NEW OnePlus 13 – Best Android of 2025?

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I tested the new OnePlus 13 as my everyday phone for the past few weeks and there are some things I liked, some things I didn’t like, and a few things that don’t matter. Here are my thoughts as well as a quick camera test!

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Disclaimer: This video is purely based on my experiences, research, and opinions. You and only you are responsible for your actions. I made this channel to advise viewers and I truly hope to help you all out. I love making these videos and connecting with my viewers!
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ADDITIONAL VIDEO NOTES:
This is the new OnePlus 13 – a premium android phone with maxed out specs, selectable materials, a new level of durability, and some tricks up it’s sleeve. But in a blurry market of similar phones, can this stand out?

Will this convert users from iPhone, Samsung, pixel? Who should buy this?

I’ve been using this as my everyday phone

There are a few main factors you notice immediately when switching phones. The camera, which we’ll talk about, the software, and unique hardware like a pen, a folding screen, a camera button, or in this case, an alert slider. Aside from that, most phones have a similar form these days.

Let’s start with design

3 colors/designs
Different materials
Midnight Ocean = Microfiber vegan leather – aka plastic
Arctic Dawn = smooth white glass
Black Eclipse = Black wood grain glass with a realistic texture

IP68 & IP69 – I don’t think anyone will care. The main difference is pressure and temperature
Dishwasher – plz don’t

Front display is rounded on the corners, but the display underneath is flat
Claimed record breaking display – world’s first DisplayMate A++ display
I agree. It’s really really good

Glove mode and aqua touch 2.0 for better use in edge cases

Flat edges for gripability

Shrinking camera bump depth

Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is incredibly fast!

We do have wireless charging! (and very fast wireless charging)
No Qi2 though – you can get a case though

CAMERA
Triple 50MP lenses – all Sony sensors now
Video transition made some major improvements over the years – decent now!
Hasselblad partnership gives photos that blue tone

I am a big fan of the primary sensor. You get plenty of background blur on nearby shots

Flash and laser autofocus

Interestingly, the telephoto lens is 3x and not 5x like others like Pixel and Samsung

AI in the zoom – see what it does to faces
Dual exposure – what should I compare this to?
Dual exposure should be better for burst mode photos

You can also use action mode for double the frame rate 60 vs 30

Portrait mode

OnePlus added smart scene modes (just tap the up arrow on Photo) – fireworks, silhouette, stage

SOFTWARE
Feels a bit more like older OnePlus, but still not my favorite UI
The slider is awesome, but unlike the Apex edition, this does not have VIP mode
I would love to see that

I find it annoying that when I swipe up and select “close all” it never actually closes all apps

Tons of ai features like reflection remover, magic eraser, and all the usual stuff all phones are adding

I do like the universal search – now it has ai responses built in, but they’re not 100% there yet

Circle to search and other googley android features are here

No shortage of OnePlus features like BeaconLink (bluetooth calling)

Wifi sharing via hotspot

I peeled off the included plastic screen protector already – it was damaged
I prefer glass protectors
May be tricky to get a flat glass on this

INTERNALS
Snapdragon 8 Elite
6000mAh battery
80W wired charging
50W wireless charging

Pricing is a bit weird
The black one is 12/256gb or 16/512Gb and costs $899 or $999
The other colors start at 16/512Gb and cost $999
At launch, they’re offering a free memory upgrade and a guaranteed $100 trade in credit for any phone

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46 Comments

  1. I’ve used many android phones in the past.
    Started out with android. Moved to iOS, then Apple removed sim trays from all USA devices but left them in all others world wide.
    That aside, I will not have a phone that doesn’t have a sim tray.
    I despise Scamsung. Don’t care for Googles phones. Motorola sucks etc. But I didn’t know OnePlus, so I bought one, actually two. I don’t really remember much about the first one because it wasn’t the one I thought I was buying so I sent it back. The second one was also a mistake buy, I thought I was buying the 10Pro but it was the 10t. Which I liked very much, once I realized my mistake, I bought the 10Pro, and have been hooked on OnePlus since.

  2. It's just such a shame that they gimp the oppo device camera system every time and that's the biggest shortcoming complaints about one plus . Sometimes it feels the brand is just pointless to differentiate I wish they would release global versions of oppo devices with USA bands. In markets where both oppo and OnePlus exist I can't really see a point to deviating from something that feels more complaint just to hit a price point I would certainly pay more to have the oppo if it works here as intended elsewhere

  3. I made the switch from a LONG time Samsung user to the OP13 this year.

    Honestly speaking, I do have gripes with the OP13. But, these gripes are minor at best when compared to the absolute top-of-the-line battery, display and performance this has.

    I miss the Samsung ecosystem for sure. But, the uncertainty of its future of potentially charging for AI features, downgrading hardware and not innovating on battery for 4 generations of the Ultra… was way too much to keep me in their system.

    Embracing OP13 this year, and am actually hoping that Samsung can earn my business again down the line.

  4. I'd love it if tech reviewers would get their shit right, the OnePlus 12 did not have Samsung camera sensors, main was sony lyt808, uw was sony, and tele was omnivision. Unsubscribed.

  5. Galaxy s24+ CAN'T watch youtube and play fallout shelter at the same time but my old oneplus phones could can this one whatch YouTube vidoes and play games at the same time ?

  6. The developers of oxygen OS 15 did a major overhaul on the platform and downsized it by a little over 30%. They paired away many unnecessary redundancies and needless features. To that end, the platform takes up less ROM and isn't as RAM intensive. It's always ran smoothly but, now it's faster than ever.
    FYI, the 13 is capable of 100W super vooc charging. However, oneplus only provides an 80 w super vooc charger in the box. Not that that's anything to complain about. Most manufacturers don't bother including anything. Fortunately, I own two 125W super vooc chargers so, I can take advantage of the faster charging speeds.
    I would have loved to hear your opinion on the new proprietary Crystal Shield ceramic glass that they use to construct the back panels for the black eclipse and the white Arctic Dawn. Literally, it's the first time they've moved away from Corning gorilla glass. Not to mention, the Ceramic Guard material that the screen is constructed from.

  7. Does anybody use a Pixel Watch with a OnePlus phone? I am thinking about switching from a Pixel 8 to a OnePlus Open and am wondering what I will miss. So far, I've found that watch unlock and bedtime mode synchronization are features I might miss.
    Does camera control from the watch work with OnePlus phones?
    Regarding the phone itself, I will miss the dual eSIM feature, wireless charging, monthly Pixel updates, IP resistance, and camera quality.
    I'm still not sure if it's worth it 😅

  8. So called 5th collab with Hassleblad yet they still havent been able to fix the cooler blue/green tinge in each photo, its ridiculous that the color representstion is so inaccurate.
    Shame, looked like a clear winner if not for the failure of a camera

  9. How often do we actually speak on a phone… hardly ever.. how many times do we take photos on a phone after we've gotten past our first few days or weeks of a new phone… hardly ever… who uses their phones the most… mostly bloggers and mothers… which of them use their phone for much more than text messages and shopping… hardly any… End result… we buy based on hype… not just a little hype a helleva lot of hype.. yet we still do it… WHY ? If everyone had the same phone more then 98% off us would never even notice..

  10. It would have been great if you went over the new processor it came with and how it fares overall. Some comparisons would've been amazing as well.

    Also, I am undecided on pixel 9 pro xl or oneplus 13, which one would be a better choice?

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