I used OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R for last month—during the 2024 holiday season and CES 2025—which means that I exposed them to the lightest and busiest jobs. There’s not much to complain about with these new ones Android phoneswho are skilled in a little bit of everything. The flagship OnePlus 13 has almost all the features you’d expect from a modern flagship smartphone.
The OnePlus 13 starts at $900 for the base version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, slightly undercutting the competition, while OnePlus 13R it costs $600—it has lower specs than its brother and lacks a few features. This generation’s updates are all about finesse. Software is lighter, batteries last longer, screens are brighter, and phones are more water resistant. If you’re looking to switch 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 some slight differences in 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, plus the rounded edges around the screen. The OnePlus 13R has straight edges, which I prefer because they’re easier to grip.
There’s a fun marble-like pattern on the OnePlus 13 and a brushed look on the 13R, but neither is as handsome as last year’s OnePlus 12 and 12R— were emerald and ice blue chef’s kiss. There is a nice Midnight Ocean color this year for the OnePlus 13, which has a luxurious vegan leather microfiber material, but I haven’t had a chance to try it.
OnePlus has finally improved the water resistance of its flagship device. You now get a combined rating of IP68 and IP69, which means the OnePlus 13 can be submerged under water for 30 minutes up to 1.5 meters and can withstand heavy rain. This finally puts him on par with his peers. The display uses Ceramic Guard, which is OnePlus’ version of Apple’s Ceramic Glass, and is said to be stronger than the Gorilla Glass Victus found on other phones. Glass is still glass and you should use a screen protector – mine iPhone 16 Plus screen cracked during testing.
Speaking of displays, the 120-Hz 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 look stunning. My only gripe is that I had to manually adjust the brightness slider more often than on most other Android phones – those devices just turned the brightness down a bit too much for me.
The OnePlus 13R settles for an IP65 rating, which is fine in the rain, but it might not survive a dip in the pool. It is also among the first to use Corning Gorilla Glass 7iwhich is a low- to mid-range offering from a glass manufacturer, so don’t expect the same level of durability, although it should be comparable, if not slightly better, than other phones at this price point. The rest of the hardware is spot on, and the OnePlus Alert Slider makes me wish every phone had a slide switch to toggle between Mute, Vibrate and Sound (ahem, Apple). I don’t mind the incredibly large camera bump.