OnePlus 13 review

With the OnePlus 13, the company may have finally cracked the combination of what catapults a smartphone to more elite status. It’s not that previous OnePlus models have been terribly flawed or missing in action, it’s that they couldn’t always make a strong case to move away from established competitors.

I can tell you that’s not the case here. This phone not only does a number of things better than before, but also adds some key elements. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the brand, you no longer should be after going through this review. This phone is the real deal, and I’ll lay out why.

OnePlus 13 design

When I reviewed the previous OnePlus 12, I largely heaped praise on it for being a solid alternative option. The feeling kind of shifts the other way for me with the 13. Rather than chase the competition, it makes a case for them to take a good look at what OnePlus is doing.

In a series of smart moves, it flattens the 6.8-inch AMOLED display to get rid of the curved edges. There’s still a slight curve along the very edges, but it’s nothing like it used to be. For me, it makes the phone easier to handle, and much easier to take photos too. Ceramic Guard glass protects the screen, while an increasingly ruggedized body gives the device both IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance. IP69 is a rarity unto itself, but it mostly means the phone can survive going through a dishwasher. Either way, this combination is a big upgrade from the OnePlus 12.

The back retains a similar look to the previous model, save for crucial differences. The camera bump is slightly slimmer and noticeably thinner, so it doesn’t stick out from the back as much. There’s a reason for that in the camera module that I’ll get to later. My review unit is the Midnight Ocean one that has a faux leather back panel that looks and feels gorgeous. The Arctive Dawn and Eclipse Black variants use Gorilla Glass 7i in the back instead.

Under the hood, the OnePlus 13 runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and starts at 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage. You can find configurations that double the storage for less money than what competitors charge for 512GB.

MagSafe and Qi2 support

There’s a technicality here you should know. The OnePlus 13 itself doesn’t have MagSafe, so you can’t attach anything to it magnetically. You can, however, use Qi2 wireless charging stands or pads with it. Now, OnePlus is offering cases for the 13 that do support both MagSafe and Qi2, letting you use any MagSafe accessories with the device.

The company also has a few of its own, with one of my favourites being the AirVooc 50W magnetic charger. It looks like a hockey puck, and when you use it with the phone’s charger, it not only charges the phone quickly but also activates the fan inside to keep it cool. Gamers looking to push things will probably love that.

With the right case, MagSafe accessories abound. I was using lights for photography, a car dock to keep it propped up on the dash, and so many more. If you’re wondering how this is possible, MagSafe is not exclusively an Apple technology now. The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which oversees wireless charging standards, worked with Apple to apply the magnetic technology to what’s called a Magnetic Power Profile.

Basically, that means “MagSafe” remains an Apple term but the underlying technology behind it is pretty much now open under the Qi2 standard. It also means you can use an Android device like the OnePlus 13 on a MagSafe charger originally only intended for iPhones.

Performance and software

OnePlus has long scored high marks for its OxygenOS overlay on top of Android, and it earns them here too. Mainly because it expands on the ideas behind multitasking. The Smart Sidebar returns, and frankly, it feels more intuitive than what Samsung has done for years. Not only can you populate it with apps but also see recent files you worked on (regardless of app) and save others to the File Dock to get to later.

Floating Window lets you turn an app into a floating window you can maneuver over anything else on screen. You can swipe up from the bottom of the screen and move toward the upper-right to convert it. From there, you can expand it to full screen or hide it to the side to get to it later. Resize it however you like, move it around—it’s pretty much up to you.

Then there’s Gloves mode, which lets you touch the screen and get around the device while wearing gloves. It works with a range of materials, so as long as your gloves are moderately porous or 5mm thick or less, then you don’t need special gloves to use the OnePlus 13.

Generally, there’s little to fault with the overall performance. Smooth and efficient, you’re not likely to experience slowdowns or lag as you go along. One catch I will point out refers to Wi-Fi Calling. Canadian carriers can be protective of the feature, meaning you may not see it as an option because they don’t sell the OnePlus 13 themselves. It is hit or miss, so may depend on who you get service from, but something to think about anyway.

AI features

There aren’t a ton, but there are some AI features to work with in this phone. Shelf returns as starting point to find anything on your phone. Just swipe up or down from the middle of the home screen and you see a mix of widgets that range from a clock, weather, phone storage, notes, audio recorder, music streaming, and more. The search bar at the top acts as an AI-driven engine that searches the device globally for anything you have stored on it. Whether you use it to launch an app or search for something online, it can do a lot of things.

One is to track down something you’ve written in Notes or a photo you’ve captured. The onboard AI will recognize certain aspects of your photos, like if it was a wedding or a hockey game, but it doesn’t always seem to apply. I had mixed results testing this out, finding it was much better at recognizing text.

It is a work in progress, so OnePlus promises it will get better. But it’s actually Google’s Gemini AI platform that plugs into all this, so that remains to be seen. Circle to Search is far more reliable. Just tap and hold at the bottom of the screen to search for anything you circle onscreen. It’s great for those times where you see apparel or shoewear and wonder where to find it. Granted, it means taking photos of strangers but it could also be from a photo you find online.

Share with iPhone

This one’s a big deal for those times when sharing between Android and iPhone is so difficult. The OnePlus 13 has a feature in the settings called “Share with iPhone” that enables users to share any files with iPhone users. It’s a lot like AirDrop between Apple’s devices, only there’s one catch to making this cross-platform process work.

iOS users would need to download an app called O+Connect first to enable the ad hoc connection. For friends and family, that’s not too much to ask since it greatly simplifies everything. Moreover, you no longer have to worry about poor quality video or low-resolution photos from Android to iPhone. Whatever you share goes through in full quality.

Camera

OnePlus has been slowly, but steadily, improving camera performance and the 13 may have finally hit its stride. It culminates in how much more versatile the camera feels when taking different photos with it. OnePlus’ partnership with Hasselblad, the renowned Swedish camera brand, has taken time to come into its own, and it’s more evident here. Much of it is obvious in the software computation, particularly in how colours and dynamic range help produce excellent images.

The 50-megapixel main camera uses the same Sony LYT-808 image sensor as the previous OnePlus 12, though the telephoto and ultra-wide cameras use newer sensors. A software update soon after launch fixed an issue that caused some images to appear a little overexposed once you tapped to focus. The fix does a much better job balancing things out.

As good as the main camera is, the real star is the telephoto lens, which is modest at 3x optical zoom, but also does really well at 6x hybrid. The other star is action photography. You can find the Action mode within Photo mode in the camera app. Tap it on and you can freeze action in place better than most other phones can. It works on all three lenses to add some versatility to the mix. You can also hold down the shutter button to shoot in burst to capture multiple frames in one shot.

There’s plenty to work with here, especially if you’re new to OnePlus devices. Master mode gives you manual control, while Hi-Res mode lets you shoot at the full 50-megapixel resolution (images are normally pixel binned at 12.5-megapixels). Unique modes like Long Exposure and XPan offer interesting ways to take different types of images. It’s also worth trying the Hasselblad filters (Fresh, Emerald, and Clear) to experiment with their distinct looks.

AI editing features

The suite of AI-driven editing features include AI Detail Boost, AI Eraser, AI Unblur, and AI Reflection Eraser. You’ll find them when you go to the Photos app, select a photo and choose Edit -> AI Editor. Bear in mind all of these AI features are cloud-based, so you will need to be connected via cellular or Wi-Fi to make them work.

Expect mixed results, though Reflection Eraser is probably the best right now. It does a pretty good job in removing reflections but certain ones can trip it up. The more translucent the reflection, the more likely the AI can remove it. The more opaque it is, especially if it blends with whatever’s behind the glass, the more likely it stays in place. You can see that from the example here.

AI Detail Boost is meant to enhance clarity, sharpness, and detail, but it does so by removing the ProXDR HDR from the image. Results don’t deliver much to get excited about in most cases, so it remains to be seen how OnePlus expands on this going forward. AI Eraser is okay but it can depend on how detailed the photo is. Sometimes, it struggles to properly remove a person or object without leaving a smudgey space behind.

Battery life

OnePlus continues to show up other brands when it comes to battery life and charging. The OnePlus 13 comes with an 80W charger in the box. From empty, it can fully charge the phone in about 40 minutes. From zero to 80%, you’re looking at less than 25 minutes. With MagSafe and Qi2 now in the mix, you can use wireless chargers, be they magnetic or not, so long as you have the right case on the phone. Battery life holds up well throughout, and it’s unlikely you’ll need to recharge after a full day.

Final thoughts on the OnePlus 13

If you’ve ever been on the fence about OnePlus, this may be the phone worth jumping in with. It’s every bit a flagship, thanks to a range of features and performance that deliver a premium experience all the way. That it makes sharing with iPhones even easier only adds to the convenience.

If you’re looking for an alternative, the OnePlus 13R is a lower-cost option that offers a similar experience, save for some of the premium features. The OnePlus 13 is available now at Best Buy in midnight ocean, arctic dawn, and eclipse black.