious deal-breakers.
OnePlus might not have the mainstream appeal of Apple, Samsung, or Google, but if you’re looking for a flagship phone that offers great value, especially with a good trade-in deal or sale.
