OnePlus 13 Now the Newest Entrant In the Android ‘Elite’ Class Of 2025

The unlucky 13! Or the lucky one? The marketing team at OnePlus isn’t skipping digits this time naming its newest flagship. Defying stereotypes or supreme confidence in the OnePlus 13?

Announced as one of the first few phones in the world to rock Qualcomm’s newest 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the OnePlus 13 is more than just its processor. Unlike its forefathers, this one is an all-out flagship that is sparing nothing in pursuit of excellence.

At least that’s what OnePlus wants us to believe for now. 

Limited to the Chinese audiences for now, the OnePlus 13 will eventually make its way to the global markets, including India. Here, OnePlus will pit it against the rumoured Samsung Galaxy S25 series and Apple’s iPhone 16, the latter dripping with intelligence. 

But what’s in it for you and me? Has OnePlus finally made a phone that’s convincing enough to pull us off our iPhones? Is it offering the full-fledged AI-equipped deal as its higher-priced siblings from Samsung and Google? 

Let’s find out.

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OnePlus 13: Does it spell unlucky for the American ‘16’?

That’s a question for the market and time to tell. For now, the OnePlus 13 is an interesting culmination of numbers on paper. 6,000mAh battery, a cutting-edge 3nm chip, a 6.8-inch display, IP69 certification and a lot more. 

Let’s go over all the key areas where the OnePlus 13 comes across as a notable improvement over the OnePlus 12. 

- The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset offers a notable improvement over the outgoing OnePlus 12’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Based on the new 3nm process, the chip’s Oryon cores allow the phone to not only ace multitasking and intensive processing but also run AAA video games from consoles directly on-device. 

- RAM capacity has been bumped up to 12GB as standard. However, those seeking more can opt for the higher variants equipped with 16GB and 24GB RAM! What would you do with 24GB RAM on an Android phone?

- Similarly, the storage capacity has also been bumped up to 256GB for the base variant. Higher variants offer the option to expand up to 512GB and 1TB. Who needs cloud storage when you have 1TB of memory on your phone?

- Although the Chinese iteration comes with Oppo’s ColorOS, the Indian variant will come with OxygenOS 15. OnePlus recently documented all the improvements on the new Android skin and the focus remains on offering fluid animations and generative AI features. 

- A new vibration motor, which at 602mm3 is claimed to be the biggest vibration motor to be ever put in an Android phone. Not that we were complaining about vibrations on the OnePlus 12 but hey, who doesn’t like better haptic feedback?

- Although the design has been refined to shed curves in favour of flat surfaces, OnePlus 13 gets the IP69 certification for water and dust resistance. You read that right – IP69! This certifies it to be durable against liquids exerting high pressure and a steam cleaning process. 

- The ‘green line issue’ on the display of OnePlus devices is yet to be addressed. However, on the OnePlus 13, the company has made strides with a new panel that’s devoid of those tempting curves on the edges. The phone gets BOE’s X2 LTPO OLED panel which comes with 1440p resolution and a variable refresh rate of 1Hz-120Hz. 

The panel has a typical brightness of 800 nits but when you want those HDR colours to stand out, it can boost it to 4,500 nits! Cue Blinding Lights by The Weeknd! 

- The fingerprint sensor is better too. Unlike the optical unit on the previous model, the ultrasonic sensor on the OnePlus 13 theoretically makes it capable of unlocking phones with wet fingers! Indians would love it in the summers now.

- Powering the phone is a new 6,000mAh capacity battery made of silicon-carbon material, which should technically improve the stamina. The wired charging continues to be rated at 100W (yay!) while the wireless charging with OnePlus’ proprietary pad can is rated at 50W. 

- For old-time OnePlus fans, there's another good news. The Alert Slider remains! It is permanent. Hurray! 

Does it still have Hasselblad cameras?

Yes, the partnership with Hasselblad still exists and that translates to the OnePlus 13 flaunting the camera maker’s logo on its back. 

The main camera uses a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-808 sensor equipped with a 23mm lens and an OIS system. This is accompanied by another 50-megapixel Sony LYT-600 sensor equipped with a periscope lens offering 3x optical magnification. The third one features a 50-megapixel Samsung sensor equipped with an ultrawide lens, which also doubles up as a macro shooter lens. 

How well does it work? That’s for us to find out once the OnePlus 13 hits the Indian shores. 

When will OnePlus 13 launch in India? At what price?

Although revealed to the Chinese audience, the OnePlus 13 is now expected to undergo further optimisation for the global version of OxygenOS 15, which will come pre-loaded with Google apps. Hence, you can expect the OnePlus 13 to be ready by late January or mid-February of 2025. 

As for the pricing, the OnePlus 13 seems to be a value-for-money proposition once again. The base variant, which comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, costs CNY 4,499 (approximately INR 53,000). The next variant with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage costs CNY 4,899 (approximately INR 57,800).

Those feeling adventurous can check out the next variant with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage at CNY 5,299 (approximately INR 62,500) The top-of-the-line variant with 24GB RAM and 1TB storage will set you back by CNY 5,999 (approximately INR 70,700).

When it comes to India, the OnePlus 13 could carry bigger price tags owing to the various import taxes levied by the government. It remains to be seen which of these variants does OnePlus handpick for the Indian audience. 

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