Design is the same because why fix when something isn’t broken?
When a OnePlus phone launches, it’s usually around February, or October if the T-series was still around. However, the brand decided to launch the phone earlier this year, and like last time, comes in two flavours. The fully-fledged OnePlus 13 and the toned down R. We’re just hoping that, when OnePlus Philippines announces the price here, the R won’t be terribly overpriced.
OnePlus 13
As a flagship phone, the OnePlus 13 offers almost everything you know about a flagship. Keyword here being “almost” because the phone is just a rehashed OnePlus 12, which in turn, is a rehashed OnePlus 11. But hey, you know what they say “specs are not everything”. There may be some merits with the OnePlus 13, especially if you’re coming from older OnePlus phones or the Nord series
As with every tech brand now, the main highlight of the phone is AI. The phone is armed with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite, which, if you have been following Qualcomm, is the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is manufactured through a TSMC 3nm process, thankfully. It also boasts clock speeds of up to 4.32GHz for the two prime cores it has, and RAM speeds of up to 5300MHz, and that’s LPDDR5. It has six performance cores clocked at 3.53GHz. Qualcomm likes to keep the names of its CPU cores hidden to the public, and all we know is that the chip has a brand new Adreno GPU and Oryon CPU cores.
Also, the chipset is the first for mobile phones to bring Nanite virtual geometry system as well as Unreal Engine 5.3. Yes, Unreal Engine 5 is now coming soon to your favorite flagship phones. It’s crazy to think that in only ten years, we are now able to play PC-quality games right on our hands, and we’re not talking about handheld consoles either.
Going back to the OnePlus 13, the phone boasts 12 or 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and either 256 or 512GB UFS 4.0 storage options. Digital Walker has not announced if either or both of these configurations are going to be available here in the Philippines. Also, there are rumors that the phone will not come with a charging brick. It’s best to look up for efficient yet affordable chargers online, such as Anker or UGREEN.
Speaking of chargers, the OnePlus 13 has a 6000mAh battery with 100W fast charging (80W on regular fast chargers) and 50W fast wireless charging. The battery is divided into two cells comprising of 3000mAh each.
Before we discuss the cameras, let’s look at its other specifications. The display now has a full 4K resolution. Yes, this is a flat QHD+ (3168x1440px) LTPO 4.1 AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate (adaptive, 1-120Hz) and a very bright 4500nits of peak brightness. Aside from the resolution, these are typical flagship displays you’d see on the market currently. The OnePlus 13 is IP68-rated.
It runs the brand new Android 15 fresh off the box with OxygenOS 15 on top. There is an Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner which means it is more accurate, less likely to be fooled by images, and opens your phone at a blazing fast rate, faster than the typical optical fingerprint scanner. The phone has an IR Blaster which means this type of remote control is making a huge comeback after its long disappearance on previous handsets. It charges via a USB-C 3.2 port.
Now, for the reason why you’re actually reading this… THE CAMERAS! There are three all-functioning cameras here. The primary camera is a 50MP Sony Lytia LYT-808 sensor with OIS. The phone also boasts a 50MP Sony LYT-600 telephoto camera also with OIS. Finally, there is the ultrawide camera, also 50MP, a Samsung ISOCELL JN5, which is the usual ultrawide sensor used for many phones.
The selfie camera isn’t too different than what you’re used to seeing. It’s the same Sony IMX615 camera that has been used for nearly 3 years now. It’s no bad camera per se, and it has plenty of resolution, 32MP. The main focus here is the Hasselblad-powered rear cameras anyway, which OnePlus says is on its 5th generation and could produce “studio-quality” shots, from landscape to portrait. The phone features a sensor rarely any other phone has, unless it is a top-tier flagship, the Laser PDAF which makes zooming instantaneous and less of a blur.
Other features include the OnePlus signature three-level alert slider, a large 9925m2 cryo dissipation vapour chamber, and 5G SA/NSA cellular services.
OnePlus guarantees 4 years of major Android upgrades. That means Android 15 all the way to Android 19… only for you to replace this flagship with the next generation. The cycle repeats, and such is life.
While Digital Walker announced that the phone is now ready for pre-ordering, Oppo and OnePlus Philippines are yet to announce the phone’s official price.
Colors include Arctic Dawn, Midnight Ocean, and Black Eclipse. All these are named after the darkest areas of the day for you to capture the night.
ONEPLUS 13R
You might be thinking to yourself where the T-series have gone? Every October, OnePlus announces a slightly improved version of their flagships under the T subseries. The last one was the OnePlus 10T and it was very clear that that phone is intended to be a “flagship killer” type, which now the R series takes the role of, lessening the need of a T subseries.
As you can see, the phone is a toned down OnePlus 13, ala “OnePlus 13 Lite” in a way. It’s higher than a typical Nord phone, but lower than the main flagship line. See, it even has no Hasselblad branding this time.
Positioned as an “affordable flagship”, the OnePlus 13R takes many of the notable features the OnePlus 13 has with some cost-cutting measures, particularly, with the cameras. The phone also has a lower ingress protection, IP65, and last-gen’s flagship chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The phone has 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB UFS 4.0 storage.
It maintains the same LTPO 4.1 OLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate but the resolution is notably reduced to 1.5K (2780x1264px). Still, this is a high-enough resolution for many people and isn’t too much of a compromise. This screen is protected with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.
The cameras are also slightly toned down. There are now only two 50MP cameras here but the primary sensor has been reduced to the LYT-700 and the Samsung ISOCELL JN5 now takes the role of the telephoto sensor. This sensor is not known to have OIS and so marketing materials often refer to it as a “portrait” camera or “zoom” camera. So, what does that make of the ultrawide? The ultrawide is now sadly just 8MP, like every budget phone out there. And speaking of budget phones, the selfie camera’s resolution also has been halved.
While the cameras are a noticeable downgrade, they are still much more powerful than what Nord phones have, and this is its most distinct identifier. Thankfully, OnePlus retained the large 6000mAh battery and 100W fast charging as with its more powerful sibling. Yes, it’s also using an SiC composite which means the battery can now hold more power without taking up too much space.
The ultrasonic fingerprint reader is also replaced with an optical one as expected. The alert slider remains available as well as the IR Blaster, stereo speakers, and the Cryo velocity cooling dissipation plate. It comes in two colours: Iron Grey and Cool Blue.
Digital Walker and OnePlus’ official partners are yet to tell us the price.
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