OnePlus 13R: A Flagship Experience That Defies Expectations

One could certainly argue that ‘budget flagships’ do not precisely offer value. Yet, they do. The concept is straightforward—attempting to mimic a flagship device, which inherently costs more due to superior hardware accompanied by various features, but trimming a few aspects to maintain cost-effectiveness. The OnePlus 13R embodies this within the roster that encompasses the flagship OnePlus 13. Enhancements all around exist, though it remains true that it won’t exceed expectations. Still, it’s unwise to undervalue this offering, especially when price comparisons are made against its flagship counterpart.

Similar to how the OnePlus 12R was positioned against the OnePlus 12 previously. While the overarching strategy hasn’t shifted, OnePlus’ determination to produce both flagship and budget flagship devices should continue to yield benefits. It indeed demonstrates that achieving this balance is more challenging than it appears, as most other Android manufacturers have struggled to strike that balance. In contrast, a OnePlus 13 is priced starting at ₹69,999, while the OnePlus 13R presents itself at a more accessible range of ₹42,999 (12GB RAM + 256GB storage) or ₹49,999 (16GB+512GB).

For those surveying the competitive landscape, it encompasses a formidable Xiaomi 14 Civi, currently priced starting at ₹39,999, although it has lesser RAM options (8GB and 12GB), as well as the Vivo V40 Pro, which still holds a slight premium (prices commence at ₹49,999) with both 8GB and 12GB RAM. This provides context regarding why OnePlus’ pricing of the 13R offers value, alongside the novelty introduced by the passage of time.

Fortunately, OnePlus isn’t restraining itself in terms of performance capability. Featuring 12GB and 16GB RAM variants is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen3 processor, a flagship chip until recently. Its capabilities have not wavered, as it continues to be top-tier despite being around for some time. It was crucial for OnePlus to establish this distinction, not only against the OnePlus 13R’s competitors but also to differentiate it from the Nord series, which has positively improved in performance and user experience over time.

For comparison, the OnePlus Nord 4 utilizes the Snapdragon 7+ Gen3 processor, and using another 7-series chip here would have seemed unsuitable. This Snapdragon 8 Gen3 chip remains relatively cool within the OnePlus 13R due to a revamped thermal architecture—a larger, dual-layer vapor chamber. This is likely key to the phone maintaining performance better than previous models equipped with the same chip, which faced heating issues after extended use.

You may hold your opinions on this, but OxygenOS continues to evolve towards a character not entirely dissimilar from Oppo’s Color OS. I remain somewhat skeptical about the necessity of this shift, a couple of years after its introduction. It simply does not exude the premium feel that OxygenOS once did at an earlier point. Perhaps something to reflect upon in the coming years. The silver lining, however, is the enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) integration that the OnePlus 13R (and indeed the OnePlus 13) incorporates into the overall experience.

Google’s Gemini assistant, along with circular search capabilities, is at your disposal. OnePlus’ unique implementations of detail boost, blur removal, and reflection eraser hold significant relevance in photography applications. The advantageous aspect is, they contribute noticeable improvements to photographs. Enabling Open Canvas to operate on a device that doesn’t possess the expansive real estate of a foldable display renders multitasking a superior experience, surpassing many other Android devices. Some applications might not fully support Canvas, but for most intents and purposes, it functions effectively. Especially beneficial if you wish to drag and drop files between applications.

It’s imperative to discuss the photography component, since a budget flagship is unable to compromise in this area. The advancement compared to its predecessor is notable, featuring a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 50-megapixel telephoto camera, and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide shooter (which some might contend is the weak point in this setup), collectively forming a triumvirate. In contrast, the 12R was limited to a 2-megapixel macro camera without a telephoto lens.

The main camera impresses, and I must concede, it exceeds my initial expectations. Well-defined colors emerge with minimal artificial enhancement to make them appear better suited for social media (which also broadens editing possibilities). Such is the case with detail, and frankly, there’s little to criticize regarding dynamic range as well. Nonetheless, adjustments could be made to enhance the camera’s ability to tackle inadequately lit sections of the frame, with noticeable noise becoming apparent upon closer examination of a photo. This also implies the necessity of utilizing night mode for low-light photography.

I frequently opt to use the high-resolution mode (different Android devices have various names for this) for images requiring extreme detail, such as a beautiful landscape shot (I’d steer clear of the mediocre ultra-wide camera) or an intricate subject. In the case of the OnePlus 13R, the 50-megapixel mode generally performs well in terms of color accuracy. However, sharpness falls slightly short of what I anticipated, but it is something that can easily be rectified in a forthcoming update. For the moment, forced editing cannot compensate for the softer images.

There exists a recurring theme with ‘budget flagships’, which is they often exhibit too much similarity in terms of performance and user experience, aside from a few sporadic factors. In the instance of the OnePlus 13R, a genuine effort is made to elevate its overall performance (which contributes to longevity) through the choice of chipset and enhanced baseline RAM compared to its competitors. This should prove beneficial. Within this ecosystem, it is predominantly too close to distinguish regarding most interactions you will engage with on a phone, including photographic performance.