ZDNET’s most sensible takeaways The OnePlus 13 is a quick, virtually no-compromise telephone that begins at $899. The Snapdragon 8 Elite, mixed with a 6,000mAh battery and 80W speedy charging, is a surefire strategy to win. IP69 is sort of an excessive amount of, however you can respect it if you do not be expecting it. extra buying groceries choices It is not continuously that I assessment a smartphone within the first few weeks of January and really feel assured calling it the “Telephone of the 12 months”. However the OnePlus 13 is as excellent because it will get. Whether or not Samsung launches an Extremely telephone with a 300-megapixel digital camera at Unpacked later this month, or Apple releases a smaller iPhone this autumn, the OnePlus 13 will stay on my thoughts come the tip of the yr. The primary 500W charger was once unveiled at CES 2025 – for all you energy customers There’s a lot occurring in the most recent smartphone, from a safe (and dependable) ultrasonic fingerprint sensor to an IP69 ranking to a 6,000mAh Silicon NanoStack battery. It is probably the most first telephones in North The united states to characteristic Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which guarantees enhancements in efficiency, efficiency, and AI capability. Over the last few weeks, I have been checking out the OnePlus 13 along the iPhone 16 Professional Max and the Google Pixel 9 Professional XL to peer precisely how the brand new Android compares to probably the most easiest telephones from 2024. In various tactics, the OnePlus 13 falls brief. In some ways, it places the iPhone and Pixel to disgrace. Once I first opened the OnePlus 13 and held it in my arms, my response was once transparent. Let me level it out right here: The somewhat curved glass, the telephone’s thinness, and total design made my four-month-old iPhone appear and feel dated. It is like OnePlus made the iPhone 17 Air earlier than Apple did. glass guides best. The feel is not as tough and crisp as actual leather-based, so I might love to peer the way it ages over the process a yr. ![OnePlus 13]()
Kerry Wan/ZDNETIf you have been hoping that the primary primary Android telephone of 2025 would characteristic Qi2 wi-fi charging, I’ve excellent information and dangerous information. Despite the fact that the OnePlus 13 does no longer have a Qi2 charger within the frame, because of this that MagSafe (and different) equipment can’t be incorporated at the again of the tool, OnePlus has positioned electric guidelines inside of its protecting covers, which is helping customers to have get right of entry to. of extras so long as the OnePlus 13 is locked. It is a no-brainer, however person who with a bit of luck would possibly not be important with the following model. Over time, one characteristic that has held OnePlus telephones again is the quantity of water and dirt resistance or lack thereof. With the OnePlus 13, the corporate is in spite of everything taking a powerful step against sturdiness, certifying the telephone with IP69. It is a step above the IP68 ranking we continuously see on competing units, and permits the OnePlus 13 to resist top speeds, water temperatures, water temperatures, and adjustments in humidity. t made by means of Samsung or GoogleIn apply, which means that the OnePlus 13 can paintings smartly despite the fact that you allow it to your washing machine and dryer, dishwasher, or pot of boiled soup. The IP69 ranking seems like slightly of a stretch, however it is a get advantages that customers will respect once they be expecting it. ![OnePlus 13]()
Kerry Wan/ZDNETPowering the tool is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip that, from my weeks of use, has some glaring strengths and weaknesses. In on a regular basis use, similar to leaping between inventive systems, no longer looking at TikTok, and taking photos and movies, the processor works smartly. It is helping that OxygenOS 15, in response to the most recent model of Android, has the smoothest animations I have ever noticed on a telephone.Additionally: The most efficient Android telephones to shop for in 2025 However while you stir up top quality rendering apps like Adobe Premiere Rush. with the Honkai Megastar Rail, you are going to see some stuttering since the top temperature makes the operation tough. This isn’t an issue, thankfully, since the muscle tissues develop into visual while you use the tool for a very long time. I have been the use of the OnePlus 13 liberally, because the 6,000mAh Silicon NanoStack battery has saved the assessment unit operating for an afternoon and a part on every fee. It is unequalled by means of every other fashionable telephone in the USA marketplace, and I be expecting extra producers to undertake silicon batteries as a result of their greater capability. If no longer, get an 80W or 50W wi-fi charger; they’re certainly a revelation. ![OnePlus 13]()
Kerry Wan/ZDNET At the digital camera entrance, the OnePlus 13, with 3 cameras (50MP large, ultrawide, and telephoto), has been a competent shooter for many of my days. Whilst the Sony LYT-808’s sensor is not the similar because the 1-inch sensors I have examined on telephones world wide, it does an ideal task of recording extra and completing the output higher. If you are partial to sharp, vibrant, and somewhat saturated (learn: extra gorgeous than the true name) photographs, then the OnePlus 13 will fit you. Additionally: 5 hidden Android options that may make your existence more straightforward Sensors are falling aside in post-processing and AI-tuning sides. For instance, a telephone leans closely on desktop pictures to supply extra element when taking pictures at a distance. This once in a while ends up in filtered, very comfortable photographs. But if the background device is up and operating, it might additionally carry out numerous knowledge that it’s possible you’ll no longer have idea you should seize. ZDNET’s purchasing recommendation At a beginning value of $899, the OnePlus 13 brings the most efficient — perhaps the most efficient. of the entire nice telephones I have attempted not too long ago. The corporate has modified the tool in virtually each approach, from its design to its environmental efficiency. I simply want OnePlus would offer extra device enhance, because the OnePlus 13 best won 4 years of Android OS updates and 6 years of safety updates. Samsung, Google, and Apple be offering seven years of OS enhance. If you wish to have the OnePlus 13, the most efficient deal I see presently is at the OnePlus web page, as the corporate is providing a unfastened OnePlus Watch 2. valued at $299), a unfastened garage improve (valued at $100), and a minimum of $100 off while you business in any telephone in any order.
