OnePlus 13R Unveiled: A Masterpiece of Value and Performance!

A brand new year brings us brand new OnePlus number series smartphones. The OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R made their debut in India earlier this week featuring the latest hardware and an updated design. OnePlus has succeeded in maintaining very competitive pricing as well. Speaking of competition, the lesser-known OnePlus 13R is once again appearing to be an excellent offering, at least on paper. I’ve utilized the 13R for approximately two weeks to determine whether this new mid-range flagship is a worthy upgrade from the OnePlus 12R.

The OnePlus 13R is priced at ₹42,999 for the 12GB + 256GB storage variant, while the 16GB + 512GB model will cost you ₹49,999. It is offered in Astral Trail and Nebula Noir color variants. We received the Astral Trail model for review in the highest configuration.

OnePlus 13R Design: Premium and flat

• Dimensions – 161.7 x 75.8 x 8 mm
• Weight – 206g
• Colors – Astral Trail and Nebula Noir IP Rating – IP65

The OnePlus 13R showcases a new design this year, featuring a flat frame and a flat display. You can still identify it as a OnePlus device, thanks to the left-aligned circular rear camera module, which has become a signature trait since the OnePlus 11. However, the phone does present a slightly altered version of the module, as it is no longer attached to the side frame.

The rear camera module is now detached from the side frame

The 13R feels exceedingly premium in hand, and the glass rear panel has a textured matte finish. The Astral Trail variant we acquired for review possesses a delightful texture reminiscent of those captivating star trail images online.

I truly appreciated the star trail-inspired pattern on the back

The frame is made of aluminum, has a matte surface, and may be slick. Fortunately, it doesn’t attract fingerprints readily. OnePlus includes a pleasant silicone case in the packaging. You’ll discover the tactile volume and power buttons on the right side, while the left houses the distinguished textured alert slider.

The alert slider remains in the same spot as last year’s OnePlus 12R

The SIM card tray, capable of housing dual SIMs, is located at the bottom along with a loudspeaker, dual microphones, and the USB Type-C port. There’s an additional microphone at the top combined with another speaker and the IR blaster.

The device is equipped with an IR blaster

Overall, the smartphone feels wonderful to grasp, although the flat frame can dig into your palm after an extended period. The OnePlus 13R boasts an IP65 rating, which is marginally better than its predecessor.

OnePlus 13R Display: Quality of life enhancements

• Size and type – 6.78-inches LTPO 4.1 AMOLED, 1.5K resolution
• Refresh rate – 120Hz
• Protection – Gorilla Glass 7i

The display on the OnePlus 13R is now flat and employs a newer LTPO 4.1 AMOLED panel. Nonetheless, the specifications remain unchanged, providing a 120Hz refresh rate, 1.5K resolution, 19.8:9 aspect ratio, HDR10+ support, Dolby Vision, 10-bit color depth, and 100 percent Display P3 coverage.

The device features slimmer bezels compared to the previous year’s model

The display excels for viewing videos and streaming content on Netflix and other platforms. It can also achieve impressive brightness, with a claimed peak brightness mode reaching 1,600nits and a maximum brightness of 4,500nits. Once again, these figures mirror those from last year, and the screen maintains high readability even under direct sunlight. The viewing angles are commendably good. Additionally, the panel supports Aqua Touch 2.0 and Glove Mode.

The panel provides HDR10+, HDRViVid support alongside Dolby Vision

The phone’s color accuracy was remarkably lifelike, particularly in the Natural color mode. It provides Vivid, Cinematic, and Brilliant color profiles as well. Users can opt for standard or high screen resolutions, with the latter consuming more battery. Concerning the refresh rate, you can switch between auto (1 to 120Hz), 60Hz, and 120Hz.

The optical fingerprint scanner performed well throughout the evaluation period

OnePlus also appears to have slightly enhanced the screen-to-body ratio due to the slimmer bezels surrounding the display. The display features a punch hole cutout at the top center for the selfie camera and an under-display fingerprint scanner of the optical kind. The scanner operated effectively during the review.

OnePlus 13R Software: Streamlined with a hint of AI

• OS – Android 15
• UI – OxygenOS 15
• Latest security patch – December 5 2024

The OnePlus 13R is equipped with the newest Android 15-based OxygenOS 15, which has significantly improved over earlier versions of OxygenOS. There is almost no bloatware, and I appreciate the overall fluidity and animations when navigating through the UI. A few pre-installed applications, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Netflix, are included, but these are apps I would download anyway. OxygenOS 15 is also said to be 40 percent lighter than prior versions, allowing for more storage available for your apps and data.

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The device is confirmed to obtain 4 years of OS upgrades

OnePlus has additionally integrated several AI functionalities into the device. You have AI-enhanced capabilities in the Photos application, such as AI Detail Boost, AI Unblur, AI Eraser, and AI Reflection Eraser. There’s Circle to Search from Google, Google Gemini, AI Assistant for Notes, PassScan in Google Wallet, and Magic Compose for rewriting text. While some features like AI Detail Boost and AI Unblur have mixed results, I found the AI Eraser, Reflection Eraser, Magic Compose, and the AI Assistant for Notes to be quite helpful.

A novel Share with iPhone functionality enables you to effortlessly share files with your iPhone acquaintances. OnePlus also introduced the new Open Canvas feature for multitasking from the Open. I experimented with both of these features, and they functioned quite efficiently. However, Canvas is preferably suited for more expansive screens.

Throughout the review interval, the device received two OTA updates and is presently on the December 5, 2024 Android security patch. OnePlus has committed to four years of OS updates and six years of security updates.

OnePlus 13R Performance: Exceptionally smooth

• CPU – Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
• RAM – 12/16GB LPDDR5X
• Storage – 256/512GB UFS 4.0

OnePlus devices are recognized for their seamless performance, and the 13R lives up to that reputation. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a premier chipset from the previous year, so you have nothing to concern yourself with. The device excelled in all our synthetic benchmark assessments, and I encountered no lag or stutter during routine or intensive usage.

The device also operates quite coolly, and I hardly encountered any overheating issues during the review. This is primarily due to the 9,925mm square vapour chamber, which effectively dissipated heat even during intense gaming sessions. Regarding gaming, I played BGMI on the highest settings available, and the device managed it with ease. Genshin Impact also ran flawlessly without any interruptions. It’s certainly a superb device for gaming.

Gaming is exceptionally smooth on the device, and it doesn’t heat up significantly either

You receive dual speakers on the device, and they can produce substantial volume. There’s also a bit of bass, which is pleasant. The earpiece and microphone also functioned well during telephone conversations.

OnePlus 13R Cameras: Enhanced compared to before

• Main rear – 50-megapixel Sony LYT-700, f/1.8, OIS, Autofocus
• Telephoto – 50-megapixel Samsung S5KJN5, 2x Optical zoom, f/2.0, Autofocus
• Ultrawide – 8-megapixel, f/2.2, 112-degree FoV
• Front – 16-megapixel, f/2.4, Fixed focus

The OnePlus 13R boasts an enhanced camera configuration. The company has responded to feedback from consumers and reviewers by eliminating the 2-megapixel depth/macro sensor. You now possess a practical 2x optical zoom camera. The primary camera has also received an update, but the ultra-wide sensor seems to be unchanged. Nevertheless, the device showcases vital enhancements.

The 2-megapixel macro camera is finally eliminated

The camera application is intuitive and features various modes, including Time-lapse, Hi-Res, Long Exposure, and Pro. There are also dedicated Portrait and Night settings.

A multitude of modes are available in the Camera application

In terms of camera performance, I observed enhancements in images captured with the primary camera in bright conditions. The colors are vibrant, there’s abundant detail, and the dynamic range is extensive,
“`and the white balance is also satisfactory.

Images captured using the primary camera at 1x [Tap to expand]

This year, the updated telephoto camera is a wonderful addition, yielding very impressive results under daylight circumstances. Once again, there is a wealth of details, the hues closely align with those from the main sensor, and the photograph showcases a commendable dynamic range.

Examples taken with the 2x telephoto lens [Tap to expand]

The ultrawide camera, which remains unchanged since last year, captures decent images when there is ample light. The photographs exhibit good detail, but the hues appear more vibrant compared to images from the other cameras.

Camera snapshots from the ultrawide lens [Tap to expand]

The 2x telephoto camera performs reasonably well for Portrait photographs. You can select between 1x and 2x crops through the camera application, and the edge identification is fairly commendable. However, the pictures tend to exhibit quite a bit of noise and blur in low-light settings.

Portrait images with the 2x telephoto; Daylight (Top), Lowlight-indoors (Bottom) [Tap to expand]

Regarding low-light conditions, the primary sensor continues to excel, delivering images with commendable detail, authentic colours, and a fairly precise white balance.

Lowlight photo samples from the main rear camera at 1x [Tap to view more]

Nevertheless, ultrawide and telephoto cameras do not perform well in low illumination scenarios. You will observe a significant amount of noise and blurriness in the photos.

Lowlight examples: Ultrawide (Top 3); 2x Telephoto (Bottom 3)

The front camera on the OnePlus 13R captures quite decent images in bright light situations. Details are good, and the skin tones appear quite accurate. However, the camera struggles in low light scenarios. Selfies taken with insufficient light exhibit a lot of noise and blurriness.

The OnePlus 13R is capable of recording video at a maximum of 4K 60fps, and it does provide optical image stabilization, though this feature is only available at 1080p 60fps. Videos recorded using the main camera at 4K show a fair amount of detail with slightly enhanced colors. Videos captured in low light, however, show less detail, and noise along with darker shadows becomes noticeable. Stabilization works well with Ultra Steady video mode at 1080p resolution, but you may experience some shakiness and abrupt movements while running or panning.

OnePlus 13R Battery: Impressive in every aspect

• Capacity – 6,000mAh
• Charging speed – 80W
• Charger – 80W (Included)

The OnePlus 13R employs a new Silicon-Carbon battery that is both denser and bigger than previous iterations. Despite housing a more substantial 6,000mAh cell, the 13R is slimmer than the 12R. Throughout my everyday use, the device consistently provided more than 7 hours of screen-on time. Most days concluded with over 40 percent of battery still available. In our HD video loop examination, the phone lasted an impressive 32 hours and 16 minutes, which is indeed remarkable but also expected.

A complete charge takes roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes

OnePlus includes an 80W SuperVOOC charger with the device, which can fully charge the phone from 0 to 100 percent in about 1 hour and 30 minutes. I conducted additional tests and discovered that around 40 percent of the charge can be obtained after 30 minutes of charging, and approximately 60 percent after 45 minutes. Overall, this performance is commendable.

OnePlus 13R Conclusion

Is the OnePlus 13R a superb offering? Absolutely. Is it genuinely worth the investment? Indeed. Has it shown advancements over last year’s 12R? Without a doubt. The new OnePlus 13R is certainly a worthy upgrade. It features improved cameras, a larger battery with extended longevity, superior build quality, prolonged software support, and various minor enhancements.

Regarding alternatives, I can think of very few. The newly unveiled Oppo Reno 13 Pro (Review) is costlier but falls short in essential aspects like performance and battery endurance. There’s also the Xiaomi 14 (Review), which utilizes the same chipset, provides exceptional cameras, a compact design, and is priced slightly higher. The iQOO 12 (Review) is another option, which, while older, continues to deliver outstanding performance alongside a reasonable camera configuration.