It’s hard to believe $600 would almost get you a flagship experience. But here we are with the OnePlus 13R, still firmly holding onto its “flagship killer” name. Even if the phone is excellent, it doesn’t do enough to push the envelope for me to upgrade. The device doesn’t offer enough changes from my OnePlus 12R, nor am I tempted to trade my Samsung devices for it. Here’s why I am not upgrading to the OnePlus 13R and why it might not be worth it for you.
Read our review
The OnePlus 13R will make you forget you’re using a sub-$600 phone
Impressive performance at great value
No wireless charging in the OnePlus 13R
One step forward, two steps back
To keep the prices low, OnePlus cut some corners with its flagship killer. Unfortunately, one of these corners was in wireless charging. The OnePlus 13 has wireless charging, but not exactly how we wanted; the OnePlus 13 uses its own technology, the AirVOOC, and it’s only compatible with Qi2-enabled chargers and accessories when paired with a magnetic case. That means the OnePlus 13 doesn’t have built-in magnetics that allow wireless charging without using the case (it only has the receiver), making this implementation slightly disappointing.
Unfortunately, the OnePlus 13R doesn’t have this option, as it has no wireless charging capabilities. Even Motorola, a company known for budget to solid mid-range phones, has been bringing wireless charging for the last few years.
Wireless charging is still the future. And it’s something I want more smartphones to adopt. When I am vying for my next upgrade, wireless charging is something I’d heavily consider, especially when I have minimal space for cords among the other charging cables needed for my other gadgets.
OnePlus 13R’s camera isn’t great
AI can make all the difference, but not here
When it comes to overall image quality, the cameras are not enough of an upgrade. The cameras still struggle in low-light conditions. Color accuracy is still slightly inconsistent, but this might be a OnePlus problem rather than a 13R issue. But still, this is not a $1200 phone, so we expect it not to be perfect.
The problem is that both Samsung and Google have made leaps and bounds with their smartphone cameras, and if you’re buying for the camera alone, there’s still the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE and the upcoming Pixel 9a to look out for. The Pixel 9 series has excellent cameras, and we praised Samsung for making the cameras much better using AI in the S24 FE. So don’t let the budget deter you from shopping around; there are options for good cameras at a budget-to-midrange price.
The OnePlus cameras are still mediocre, even with the backing of their multi-million dollar partnership in Hasselblad. The technology is there, but the imaging process results are inconsistent outside of perfect light conditions.
The display didn’t change much
But there are still some slight differences
If you own a OnePlus 12R and want to trade it in, know that the display hasn’t changed much. The OnePlus 12R and the 13R have 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED displays; the resolution is still 2,780 x 1,264, and both hold a 120Hz refresh rate. As noted in our versus guide, both devices support HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
One significant difference is the screen design: the OnePlus 13R has a flat screen compared to the curved screen of its predecessor series.
The other notable difference is that the OnePlus 13R uses Gorilla Glass 7i. At the same time, the 12R offers the Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the same premium material used in the Galaxy S23 lineup and the Pixel 9. The overall build materials are similar but have some differences.
Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is better at handling drops against harder surfaces (Corning used 80-grit sandpaper to simulate rough surfaces) than the more budget variant, the Gorilla Glass 7i (tested against 180-grit sandpaper). It’s not terribly different, especially regarding scratch resistance (both yielded 8-10 Newtons on the Knoop Diamond Scratch test). Still, it would have been nice to see Victus 2 return to the 13R for the slightly better shatter resistance.
Related
OnePlus 13R vs. OnePlus 12R: Carrying the never settle mantra forward
Two well-crafted flagship killers
You’re not missing out on software
OnePlus supports OS updates on older models
OxygenOS 15 is still a fantastic experience, but it is not exclusive to the OnePlus 13R. Eligible OnePlus devices will also receive this update in time. It’s not like you’re purchasing a Pixel 9 with features only the Pixel 9 has; there’s no FOMO (fear of missing out), which is great. The update is already out if you’re a OnePlus 12 and 12R owner.
The OnePlus 12 is right there
The last-gen phone shouldn’t be ignored
The OnePlus 12 may be a year old, but still quite good. The downside is you will be a year behind for software support. OnePlus will support the OnePlus 12 to have four major Android OS updates and five years of security patches. The OnePlus 13 series will have four major Android OS updates but now has six years of security patches. We’ve already dived on why users shouldn’t panic about less security updates, as they don’t matter as much as you’d think they do. I have also held onto old devices past their security expiration dates and have never personally encountered problems — it’s losing an extra year on software that hurts it the most.
The most significant factor would be the hardware and software upgrade, mainly the battery and performance. OnePlus 13R hands down wins battery life. But it’s still overkill; a phone lasting for days isn’t as necessary when you can have it fully charged in just under an hour — and surprisingly, the 12 charges faster (we reported 31 minutes using an 80W charger) than the 13R does. The second factor is the SoC; both phones operate on Snapdragon Gen 3, so there is little difference. But the last factor, if you’re looking for the biggest bang for your buck on camera upgrades, is that the OnePlus 12 still has the better camera.
But why consider the OnePlus 12?
Don’t consider the OnePlus 12 unless you have a lucrative trade offer or find it on sale. It’s too pricey if you’re buying at full price compared to the 13R. In December, we reported that the OnePlus 12 went below $600 for Black Friday, which won’t be the last deal this phone gets. If you’re dead set on a OnePlus device, the 12 isn’t a bad option. The 13R might be fantastic in its own right and seen as the shiny new toy, but it’s not the only one out there — especially when the price is right.
Upgrading your smartphone should be treated case-by-case
Just because upgrading is not worth it for me doesn’t mean it’s not the case for you. If you’re rocking a OnePlus 7, that phone is over five years old — that’s way overdue for an upgrade. But you still have options: the Pixel 9a is rumored to be coming in mid-March of this year, and we are still waiting for details on what type of phone the Samsung S25 Edge shakes out as.
I also don’t think it’s a sole issue from OnePlus on why the 13R doesn’t tempt me from my current options; the problem lies in most manufacturers bringing in minimal upgrades with an inflated price tag — so the question becomes, is really worth it to upgrade our smartphones every year?
OnePlus 13R
The OnePlus 13R takes one of our favorite midrange phones from last year a step further. It still features a gorgeous 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. However, OnePlus added a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12GB of RAM for 2025, with faster UFS 4.0 storage. The OnePlus 13 is a great performer, all for $600.
