OnePlus 13R Smartphone review

REVIEW – Once again, I am excited because one of my favorite smartphone companies has allowed me to review one of their latest phones. I have been a OnePlus fan for quite some time now having reviewed previous versions of their phones. I am sure that you can sense the excitement and anticipation in my expression as I get ready to review this ONePlus 13R Smartphone.

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $599.99
Where to buy: OnePlus website

What is it?

The OnePlus 13R Smartphone is the scaled-down version of the OnePlus 13 Flagship Smartphone. It offers exceptional value for money without compromising much on real-world performance. 

What’s included?

• 1 x OnePlus 13R
• 1 x SUPERVOOC Power Adapter
• 1 x Type-A to C Cable
• 1 x Quick Start Guide
• 1 x Safety Guide
• 1 x SIM Tray Ejector
• 1 x USB DongleItem

Tech Specs

Dimensions: Height: 161.72 mm; Width: 75.77 mm; Thickness: 8.02 mm; Weight: 206g
Display: Size: 172.2 mm (6.78 inches, measured diagonally from corner to corner); Resolution: 2780*1264 pixels, 450 ppi; Aspect Ratio: 19.8:9; HBM / Peak Brightness: 1600 nits / 4500 nits; Refresh Rate: 1-120 Hz dynamic; Type: 120Hz ProXDR Display with LTPO 4.1; Support 100% Display P3, 10-bit Color Depth; Cover Glass: Corning® Gorilla® Glass GG7i
Operating System: OxygenOS 15.0 based on Android™ 15
Platform: Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform
CPU: Qualcomm® Kryo™ 980 CPU @3.3GHz
GPU: Adreno™ 750 @903MHz
RAM: 12GB LPDDR5X
Storage: 256GB UFS 4.0
Battery: 6,000 mAh (single-cell 6,000 mAh, non-removable)
Vibration: Haptic motor
Available configurations: 12GB+256GB
Charge: 55W SUPERVOOC™ – *Up to 80W with OnePlus SUPERVOOC 80W Dual Ports GaN Power; Adapter or OnePlus SUPERVOOC 100W Dual Ports Power Adapter
Camera –
Wide Camera: Sensor – Sony LYT-700; Sensor Size: 1/1.56″; Megapixels: 50; Pixel Size: 1.0 µm; Lens Quantity: 6P; Optical Image Stabilization: Yes; Electronic Image Stabilization: Yes; Focal Length: 24 mm equivalent; Aperture: ƒ/1.8; Field of View: 84°; Autofocus: Yes
Telephoto Camera: Sensor – S5KJN5 with 2X optical zoom; Sensor Size: 1/2.75″; Megapixels: 50; Pixel Size: 0.64 µm; Lens Quantity: 5P; Electronic Image Stabilization: Yes; Focal Length: 47 mm equivalent
Aperture: ƒ/2.0; Autofocus: Yes
Ultra-wide Camera: Sensor Size: 1/4″; Megapixels: 8; Pixel Size: 1.12 µm; Lens Quantity: 5P; Electronic Image Stabilization: Yes; Focal Length: 16 mm equivalent; Aperture: ƒ/2.2; Field of View: 112°; Flash: 
LED
Video –
Rear cameras: 4K@60fps/30fps, 1080P@60fps/30fps, 720P/30fps
EIS/OIS video: 1080P@60fps
Video zoom: 4K@60fps/30fps, 1080P@60fps/30fps, 720P/30fps
SLO-MO: 1080P@240fps, 720P@480fps/240fps
Movie: 3840×1644@30fps
TIME-LAPSE: 4K@30fps, 1080P@30fps
Dual-view video: 1080P@30fps
Features: Frame Watermark, Auto HDR, Interval Shooting, Nightscape, Hi-Res Mode, Pro Mode, Movie Mode, Ultra Steady Mode, Dual-view Video, Portrait Mode, Video Portrait, Pano, Macro, Slo-mo, Time-lapse, Long Exposure, Text-scanner, Retouching, Filters, Tilt-Shift
Front Camera: Megapixels: 16; Sensor Size: 1/3.09″; Lens Quantity: 5P; Pixel Size: 1.0 µm; Electronic Image Stabilization: Yes; Fixed Focus; Aperture: ƒ/2.4; Field of View: 82°
Video: 1080P@30fps, 720P@30fps; Steady Mode: 1080P@30fps, 720P@30fps
Features: Face Unlock, Screen Flash, HDR, Nightscape, Portrait mode, Pano, Steady mode, Time-lapse, Retouching, Filters
Connectivity: LTE/LTE-A; 4×4 MIMO; Band – 2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz; 3G WCDMA: Bands 1/2/4/5/6/8/19; 4G LTE FDD: Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28/30/32/66/71
4G LTE TDD: Bands 38/39/40/41/48; 5G NR: n1/n2/n3/n5/n7/n8/n12/n20/n25/n26/n28/n30/n38/n40/n41/n48/n66/n71/n77/n78
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 5, WLAN Display, WLAN tethering, 2×2 MIMO,8 Spatial-stream sounding MU-MIMO
Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.4; SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX-HD, LDAC, LHDC 5.0
NFC: NFC-enabled
Location: GPS(L1+L5), Galileo(E1+E5a)
Sensors: Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Color temperature sensor, E-compass, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, In-display optical fingerprint sensor, Hall Sensor, Barometer, Infrared remote control
Ports: USB 2.0; Type-C; Support standard Type-C earphones; Dual nano-SIM slot
Buttons: Gestures and on-screen navigation support; Alert Slider
Audio: OReality Audio; 3 mics
Multimedia: HDR Supported; Dolby Vision®, HDR10+, HDRViVid
Audio Supported Formats: MP3, AAC, AMR, APE, OGG, FLAC, WAV, MIDI
Video Supported Formats: MP4, 3GP, MKV, MOV, HEVC, AVC, VP9, VP8, AV1
Image Supported Formats: JPEG, BMP, PNG, DNG, HEIF, AVIF, WEBP, GIF, WBMP, ICO

Design and features

The OnePlus 13R offers great features that support its performance. The design includes a fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor combined with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The front of the smartphone features a 6.78-inch 120Hz ProXDR AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2780 x 1264 pixels, a brightness of 4500 nits, and support for HDR10+. The beautiful glass is also durable since it is made from Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. The phone’s sides are minimalistic featuring small control buttons on each long side, and the SIM card slot and speakers on the short sides. A 55W charger is included.

Performance

Much like the previous One Plus smartphones I tested, the OnePlus 13R is a scaled-down yet powerful version of its flagship big brother the OnePlus 13. Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor makes it a powerful and capable device that is available at a reasonable price. The built-in processing power allows it to deliver a smooth and effortless experience even when multitasking. I am not a gamer, but I have previewed a few demos on this phone and the experience suggests that gamers would be good to go.

The OnePlus 13R comes with a mix of pre-installed apps, and what some might consider as potential bloatware. The Oxygen 15 Operating System provides a clean interface and includes the expected apps like Gmail, Calendar, Maps, and YouTube as well as OnePlus’s suite of applications such as Calculator, Clone Phone, and Community.

The camera on this OnePlus 13R produces sharp, detailed images with vibrant colors. The telephoto capability with the 2x optical zoom and the ultrawide camera work well in good lighting conditions and do a decent job even in low light conditions. I can see a photographer on the go capturing excellent quality images with this 13R.

The following is a video that I recorded using the OnePlus 13R. This was in low light conditions:

Here is a photo I took at night with minimal ambient light:

Another one of my favorite qualities of OnePlus smartphones is always the battery life, and this phone keeps that tradition going. The large 6000mAh capacity seems to keep going and going, and it always has a charge that is more than expected when my mind says it must be empty. While I am quite disappointed that it does not have built-in wireless charging, it does compensate to some extent because of its amazingly fast charging.

Overall, I am pleased with this OnePlus 13R and use it every day. While I am a big fan of OnePlus and cling to their devices, I do hope that future “R” versions do not overlook features like wireless charging, and I must mention a lower IP rating that I almost missed and skipped because I was so involved in admiring the external design, fit and finish. This is a gorgeous and sleek phone. Navigating through the screens on this phone is a pleasant experience as everything months smoothly and as fast as needed. I do not think that there should be a difference in IP ratings between the flagship models and the “R” versions since the usage methodology would be the same. I understand that there must be some compromises to guarantee an affordable price point. Regardless this phone delivers an excellent balance of performance, camera capabilities, and battery life, which IMHO makes it yet another winner from OnePlus.

Final thoughts

As someone who has reviewed multiple OnePlus smartphones, I can confidently say the OnePlus 13R is a standout smartphone that delivers flagship-level performance. It offers an exceptional balance of performance, battery life, and value.

What I like about the OnePlus 13R Smartphone

• It is sleek and attractive
• It performs well for both video and photos
• It is powerful and fast
• It has a great variety of built-in features
• The build quality is great

What needs to be improved?

• It lacks wireless charging

Price: $599.99
Where to buy: OnePlus website
Source: OnePlus provided a free sample for this review. OnePlus did not have a final say on the review and did not preview it before it was published.

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