Amateur Photographer verdict

This is a great all-round phone from OnePlus with fantastic cameras, features, build and design. It’s one of the best phones for its price point.
Pros
  • Great value, all-round flagship
  • Excellent battery life
  • Hasselblad partnership on cameras
  • Premium build quality
Cons
  • Selfie camera still fixed focus only
  • No 4K 120fps video

Historically OnePlus has boasted high-end specs for less and it is no different for its latest release, the OnePlus 13. Described by OnePlus as the ‘ultimate flagship powerhouse’, the OnePlus 13 has had everything thrown at it in hopes of toppling Apple, Samsung and Google as the best smartphone flagships. Improvements have been made to both hardware and software. It comes with an upgraded triple camera setup, a product of the on-going Hasselblad collaboration combined with OnePlus’ most advanced imaging software.

Key emphasis has also been placed on design, AI features, screen technology and waterproofing. All of which has been packed into an agile and light body and goes for a significantly lower price than equivalent models from the likes of Apple and Samsung, and even Google. The OnePlus 13 starts at £899 / $899.99 for the 256GB version (Black Eclipse only), and for the 512GB version £999 / $999.99 (all colours). Which is the same price point (in the UK) as when the OnePlus 12 launched. Compared to its predecessor, the amount you get is undeniable. There is also a OnePlus 13R in the series, which brings flagship quality to a budget friendly body.

Let’s see how the OnePlus 13 fairs…

OnePlus 13 at a glance

  • 50MP main camera, f/1.6, OIS, 1/1.4″ sensor
  • 50MP 120° ultra-wide-angle camera, f/2.05, 1/2.75 sensor
  • 50MP 3X Triprism Telephoto camera, f/2.6, OIS, 73mm focal length, 1/1.95″ sensor
  • 32MP front camera, f/2.45, fixed focus, 1/2.74″ sensor
  • 4K 60fps on all cameras including front, 8K 30fps video recording available to rear cameras
  • 6.82inch screen, 1-120Hz dynamic, 1600/4500 nits, Ceramic Guard glass
  • Silicon NanoStack 6,000mAh battery
  • OxygenOS 15, Snapdragon® 8 Elite
  • Colours: Midnight Ocean (Blue), Arctic Dawn (White), and Black Eclipse (Black)
  • Weight: 213g (Arctic Dawn/Black Eclipse), 210g (Midnight Ocean)
  • 162.9 mm x 76.5 mm x 8.5mm (Arctic Dawn/Black Eclipse) / 162.9 mm x 76.5 mm x 8.9mm (Midnight Ocean)
  • Price $899.99 / £899 (256GB), $999.99 / £999 (512GB)
oneplus 13 in hand against green foliage
Despite being on the large side, the OnePlus 13 is nice to hold and very smart to look at Image: Jessica Miller

OnePlus 13 – Features

Within the marketing spiel, the cameras and features on the OnePlus 13 are said to compete with the best camera phones on the market right now. So, what do they have to offer?

The main camera contains the same50MP Sony LYT-808 1/1.4” sensor as the OnePlus 12 with a 23mm f/1.6 equivalent lens with optical image stabilisation (OIS).  The other two cameras include a 50MP ISOCELL JN5 1 /2.75” sensor, home to a 120° ultra-wide-angle lens 15mm f/2.05 equivalent, plus a 50MP ” Sony LYT-600 1/1.95″ sensor with a Triprism Telephoto lens, 73mm f/2.6 equivalent (3x optical zoom) with OIS and advanced ALC coating. Digital zoom can reach up to 120x and the OnePlus 13’s AI Telephoto function kicks in from 10x zoom.

Periscope lenses are typically used in phone camera designs, but OnePlus’s Tripism lens integrates three prisms within the camera module, allowing light to be reflected three times. This design enables the lens to achieve a longer focal length (73mm equivalent, approximately 3x optical zoom) in a smaller space. The Triprism lens is also 24% smaller and 30% lighter than traditional periscope lenses. A similar design has been seen in the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro Max, which sports a 5x zoom lens using a tetraprism design that reflects light four times.

Both the main and telephoto cameras have advanced ALC coating, which further enhances image quality by reducing reflectivity and minimizing glare. There is autofocus on all cameras but the front camera is still fixed focus only.

The Aqua Touch feature was first seen on the OnePlus 12, but this has been updated to the Aqua Touch 2.0, meaning you can continue to use it normally when there is water on the screen – ideal for using outside in the rain. There is also a new Glove Mode for when you are wearing gloves (of up to 0.5cm thickness).

The battery has once again seen more improvements from the OnePlus 12. The OnePlus 13 has a Silicon NanoStack 6,000mAh battery that is designed to last even longer, but also be lighter. Typically, a bigger battery usually means thicker and heavier, as seen in other phones with similar sized batteries.

The OnePlus 13 offers 80W wired fast charging with capability of reaching 1-100% charge in 36 minutes. The phone also supports 50W wireless charging using the new 50W AIRVOOC charger via a MagSafe case; as opposed to including magnets in the phone.

Using BeaconLink, new features include a Walkie Talkie function via Bluetooth, for calling emergency contacts in areas of limited network coverage, but only within 200m. Currently available on OnePlus 13 only and between OnePlus devices, with messaging to come later.

close up of phone showing camera set up and side buttons
The OnePlus 13 has a triple 50MP camera set-up, and the body has all the usual buttons. Image: Jessica Miller

OnePlus 13 – Handling and Design

I’ve been using the brand-new Midnight Ocean colourway, with a new microfiber vegan leather back. It has a luxurious soft hand feel along with the rest of the phone it has a desirable resistance to corrosion and scratches, whilst also being more grippy than other glass models. The Arctic Dawn colourway debuts an industry-first surface-based glass coating that creates a smooth and fingerprint-resistant finish. You can also get the Black Eclipse colourway which has a wood grain effect. Each colour is a genuinely beautiful design. It’s worth pointing out the Midnight Ocean version is 3 grams lighter than the white and black colourways, as well as being 0.4mm thicker.

The OnePlus 13 has had a slight increase in screen size from the 12 (6.8” screen) to 6.82”, with a resolution of 3168 x 1440 pixels at 510ppi. It features the world’s first DisplayMate A++ Display QHD+ 120 Hz ProXDR display, which according to DisplayMate is the best on any smartphone. It delivers optimal performance in any lighting condition, with all-new RadiantView technology for readability in sunlight. It reaches a peak brightness of 1600 nits in High Brightness Mode and a maximum of 4500 nits – remaining the highest level on the smartphone market. I found the screen to be impressively bright, and everything looked sharp and clear with no problem in sunlight.

close up of phone screen
The OnePlus 13’s screen is the brightest on the smartphone market. Image: Jessica Miller

The overall phone is relatively large at 162.9 x 76.5 x 8.9mm (8.5 mm for Arctic White and Black Eclipse), but actually a couple of millimeters shorter in length than the OnePlus 12, and also lighter. Around the aluminium edges are the typical OnePlus buttons.

It fits nicely in the hand, with the quad curved glass of the screen blending seamlessly into the rest of the frame. At 210g/213g and 8.9/8.5mm thick, it is very light, smart and sleek. The screen glass is also Ceramic Guard, which is durable against scratches and drops.

Another core spec with the 13 is its IP68 and IP69 rating which makes the phone tough in unpredictable weather and a range of environments, improved from the OnePlus 12’s IP65. IP68 allows the phone to be submersed in water up to 1.5m for 30 minutes, and the IP69 rating against powerful, high-temperature water jets e.g. in a dishwasher or washing machine (up to 80 degree Celsius). It is worth noting if the phone does happen to end up in the dishwasher, and it goes beyond temperatures of 80 degrees celcius you will have a problem. The phone will also work well after being in chlorinated water, but it should not enter salt water.

The OnePlus 13 comes with the latest OxygenOS 15 software and is also one of the first phones to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. The phone will have 4 years of Android OS updates and 6 years of security updates. The new OxygenOS 15 software is lightweight and intuitive, designed to enhance user experience e.g. no lagging between changing between applications or selecting/deselecting app icons. This is something I have found to be quite seamless, with no issues found.

OnePlus 13 – Native Camera App

The phone’s native camera app can be launched from the lock screen via the bottom right corner. You can also double press the button on the side of the phone too. As we’ve seen with previous iterations of the OnePlus, as well as other Android models, the camera app is well-functioned, with a variety of different modes to take advantage of.

phone camera screen
Image: Jessica Miller

By default the ‘Photo’ mode opens when you launch the camera app. You can shoot with the three different lenses and digital zoom options, as well as adjust settings such as exposure compensation, aspect ratio, flash and timer.

There are three digital filters that emulate classic film-inspired looks which can be added prior to taking your photos, or changed/removed filters after the fact.

The standard photo option also includes special smart scenes: Fireworks, Stage and Silhouette, that automatically adjust ISO to the best possible for the scene.

The phone switches to night mode automatically when it detects low light, you can also opt for night mode yourself under the “more” tab. Even with night mode activated, you can select to turn it off via the icon that pops up on the screen.

photo modes on phone screen
The OnePlus 13 has a lot to offer in terms of camera modes. Image: Jessica Miller

Further control can be taken in Pro mode, named Master, with the option to change different parameters, including ISO, shutter speed and white balance. You have the option to shoot in raw DNG format here, but there is still no option to shoot in both raw and jpeg together. Master controls on the 13 are pretty similar to those of the Oppo Find X8 Pro.

The Portrait mode created in partnership with Hasselblad, has been upgraded and offers 1x, 2x, 3x portrait modes. Similarly to the OnePlus 12, it has been designed to recreate Hasselblad lenses such as the XCD 30, 65, and 90V.

4K 60fps Dolby Vision HDR recording is now available across all cameras, including the front. Previously on the OnePlus 12 you were limited to 1080p 30fps with HDR recording. You can freely zoom between different lenses, enable Ultra Steady Mode, adjust EV, and more. An improvement has been made to the 8K video option on the rear cameras, which now records at 30fps (24fps on OnePlus 12), it’s nice to have but I’m not sure who is going to need this regularly. Slow-mo footage can be recorded at 1080P 240 fps or 720P 480fps.

New camera Features

Dual Exposure AlgorithmA single shutter button press can merge a short and long-exposure image to capture fast-moving moments enabling precise and sharp images with minimal motion blur and exceptional quality.
Clear BurstPress and hold the shutter button to capture multiple shots, leverages the Dual Exposure Algorithm. Moving subjects, street photography, action and sport.
Action ModeDedicated mode for capturing fast moving subjects, doubles sensor output from 30fps to 60fps, also enables panning photography.
LivePhoto3 seconds of motion in a single shot, you can select your favourite frame.
Smart ModesStage, Fireworks, Silhouettes. Auto selects the best ISO for these scenarios

AI editing features

Like most other smartphone makers, OnePlus have put some attention on AI features. It’s worth noting that OnePlus’ AI editing tools need internet connection as they are handled in the cloud.

AI Detail BoostRestore cropped images to 4K resolution, transform blurry photos into high-definition
AI UnblurSharpen fuzzy images
AI Reflection EraserRemove strong and subtle reflections

OnePlus 13 – Image Quality and Performance

Overall, the OnePlus 13 delivers some great results in a range of environments, and from all of the lenses. Colours are vibrant and very pleasing without becoming over-saturated, they are also rather balanced, with plenty of detail shown.

  • photo taken on a cruise ship of rescue boats
  • sat behind a man wearing miami heat hat with another on his lap
  • closeup of merry go round horse

Even in low light or dull light (like on a grey UK day) there are still some good results, but generally, and comparable to other flagships, the best results are in bright daylight. I have noticed the occasional variation between the 1x and 2x lens from two consecutive shots, with the 2x lens showing a slightly warmer white balance or red undertone. But overall the colours between the different options are good with minimal changes.

Similarly to the OnePlus 12 there is still some inconsistency in the digital zoom, up to a maximum of 30x zoom, the results are still good but not massively impressive. AI gives photos more details from 10x digital zoom, but beyond 30x zoom is questionable and 120x zoom is certainly not crisp or pleasing to look at.

  • photo of miami beach tall buildings
  • photo of buildings on miami beach
  • photos of buildings on miami beach
  • using zoom on phone on buildings on miami beach
  • 10x zoom on tall building on miami beach
  • 30x zoom on building windows
  • 60x zoom on building windows
120x on people on a bridge
Photos at 120x zoom are pretty much a blur of shapes and colours Image: Jessica Miller
OnePlus 13 · f/2.6 · 1/1139s · 13.85mm · ISO50

There is a ‘Macro shot’ feature, which allows you to take close-up photos. This will turn on automatically, in a similar way to Night mode in low light, when you get very close to a subject. You can also turn it on manually via the menu which then activates the telephoto lens for macro. You can also leave it on autofocus, or change to manual focus to adjust focusing yourself, which works well.

  • close up of tree bud
  • close up of tree bud

The Hasselblad collaboration comes in for Portrait mode. The results on both humans and non-human subjects are rather good against both plain and busy backgrounds. After taking a photo in Portrait mode, you can adjust the simulated aperture after capturing within the camera app’s editor to create shallower or greater depth of field.

Portrait mode works well on non-human subjects Image: Jessica Miller
OnePlus 13 · f/4.5 · 1/200s · 13.85mm · ISO400

The selfie camera captures some nice detail and works well too, though it is fixed focus. You can also use Portrait mode for selfies.

Selfie taken using the OnePlus 13 front camera. Image: Jessica Miller
OnePlus 13 · f/2.4 · 1/100s · 3.23mm · ISO100

Other modes in the camera app include panoramic mode, tilt-shift and long exposure, to help you get creative. There is a high resolution mode for taking images from each sensor at full resolution, a useful mode for capturing high levels of detail.

Photo taken using Night mode Image: Jessica Miller
OnePlus 13 · f/1.6 · 1/120s · 6.06mm · ISO250

Then for fast-moving subjects there is Action mode which doubles sensor output from 30fps to 60fps, and also enables panning photography. With this I found that from a distance, 10m or more, the results weren’t spectacular and human faces in particular became a bit of a blur. However, you may not really notice when viewing on a small screen. For both action mode and using Clear Burst I found a small amount of lag which has impacted the results of the images.

Image: Jessica Miller
OnePlus 13 · f/1.6 · 1/120s · 6.06mm · ISO250

Video performance is also really good and produces great looking footage that is very smooth. UltraSteady is useful for shooting videos whilst walking or when there is lots of movement. 4K 60fps is available on all cameras including the front camera, with 8K recording on the rear cameras – which is a bonus.

OnePlus 13 – Value for money

While not the cheapest, there hasn’t been a massive hike in price from the OnePlus 12 (same price at launch in UK, +$100 in US for 256GB) and you will get even more value for money. Unfortunately, the 256GB version only comes in the Black Eclipse, so if want the (in my opinion) nicer colours then you’ll have to upgrade to the 512GB and pay a bit more.

The OnePlus 13 gives you lots for your money, as you’d hope at flagship price: high water and dust resistance rating, the option for wireless charging, durable build, great cameras and lots of features. The battery life is second to none, lasting more than a day (with typical use and using the camera) without needing a charge.

In our press briefing on this product, OnePlus described this phone as the “most resilient flagship phone ever” and I probably would struggle to disagree with this claim, having watched a model sit in a dishwasher for hours and come out unscathed. It is certainly durable.

Personally, I’ve been using the original OnePlus Nord and had it for quite a few years now. So, I can safely say that OnePlus phones are made to last, and with even more protection as well as waterproofing, I would be confident selecting the 13.

The one thing to consider with any phone from OnePlus is its longevity and how it holds value. Apple and Samsung phones of course have more of a track record of selling well on the second-hand smartphone market. However, if you don’t know OnePlus already, now is the time to get to know because the OnePlus 13 is here to play.

photo of a phone screen with water on the surface
The OnePlus 13’s IP68/69 rating along with the Aqua Touch feature means I’m more confident using outside and in other unpredictable scenarios Image: Jessica Miller

Verdict

The OnePlus 13 continues OnePlus’ streak of creating high-quality and well-performing models. Building on the OnePlus 12, the 13 model has even more to offer in terms of features, software, build and design for a competitive price.

The improvements made to the cameras and imaging software allow you to get excellent image quality in variety of conditions. The overall care and detail given to hardware offers more day-to-day reassurance. In particular, the IP68/69 ratings give me more confidence to use the phone outdoors in the rain or by a pool.

Despite the advances to close the gap between them and competitors, more phones will no doubt be released soon so it’s possible OnePlus will be left behind. But right now, this is a great all-round phone from OnePlus worthy of a flagship title, and perhaps one of the best for its price point.

Amateur Photographer Recommended 4.5 stars

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