OnePlus 13R pros and cons
Minimalist design with premium materials.
Outstanding 6000mAh battery with 100W fast charging.
Welcome addition of a telephoto lens.
Stunning 120Hz AMOLED display with peak brightness of 4500 nits.
Lacks wireless charging.
Slightly bulky design stylings.
Ultra-wide camera doesn’t hit the heights of rivals.
No expandable storage option.
The OnePlus 13R is the latest addition to OnePlus’ smartphone line-up, positioned as a more affordable alternative to the recently released (and well-received) OnePlus 13.
While previous ‘R’ series devices have seen conscious compromises to keep costs down, this year’s model marks a turning point with the introduction of a telephoto lens for the first time, alongside top-tier performance and an impressive battery life.
With a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor at its core, a 120Hz AMOLED display and 100W fast charging, the 13R aims to be yet another device offering a flagship experience at a lower price point.
Does it live up to that lofty promise? Read on to find out.
Design and specifications
OnePlus has always maintained a strong design ethos, and the 13R gladly continues this tradition with an elegant aluminium frame, off-centre camera array, and a matte glass back that resists fingerprints and smudges.
The display dominates the front - back to flat for ergonomics - and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for added durability.
Measuring 161.7mm in height, 75.8mm in width, and 8.0mm thick, the phone is comfortable to hold but tips the scales a little at 206 grams, largely due to its 6000mAh battery and metal body.
The device is available in two colours - Astral Trail and Nebula Noir - both of which exude a luxurious feel.
The Astral was the one we landed, and it definitely looks impressive, with circular grooves radiating out on the rear and giving a gorgeous reflective sheen when the light hits it right.
Water resistance? The OnePlus 13R has you covered. IP65 is more than sufficient for everyday use, equating to defence against dust and splashes, but not quite the complete submersion that we see in competition - even at this price bracket - like Samsung’s Galaxy A55 with an IP67 rating.
While some competitors push the boundaries with ultra-light materials or curved displays, OnePlus' latest is a masterclass in understated elegance, ensuring the 13R remains looking - and feeling - every bit as premium as higher-end siblings.
Screen display and audio
One of the standout features of the OnePlus 13R is its 6.78-inch AMOLED LTPO 4.1 display, boasting a 2780 x 1264 resolution - another device hitting that ‘Goldilocks zone’ of portability and expanse that the mobile market has gathered around.
It’s crisp, vibrant, and capable of adjusting its refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz, optimising performance and power efficiency. Unlike some rivals that push beyond for super-fast frame rates, OnePlus has focused on refining the overall experience, delivering smooth animations and seamless scrolling while preserving its all-important battery life.
Brightness is another highlight (no pun intended). The typical brightness reaches 1600 nits, with a peak brightness of 4500 nits, ensuring excellent outdoor visibility even under direct sunlight.
HDR10+ support is also a welcome addition, enhancing contrast and colour depth and making films and games pop with deeper blacks and punchier highlights.
AquaTouch 2.0 - a great litle feature which sees OnePlus device displays remaining both legible and responsive even when exposed to water - is a welcome addition to this mid-range marvel.
The audio experience complements the stunning visuals, with dual stereo speakers delivering rich, immersive sound. While there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack - a common omission in modern flagships - Bluetooth support ensures you're set when it comes to high-quality wireless audio.
Camera capabilities
For the first time, an 'R' device boasts a telephoto lens, bringing improved versatility to OnePlus’ more budget-friendly flagship alternative.
Whilst lacking Hasselblad cool-by-association credentials of it's flagship sibling, the OnePlus 13R still brings some heat to the imaging arena.
The triple-camera setup consists of a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP telephoto lens, and an 8MP ultra-wide camera.
The primary 50MP sensor, the Sony LYT-700, produces excellent results, capturing sharp, colour-accurate images in various lighting conditions.
With both optical image stabilisation (OIS) and electronic image stabilisation (EIS), it ensures blur-free shots even in low light.
Night mode enhances details further, making low-light photography one of the phone’s stronger areas.
The telephoto lens offers 2x optical zoom, which is a welcome addition but doesn’t quite match the 5x or 10x optical zoom found in some premium flagships.
While it performs well in daylight, zoomed-in shots lose detail as you push beyond 10x digital zoom.
Still, it’s a step up from previous OnePlus R models, and casual users will appreciate the added flexibility.
The 8MP ultra-wide lens is the weakest link, delivering decent - but not exceptional - shots.
Colours remain consistent with the primary camera, but fine details suffer, especially in lower lighting conditions.
Competitors like Samsung and Apple offer higher-resolution ultra-wide sensors, making this feel like a minor compromise in an otherwise well-rounded setup - one area where the limits of the OnePlus 13R's flagship aspirations become apparent.
For video, the OnePlus 13R supports 4K at 60fps for smoother motion and better stabilisation.
The Super Stable Mode, which combines OIS and EIS, ensures steady footage even when shooting handheld.
All in all, a capable snapper with some compromises in its ultrawide lens, but with a telephoto debut that is altogether decent.
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Processor and performance
At the heart of the OnePlus 13R beats Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a chipset known for its efficiency and sheer power, and the weapon of choice for many of last year’s flagships including the Galaxy S24 series phones, and OnePlus’ own 12 and 12R.
Married with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, the phone delivers snappy performance across the board.
Whether handling intensive gaming sessions, multitasking between demanding apps, or shooting video, the 13R remains fluid and responsive with minimal heating.
Gaming performance is particularly strong thanks to the Adreno 750 GPU, which allows graphically demanding titles like Infinity Nikki and and Genshin Impact to run at high frame rates - and most of the highest graphical features - without noticeable slowdown.
OnePlus has also included its proprietary HyperBoost Gaming Engine, which optimises resources dynamically, reducing overheating and maintaining performance over long sessions.
Running on OxygenOS 15 (based on Android 15), the software experience is clean, responsive, and feature-rich. OnePlus has committed to four years of Android updates and six years of security patches, which is both respectable, and within striking distance of Samsung’s stellar seven-year software promise for its latest line-up.
Compared to stock Android, OxygenOS adds thoughtful features without unnecessary bloat, maintaining a near-stock experience while giving users plenty of customisation options.
It also marks the appearance of AI features that have arrived with Oxygen OS 15, with everything from Notes to the camera and intelligent search - both on-device and across the web - all present and correct on the 13R.
Battery life
The 6000mAh battery is a standout feature, a single cell effort rather than the fancy silicon-carbon number found in the OnePlus 13.
This bumper battery sees the device comfortably lasting an honest two days with standard use.
Even under heavy gaming or extensive tunes on the train, the phone can easily make it through a full day without giving you charge anxiety - a welcome respite.
When it does come time to charge, 100W SUPERVOOC fast charging ensures a full top-up in just 26 minutes. This is among the fastest wired charging speeds available, making it incredibly convenient for users who are always on the go.
One mis-step for OnePlus is the continued absence of wireless charging to the R-series devices, which may disappoint some users, but ultra-fast wired speeds more than compensate here.
OnePlus 13R UK pricing and availability
The OnePlus 13R is currently priced at £679 in the UK and is available in a single configuration with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
For context, the OnePlus 13 starts at £899, offering higher-end specifications and additional features alike.
The usual raft of early adopter offers can see you shave a good £50 off the sticker price with coupons, as well as the same amount again with attractive trade-in options, and a free case.
Verdict
The OnePlus 13R pretty much delivers on its goal of giving a near-flagship experience, minus the hefty price tag.
The inclusion of a telephoto lens is a game-changer for the series, even if it doesn’t quite match premium periscope zoom setups. Performance is exceptional thanks to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the 120Hz AMOLED display is a joy to look at, and battery life is outstanding, backed by 100W fast charging.
There are compromises, however. The ultra-wide camera is less than stellar, there’s no expandable storage, and wireless charging is sorely missed in its absence - but these feel minor when reminded of its lower price point, and the litany of things the 13R gets right.
For those seeking flagship power without the accompanying price tag, the OnePlus 13R is a strong early contender for 2025.
