A phone company that doesn’t seem to slow down is OnePlus. For the past few years, they have managed to drop a flagship and make improvements each time highlighting its power and unique features that help it stand out from the rest. OnePlus 13 has some tricks up its sleeve making it one of the elites.
Style
OnePlus loves to make each version feel different from its predecessor even if they “look” similar. For OnePlus 13 they released three colorways with Black Eclipse, Artic Dawn, and Midnight Ocean. The latter two are exclusive to the higher end model. We have been using the Midnight Ocean model courtesy of OnePlus.
The back features a subtle but nice microfiber vegan leather material. It’s smooth but not slippery in hand. I always look to see phone manufacturers go with something different on the back of their phones besides just glass (or plastic). The other two colors have distinct styles as well. OnePlus 13 comes in at 210g making it slightly lighter than the OnePlus 12(220g). It has nice, curved edges and is 8.5mm thin. OnePlus has opted out of using Corning Gorilla Glass instead of going for their own Ceramic Shield Glass. There is still a screen protector applied and included as well.
An interesting take and demonstration we got with the OnePlus 13 is how durable it is with its IP68 and IP69 ratings. We seen it get tossed in a washer machine and in a hot dishwasher for extended periods of time and come out unscathed (shown on our unboxing video). Of course, this isn’t necessary but if you feel your device isn’t clean enough or get caught in a rainstorm no worries.
The usual Alert Slider is on the left side for easy access, speakers are on the top and bottom which provide exceptional sound, infrared sensor is on top if you need to control your TV or soundbar while the bottom has a USB-C port.
Included with the OnePlus 13 is a SUPERVOOC 80W Power Adapter and USB-C Cable.
Hardware
If you are looking for an envelope pushing power OnePlus always checks the boxes in that department. OnePlus 13 can be considered one of the first to use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. That’s being backed by an Adreno 830 GPU. As mentioned earlier there are two models of OP13 with 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB of RAM and storage.
With me using the latter I have barely put a dent in that storage space. It’s good to have though if you record a bunch of content, save a bunch of media, or have large games downloaded. OnePlus 13 is great with retaining memory making sure you come back to apps later and it’s still how you left them.
OnePlus managed to put a massive 6,000mAh battery in OP13. This was thanks in part to their dual 3,000mAh cells. It still holds up as the fastest phone I have used to charge up when you use its included charger. I got from 28% to 100% in about 25mins. Wireless charging when its proprietary charger is great, but I stuck to wired mostly. I love using this phone all day though extensively without worrying about plugging it up.
Display
Like the OnePlus 12, this model is rocking one of the brightest displays around pushing 4500nits peak brightness. This is being utilized on its 6.8” QHD+ 120Hz PROXDR Display with LTPO 4.1. This translates to a titillating colorful visual experience. To maximize this marvel, you do have to adjust the settings to high on resolution and set to 120Hz. This can also kill your battery but with so much juice you got enough to enjoy.
OxygenOS with AI
With every iteration of OxygenOS we typically get the latest Android version with this being 15. But now to help OxygenOS expand even further is OnePlus AI. Their UI has always been my skin of choice for Android. It’s open and is capable of so many things. Numerous ways to customize the phone to your liking. Now with AI it can do some of the legwork and learn how you move, adjusting the system to suit you.
OnePlus AI can also help you with other things such as taking notes. It can clean up errors or write something for you. While their AI photo edit tools can remove blurs or reflections or just punch some details in your shots. You can still use other AI tools like Google’s Circle to Search as well.
Triple Cameras
Now in Year Five is the Hasselblad partnership for their flagship smartphone cameras. We have a Triple lenses setup with all three being 50MP. They are still for Main, Telephoto, and Ultrawide. Using this camera for four months I have been able to take shots in an array of scenarios. Besides the internal upgrades to the lenses, we also get additional software with the AI.
With AI it has been able to clean up shots and those so far off in the distance be able to make them out and adjust and fill in the void. This has worked well, and some cases caused photos to look artificial and tell they were corrected with AI. This felt to be more on the further away shots though.
One of its coolest features though was Action Mode. It could capture objects moving at a fast pace and still get it in detailed quality looking frozen in time. This worked in low light and brighter conditions.
Usage
We originally got the OnePlus 13 back in December and I used it off and on for the past few months with it being my main, secondary, and back to main phone. I have used it with Verizon, T-Mobile, and even at times utilized the DualSim capabilities. Service was great on both, and OnePlus has a setting where you can have the other takeover coverage when necessary. Call quality was fine with this device and the UI did a respectable job recognizing spam calls with either filtering and naming them or just blocking them.
Best Android Phone ?
There isn’t much to dislike about the OnePlus 13. As usual it packs power where needed most and its UI is so smooth and easy to navigate. Cameras are good but as said the AI adjustments can be great but other times a bit daunting at least to me. Battery life is top notch and don’t see anyone touching it. Pricing isn’t bad with it having $899 and $999 configurations with trade-in options to shave down the cost.
