OnePlus 13 Review: This Flagship Phone Desperately Needs a Reason to Exist
Jan 07, 2025 - cnet.com
The OnePlus 13, launched as the first flagship phone of 2025, offers powerful performance with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and a sleek design, making it appealing for mobile gamers. It features a vibrant 6.8-inch display, fast 100W charging, and a durable build with IP69 water resistance. However, its camera performance is disappointing, with over-processed images and a lack of standout features compared to competitors like the iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro. The phone's battery life is also underwhelming despite its 6,000-mAh capacity, although it supports fast wireless charging.
Priced at $900, the OnePlus 13 is slightly cheaper than its rivals but doesn't offer significant advantages to justify its cost, especially for photography enthusiasts. It provides six years of security support, which is less than the seven years offered by Samsung and Google. While the phone includes some AI features, they aren't compelling enough to be a major selling point. Overall, the OnePlus 13 is a solid device but lacks a unique selling proposition, making it a less memorable choice in the competitive flagship market.
Key takeaways:
The OnePlus 13 offers powerful performance and fast charging, making it appealing for gamers.
The camera performance is disappointing, with over-processed images in standard Photo mode.
It features a sleek design with a vibrant display and good waterproofing.
At $900, it is slightly cheaper than competitors but lacks standout features to justify the price.
