OnePlus 13 assessment: An important possibility when you’re sick of the standard flagships

Whereas there is a sturdy world market of smartphone producers, within the U.S., most individuals are most likely rocking one thing made by Apple, Samsung, or Google. These firms all make completely effective flagship telephones, however if you’d like an alternate, OnePlus 13 is likely to be the one for you.

The newest handset from OnePlus is, if nothing else, proof that the Chinese language firm can grasp with the large boys. To be honest, loads of earlier OnePlus telephones have kind of confirmed that too, however the case has by no means been extra convincing than it’s now. The $899 OnePlus 13 provides you almost all the pieces you’d need from a contemporary flagship, together with glorious efficiency, a fairly show, some AI options when you’re into that type of factor, and top-of-the-line smartphone batteries I’ve ever seen.

OnePlus 13: Specs

Beginning at $899, here is what you get while you shell out for a OnePlus 13:

Put merely, it is a huge flagship telephone with huge flagship specs. The Snapdragon 8 Elite processor is top-of-the-line, and is making its U.S. debut with OnePlus 13. It’s extensively anticipated to additionally energy the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25, so OnePlus technically beat Samsung to the punch right here. For some further money you’ll be able to bump the RAM as much as 16GB or the storage as much as 512GB, however sadly, there isn’t any 1TB possibility for the true storage sickos on the market.

Whereas OnePlus makes use of a proprietary working system known as OxygenOS, it was initially primarily based on Android, and thus shall be acquainted to anybody who often makes use of Android telephones. The newest OxygenOS construct is clear, missing in a number of the up-front bloatware that used to plague these telephones.

OnePlus 13: Show

It is a good show.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

One factor you will discover instantly upon selecting up a OnePlus 13 is that the show could be very good. Its 3168×1440 decision is sharp as hell, and its 4,500 nits of peak brightness make it a pleasure to take a look at in direct daylight. The refresh price is dynamic, oscillating between 1 and 120Hz to supply peak smoothness whereas preserving battery the place it may well.

There’s not rather more to say concerning the show, actually. It has all the pieces you’d need from a flagship smartphone show. Contemplating my iPhone 16 is priced solely $100 cheaper than OnePlus 13 and would not supply anyplace close to as a lot when it comes to decision or refresh price, I might say OnePlus has settled onto a great worth right here.

OnePlus 13: Design

Design is one space the place I discover OnePlus 13 to be somewhat questionable.

That does not actually have something to do with the best way it seems to be, although. Whereas a 6.8-inch show means it is a very giant telephone and thus is not going to be nice for anybody with smaller palms, it is not less than trendy to the attention. It is received an enormous, cool-looking rear digicam module designed by the Swedish firm Hasselblad, which is now not awkwardly hooked up to the facet of the telephone by an enormous clamp-looking factor prefer it was on the final couple of OnePlus units. It is a free-floating digicam module now, oriented to the left facet of the telephone, close to the highest of the rear finish.

It seems to be cool, however I do not love the best way it feels.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

As for colours, your choices are Midnight Ocean, Arctic Daybreak, and Black Eclipse. In less complicated phrases: Darkish blue, white, and black, respectively. OnePlus offered me with an Arctic Daybreak mannequin, and I do suppose it seems to be spiffy.

My points with the telephone’s design are virtually completely to do with OnePlus’s selection to make use of a microfiber vegan leather-based texture on the telephone’s rear facet. I will admit that this can be a cool thought in concept. I’ve by no means used a telephone that appears like this within the palms, and I am positive loads of individuals will prefer it. For me, although, it simply feels form of…greasy? There is no precise moisture, however the leathery texture all the time makes it really feel prefer it’s on the verge of slipping out of my palms, as if my fingers are sweaty, even once they’re not.

OnePlus 13: Efficiency

Because of the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor powering the OnePlus 13, I am unable to actually consider something unfavorable to say concerning the telephone’s efficiency profile.

In relation to each day use (which, for me, principally manifests as social media and streaming music or movies), all the pieces runs easily. Apps open and cargo rapidly and I detected no quantity of slowdown when attempting to do quite a bit without delay. I additionally respect that the telephone by no means turned heat on me, even whereas doing considerably intensive battery testing.

If you’d like a extra analytical method to efficiency appraisal, the Geekbench 6 benchmarking software program was additionally sort to OnePlus 13. Its multi-core CPU rating was 9,092, which is greater than 2,000 factors larger than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely, which got here in at 6,782. That Snapdragon 8 Elite processor is the true deal.

OnePlus 13: Battery life

You will not want to make use of the charging port all that usually.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Having mentioned all of that, by far essentially the most spectacular factor concerning the OnePlus 13’s efficiency is its battery life. It lasts so lengthy that testing it for this assessment was really harder than it often is for smartphones.

I believe you can simply begin sooner or later at 100% battery and make it properly into the afternoon of the following day with out plugging in when you wished to. Proof: I used to be ready to do this. This factor merely refuses to die, until you do what I did and loop an HD video in full display screen till it dies. Utilizing that technique, I used to be capable of wring 24 hours of steady playback out of the OnePlus 13. Unbelievable.

If that is not sufficient, it additionally fees unbelievably quick, offered you employ the included cable and wall adapter. Simply half an hour of charging will most likely get you thru a full day.

OnePlus 13: AI options

Sure, the OnePlus 13 brings some AI options to the fold that weren’t current in earlier OnePlus units. Full disclosure: I hate many of the issues we name “AI” nowadays. I made it clear once I reviewed the Google Pixel 9 final 12 months that “magic” textual content and photograph enhancing instruments that use generative AI really cheapen the experiences of written communication and images. Sadly, OnePlus packed in a handful of AI options which might be kind of similar to what I used to be speaking about again then.

As an illustration, you’ll be able to have AI clear up or reformat textual content in your notes or textual content messages. Ho-hum. Each telephone can try this now, plus it’s best to actually have the ability to write your personal textual content messages when you’re an grownup. Circle to Search can be right here, which is likely one of the few AI options that’s really helpful and sensible.

Left:
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

Proper:
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

Many of the AI options are within the realm of photograph enhancing. You’ll be able to circle or spotlight objects in photographs to have objects erase them, similar to on Pixel telephones. This labored OK in my transient testing, although it inexplicably could not take away an object that ought to have been simply detachable in a single photograph. “Magic Unblur” supposedly removes movement blur from photographs, however I had a tough time getting it to make a lot of a distinction.

The identical goes for “AI Element Increase,” which is meant to sharpen photos and make them look higher. Once I tried this, the tip outcomes had been practically indistinguishable from the unique photographs. Your mileage could fluctuate. I do not essentially need to sound like a Luddite, however the growing encroachment of those options that make all the pieces look too good and faux would not make me really feel good.

OnePlus 13: Cameras

The aforementioned Hasselblad digicam array on the rear finish of the OnePlus 13 features a trio of lenses, within the large, ultrawide, and telephoto selection. All three measure in at 50MP, which is sweet and easy.

In observe, photographs taken on the OnePlus 13 utilizing default settings look effective. You may need to excuse how gray and gloomy New York Metropolis was throughout the testing interval. I discovered that photographs typically seemed sharp and fairly, if somewhat unnaturally vibrant in comparison with what my eyes had been really seeing at instances.

It was nasty exterior.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

The zoom lens is ready to produce spectacular ranges of readability from distant, although I might level out that you may see the software program fudging some particulars when you look intently sufficient.

Zoomed all the best way in.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

One difficulty, which is per my experiences utilizing earlier OnePlus telephones, is that nighttime photographs usually appear like they’ve studio lighting on them or one thing. They’re just too shiny for my style. Sure, you’ll be able to see what’s occurring in them higher than you can previous to software-enhanced nighttime images, however it would not look something like what I noticed with my eyes.

Too shiny IMO.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

Nonetheless, except for that, it is a good set of smartphone cameras. Macro images permits you to get excessive quantities of element on small objects, as an illustration.

Macro is cool.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

And, as all the time, portrait mode can create a pleasant bokeh impact while you want it.

Good boy.
Credit score: Alex Perry/Mashable

OnePlus 13: Remaining ideas

By many of the metrics that matter, OnePlus 13 is a wonderful smartphone. For $899, you get a vibrant show, AI options that not less than have some parity with the competitors, top-of-the-line smartphone batteries ever, and top-level efficiency.

Personally, I would not name the OnePlus 13 cameras a promoting level on their very own, though they’re completely effective. Past that, I do not love its vegan leather-based again texture, and I nonetheless have main qualms with all the AI creep in our lives. However when you want a brand new Android (or Android-like) telephone and need to get out of the Apple/Google/Samsung bubble, that is most likely the best way to do it.