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OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R review: Fast and Smooth


I have been using last month’s OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R—just in time for Holiday 2024 and CES 2025—which means I’ve put myself through some of the easiest and busiest tasks. There’s not much to complain about in these new Android phones, they’re a little more sophisticated in everything. The premium OnePlus 13 has all the features you would expect from a modern day smartphone.

The OnePlus 13 starts at $900 for the base 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage version, undercutting the competitors a bit, while the OnePlus 13R costs $600—it has less specifications than its counterparts and misses a few features. Updates in this generation are all about finesse. The software is smooth, the batteries last long, the screens are bright, and the phones are water resistant. If you’re looking to switch phone brands and battery life is top of your list, these OnePlus phones are worth considering.

Seeing twice

OnePlus 13 (left) and OnePlus 13R (right)

Photo: Julian Chokkattu

The OnePlus 13 and 13R look similar but have a slight difference in their size – the flagship has a 6.82-inch screen and the cheaper phone has a 6.78-inch display. The most obvious difference between this pair is the Hasselblad logo on the OnePlus 13, and the curvier edges around the display. The OnePlus 13R has flat edges, which I like as it’s easy to hold.

There’s an interesting marble-like pattern on the OnePlus 13 and a mixed look on the 13R, but it’s also nowhere near as good as last year’s OnePlus 12 and 12R—emerald and ice blue the chef’s kiss. There is something a nice “Midnight Ocean” color this year for the OnePlus 13, with a microfiber vegan leather material that looks great, but I didn’t get a chance to try it.

OnePlus has finally improved water resistance on its flagship device. Now, you get a combined IP68 and IP69 rating, which means the OnePlus 13 can be submerged under water for 30 minutes up to 1.5 meters and can withstand heavy rain. That ultimately puts it on par with its peers. The display uses Ceramic Guard, which is OnePlus’ take on 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—my iPhone 16 Plus screen cracked during testing.

Speaking of screens, 120-Hz OLED displays are sharp, colorful, and smooth. The only difference apart from the size is the sharpness, although by default the OnePlus 13 is set to a lower resolution to save battery life. Both look amazing, but my only gripe is that I had to manually adjust the brightness slider more often than on most other Android phones—these devices keep turning the brightness down too low for me.

The OnePlus 13R gets an IP65 rating, which is fine in the rain but may not survive a dip in the pool. It’s also among the first to use Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i, which is a budget inclusion offering from the glass maker, so don’t expect the same level of durability, or it should be comparable if not better than phones around this price. . All the other hardware works, and the OnePlus Alert Slider makes me wish every phone had a sliding switch to go from Mute, Vibrate, and Sound (ahem, Apple). I don’t mind the incredibly large camera conflict.



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