OnePlus 13

I've previously used OnePlus phones extensively, trying nearly every model for a few years, including the Nord series. I generally appreciated OnePlus phones for their value for money. However, over the past three years, I switched to other brands. That's why I was eager to return to OnePlus once again with the OnePlus 13, to see how the brand has evolved and whether their cameras have caught up with the competition. That's why in my weeks trying out the OnePlus 13, my focus was on testing its camera performance, particularly in portraits and video, while also exploring its fast-charging capabilities and the performance of the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, especially for tasks like video rendering.

Specifications

For this review, I received the black version of the OnePlus 13, with 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage and 16GB of RAM, with an additional 12GB of virtual expanded RAM memory. It comes equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, a top-notch 120Hz AMOLED display, and a battery that supports up to 100W SuperVOOC fast charging or 50W wireless charging. No charger is included, however. It also includes a dual IP68 and IP69 rating for water and dust resistance, eSim support, and video output via USB-C. For cameras, there's a triple-camera system with three 50 megapixel sensors at the back and a 32MP sensor at the front. In short, OnePlus is really offering a lot at the same time here.

First impressions and installation

At first glance, I found the design of the phone well-balanced between usability and aesthetics, though the black-coloured version lacks any real distinction. The OnePlus 13 has a nice-looking, slightly curved display, with no physical hindrance due that slight curve. I've always found OnePlus' physical alert slider for toggling sound modes a practical addition, and I'm happy it's still there. However, my initial setup was not seamless. It may have been an Android issue, but my phone bricked when I was copying files from an old phone to the OnePlus 13 and I disabled my VPN in between. Luckily, going into boot mode and resetting solved the issue and I haven't encountered a single issue or slowdown since.

Daily use impressions

In everyday use, the OnePlus 13 performs flawlessly. I like the phone's build quality, and with a weight of around 210 grams, the device always remains comfortable to use. The battery reliably lasts through a full day. I once charged up to 97% at 10PM in the evening, and still had 35% charge left when I went to bed the next day after normal use. Because the phone comes without a charger, I haven't been able to try out the 100-watt charging, but even with an older 65-watt OnePlus charger, charging was usually done between getting up and doing my morning coffee routine. Especially if you're coming from an older iPhone, this kind of fast charging will feel like a really big upgrade.

Display

As I learned during the OnePlus 13's launch event that I attended, the OnePlus 13 is the first phone ever to receive Displaymate's A++ rating. I can confirm that the display is beautiful and pleasant to look at under any circumstance. The display is bright, crisp, and offers good colour reproduction. Automatic brightness works effectively, and the dynamic refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz provides smooth scrolling while conserving power when higher frame rates aren't needed. Outdoor readability has been excellent so far, though the winter months haven't allowed for testing in full sunlight. In all, it's a beautiful screen that's also very responsive to the touch.

Camera

The OnePlus 13 comes with three 50 megapixel sensors at the back, and a 32 megapixel camera at the front. The standout ones for me are the main camera and the 3x optical zoom camera, both with optical stabilization. The main camera shoots excellent photos under all circumstances, including indoors or when dark outside. Photos have lots of detail and the sensor catches plenty of light even after sundown. The post-processing seems to be vastly improved since I last used a OnePlus phone, with very little image smear or people being out of focus. I like the 3x zoom camera for bringing subjects closer, but I mostly use it for portrait shots. Lastly, I'm not someone who uses the wide-angle camera much, but it's also a good performer, though in my experience it struggles in darker scenarios more than the other two.

The photography experience is enhanced by AI features that refine details in images. For slightly zoomed-in shots, the AI fills in missing details effectively, but at the maximum zoom level (120x), the results can be inconsistent, often inaccurately predicting finer details. I also noticed the AI filling in shadows of someone's hair as actual hair at one point. While I think the post-processing with AI is very useful in fine-tuning details in normal shots, I would not recommend zooming in all the way at any point. I think phones like the (much more expensive) iPhone 16 Pro Max do a better job here, but still the OnePlus 13 gets a good distance towards their performance. Overall, the camera's performance is strong for both casual and more detailed photography, though there is room for improvement in AI accuracy.

My favourite thing so far about the cameras for photography is the portrait mode. In portrait mode, the main sensor mimics Hasselblad's XCD 30mm lens, while a 2x zoom option mimics the XCD 65mm lens, and finally the 3x telephoto zoom camera mimics the Hasselblad XCD 90V lens. I don't actually know any of these lenses, but I've been able to shoot beautiful portraits in the past few weeks. For example, I've shot great images during a football match, with a nice combination of sharp faces but dynamic movement in the body of players. Additionally, I took my family's Christmas pictures using the OnePlus 13's portrait mode and a professional ring light for fantastic results. While competitors to the OnePlus 13 offer up to 5x optical zoom, I actually think the 3x zoom is very practical, hitting a sweet spot between getting subjects closer but not too close. A final mention should go to the selfie camera. This one performs well as long as there's sufficient lighting. Even in the dark, I was able to consistently take decent shots of myself, but group selfies are only feasible during the daytime.

I'm an avid vlogger for short videos about my personal life. Regarding the OnePlus 13's video capabilities, I'm as enthusiastic as with the portrait shots for photography, but with one big and one smaller downside. I'm very pleased with the camera setup at the back, as it offers great versatility for video recording. The main camera shoots great quality video, and I've loved using the 3x zoom camera for closeups of people, with no discernible loss in quality when switching between the three cameras. They all perform well under various lighting conditions, with every sensor supporting Dolby Vision HDR, and I've had many people praise the video performance.

Sadly, as good as the main cameras are, the selfie camera is not on par with their quality. The selfie camera struggles in low-light scenarios, particularly outdoors during winter. Videos captured with the selfie camera lack detail in darker environments, and unfortunately it's fixed-focus, meaning at some distances the view is always out of focus. If shooting selfie videos is important to you (say, as a professional vlogger), I'd go as far as to suggest getting a different phone. Another smaller issue I found, are occasional frozen frames at the end of clips. While minor, these millisecond-long freezes are noticeable during video editing and may be disruptive for creators who edit multiple clips together, like myself.

Snapdragon 8 Elite performance

Coming back to another big positive for the OnePlus 13 is the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which ensures strong performance across tasks. I found video rendering particularly efficient, with my longest 40-minute 4K video taking about 12 minutes to process in the DJI Mimo app. Although the phone warms up during rendering or other intense tasks, it never becomes excessively hot. Gaming performance is similarly robust, with demanding titles like ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition running smoothly and delivering visuals comparable to console quality. Multitasking is seamless, with apps remaining dormant and accessible even after extended periods, including when the phone is in battery-saving mode.

In conclusion

Taken together, I've found the OnePlus 13 to be an excellent and perfectly balanced phone. The device performance, battery life including charging and its high-quality display are top-notch and truly flagship-worthy. I also really like the three 50 megapixel main cameras, which deliver excellent photos and videos. The 3x zoom camera in particular is my favourite, both for portrait photography and for closeup video shots of people, that elevate my vlogs to a new level. Unfortunately, while perfectly usable, the selfie camera is a step down from the other cameras, most noticeably when shooting selfie videos. While the device has some minor issues, such as occasional freezes in video clips and inconsistent AI performance at extreme zoom levels, these do not detract significantly from the overall experience. Considering it's relatively affordable price tag, I am impressed with the OnePlus 13.