everything you need to know about these powerful smartphones at competitive prices

OnePlus launches the battle for premium smartphones 2025 with the European launch of its new flagship. During a global event organized this Tuesday, January 7, the firm formalized the arrival in our region of the OnePlus 13 and the flagship does not arrive alone. It is accompanied by a more affordable version: the OnePlus 13R. This announcement comes before that of Honor for its Magic7 Pro and the Unpacked dedicated to Samsung’s Galaxy S25.

OnePlus 13: a new powerful flagship

The OnePlus 13 is not really new since it is already official in China. The manufacturer quickly confirmed its global launch and France is discovering the OnePlus flagship in three colors (Midnight Ocean, Black Eclipse and Artic Dawn). The Midnight Ocean version also allows the OnePlus 13 to claim the status of the first smartphone equipped with microfiber vegan leather. The Black Eclipse model comes with a textured glass imitating the grain of black rosewood “for a refined touch” and the Arctic Dawn edition introduces a glass covering offering “silky feel, fingerprint-resistant surface and always looks flawless”.

Superlatives are out at OnePlus for the announcement of a device that aims to be robust, thanks to IP68 and IP69 certifications for increased resistance to water and dust. This model has a thickness of 8.5 mm (or 8.9 mm depending on the version) and a weight of 210 g (or 213 g).

The new smartphone is equipped with a 6.82-inch OLED screen displaying in 2K (3,168 x 1,440 pixels, with a dynamic refresh rate (1-120 Hz) thanks to LTPO technology. The screen presents a peak brightness at 4,500 nits and has advanced features, like RadiaView for optimized visibility in direct sunlight and Aqua Touch 2.0 to improve touch sensitivity in rain or presence humidity.

Snapdragon 8 Elite, Oxygen OS 15 and AI functions

The OnePlus 13 will be one of the most powerful smartphones of the year thanks to the integration of the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite. Unveiled at the end of last year, Qualcomm’s latest chip is much more efficient than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on the CPU (processor) and GPU (graphics) parts. A nice step forward for a smartphone that adds 12 to 24 GB of RAM and 256 GB to 1 TB of storage.

This power will notably help the OnePlus 13 to run OxygenOS 15, the new overlay based on Android 15. After a slight delay at startup, the interface finally puts AI in the spotlight by bringing new features to improve productivity and creativity. The artificial intelligence of OxygenOS must also improve the details of the images captured by the device, but also remove blur or reflections. As with other manufacturers, we find a note-taking tool powered by AI (clean, format, continue writing, adjust the tone, etc.). The partnership with Google provides access to Gemini models and features like Circle to search with Google.

OnePlus is taking advantage of the arrival of this version to optimize its overlay and lighten it. More refined, OxygenOS 15 frees up space for users by being 20% lighter than OxygenOS 14 on a OnePlus 12. This version also brings an innovation in the industry called parallel processing. With this technology, OxygenOS 15 delivers smooth animations and promises seamless transitions between apps, even under heavy usage.

A promising photo section, in partnership with Hasselblad

The photo remains an essential element, especially on premium smartphones. The OnePlus 13 arrives with an impressive configuration, including a 50 Mpx triple rear sensor:

50MP main sensor (Sony LYT-808, 1/1.43″, f/1.6, OIS, 23mm equivalent)
50 MP periscopic telephoto lens (Sony LYT-600, 1/1.95″, 3x optical zoom, OIS, 73mm equivalent)
50MP ultra-wide-angle (f/2.0, 15mm equivalent)

OnePlus still benefits from a partnership with Hasselblad, emphasizing “pro-quality portraits”. Video is not left out with the possibility of filming in 4K Dolby Vision on all cameras.

Note that the device has a 6,000 mAh battery, compatible with 100 W wired and 50 W wireless fast charging. The manufacturer promises a full charge in 36 minutes when wired. Finally, the OnePlus 13 supports 5G, Wifi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

OnePlus 13R: a powerful flagship killer

Unlike the OnePlus 13, the OnePlus 13R is a total novelty on the smartphone market. This smartphone has the difficult task of succeeding the excellent OnePlus 12R, which made a good impression on us thanks to its performance and competitive price. This year, the OnePlus 13R is inspired by the design of its predecessor in a slightly more compact package (161.7 x 75.8 x 8 mm compared to 163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8 mm for the 12R. IP64 certified and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass, it is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 which made the heyday of the flagship models of 2024.

A smooth evolution from the manufacturer which adds 8 to 16 GB of RAM and 256 to 512 GB of storage. The photo part is evolving in a more straightforward manner with the appearance of a 50 Mpx Sony IMX906 sensor (f/.18, 1/1.56 inch, OIS) to replace the 50 Mpx Sony IMX890 module of the 12R. Above all, the OnePlus 13R gains a 50 Mpx telephoto lens (Samsung JN1, f/2.0, x2 optical zoom) which promises to be significantly more useful than the 2 Mpx macro sensor of the 12R. Finally, an 8 Mpx ultra wide-angle (f/2.2) would complete the trio located on the back of the device. For selfies, the brand adds a 16 Mpx sensor with f/2.4 aperture.

The OnePlus 13R adds an impressive 6,000 mAh battery, compatible with 80 W wired charging. On the other hand, it makes the switch to wireless charging. Regarding connectivity, this smartphone is compatible with 5G, wifi 7 or even Bluetooth 5.3.

Price and availability

The OnePlus 13 is available for purchase now at 1,029 euros for the 256 GB version and 1,179 euros for the 512 GB version. Despite a slight price increase, it promises to be more accessible than most of its direct competitors.

For its part, the OnePlus 13R is available for pre-order now at 769 euros for the 256 GB version. Deliveries will begin on January 14.