OnePlus 13R’s future is revealed with the launch of its new device

The flagship-killer smartphone concept was introduced by OnePlus and may have been defined by them. With pricing becoming more variable and the difference between mid-range and high-end functionality narrowing, the notion that you could get very close to the form and function of top-tier smartphones but with a noticeable discount has gained traction.

The mother of the genre’s flagship killer, however, is the OnePlus 13R. It costs $599 for the 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage model, which puts it in that odd middle ground between the iPhone SE and the Pixel 8a. For the typical user, the specifications will provide more than enough power and performance, and it looks the part thanks to its innovative design.

To get there, it also has a few minor downgrades and options.

Specifications of the OnePlus 13R.

The design of the OnePlus 13R is an eye-catching combination of functional flat surfaces. Curved corners aid in grip, but the phone’s flat screen with few bezels makes the screen stand out and gives it a purpose. That might not be enough to identify the 13R from a distance, but one feature does—the three-way alert slider that allows you to select silent, vibrate, or on—and it can all be operated by touch.

After only a few minutes of use, the OnePlus 13R felt like a OnePlus. It takes years to develop that intangible moment across several phones, and it can be quickly lost.

The main component of the package that improves the handset’s feel is the display. I’m quite content with the decision to forgo the current fad for curved screens in favor of a fully flat design. The phone also features a glove mode that allows it to detect inputs as long as the glove’s material is not too deep, OnePlus’ Aqua Touch allows touch operations in the wet, and it has a variable refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz.

The chipset is the top pick from the previous year, just like in earlier R models. Therefore, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is included with the OnePlus 13R. Last year’s powerhouse still performs well because the requirements for a smartphone haven’t changed much in the past year, possibly with the exception of on-device generative AI.

The OnePlus 13, which has the newest technology, is a good choice if you want more powerful options.

Battery Life of the OnePlus.

The OnePlus 13R boasts an equally impressive battery in the £700 range as the OnePlus 13, which also delivered a class-leading battery that would easily be able to last more than two days. You will be able to use the phone for a comfortable day thanks to a slightly longer battery life than the OnePlus 12R from the previous year. I can see this as a regular “charge every night” device because two days of continuous use is too much for it.

Because of the larger battery and the fast charger’s 80W capacity, the time from empty to 100% is longer than usual—45 minutes was the longest I could find. This is assuming you use the SuperVOOC wired charger, which costs extra. OnePlus only includes the iconic red USB-C cable with the phone without a charger.

Regretfully, wireless charging is not compatible with the 13R. It’s possible that the larger battery and sleek design won’t have enough internal volume to hold everything. OnePlus delayed implementing wireless charging for a while, claiming that a fast-charging battery reduced the need for wireless charging. The internal preference for faster wired over wireless, I suppose, is still in place.

The 13R camera from OnePlus.

I believe that OnePlus’s camera capabilities have been overextended. One lens is too many in the three-lens setup, in my opinion.

To help take clear and sharp pictures, the primary lens is the only one with optical and electronic stabilization. You will use the default lens for the majority of your work because it is very helpful in low light conditions.

Thankfully, the OnePlus 12R’s macro lens has been swapped out for an x2 telephoto camera. Although it doesn’t provide much magnification, it is more useful and welcome than a lens for extremely close-up work.

Despite having 50-megapixel sensors for the primary and telephoto lenses, the wide-angle lens only has 8 megapixels. Since there aren’t any actual pixels, a lot more post-processing is required, and the lack of original detail becomes noticeable when you begin editing your own.

I question whether it would have been wiser to forgo the third lens and use the money saved to purchase a two-lens system instead, considering how similar the quality of the primary and telephoto lenses is. Designing a smartphone involves making decisions, one of which is a very basic decision at the system’s core.

AI and OS for the OnePlus 13R.

OxygenOS 15, OnePlus’ version of Android 15, is used by the OnePlus 13R. With six years of security updates and four years of software support, the 13R provides a good window of support for the cost. With only minor additions from OnePlus to Google’s standard package, OxygenOS is still a pure version of Android.

Also, it works exactly the same way as the OnePlus 13’s software. In addition to OnePlus’s own AI software, you get the newest Gemini AI tools from Google. When working with your photos, the generative editing tools are the most obvious.

Conclusions regarding the OnePlus 13R.

There are some obvious flaws with the OnePlus 13R. It’s disappointing that there is no wireless charging and that the camera lacks the optical zoom and accuracy of other phones at the same price.

The OnePlus 13R, however, is more than those options. It is a well-rounded gadget that is superior to the popular mid-range smartphones. The price is more in line with the iPhone 16 and the Galaxy S24 FE, but the specifications are more in line with their larger siblings. Additionally, one of the main selling points of the battery is its endurance.

In actuality, the OnePlus 13R is not a mid-range smartphone. When mid-range consumers want something “a little bit more,” they don’t want to upgrade to a pricey, high-end gadget. They require a device that is somewhat more elegant, has more potential than the typical smartphone, and has comparable specs.

There ought to be a term for that. Oh, there it is.

OnePlus 13R: the flagship killer.