OnePlus 13 assessment: The ‘flagship killer’ has returned to take the crown as soon as once more

For those who have read my reviews on OnePlus products before, you will know I am a self-professed fan boy of the brand.

However, I have also had my issues with it – despite having almost every phone they’ve produced since the heady days of the OnePlus One. The brand, for me, lost a bit of luster and lost its way somewhere between the Oneplus 7, which was an inspired piece of tech, and the OnePlus 10, which left a lot to be desired.

It found a bit of that sparkle again with the OP12 . . . and has now returned to the glory days with the OnePlus 13. I’ve spent nearly a full month with the latest device from the brand once dubbed “flagship killers,” and whisper it quietly, but that nickname might be returning to it once more.

OnePlus 13 – 9/10

For the techie ones among you, here’s the key spec for the newly-announced OP13:

• Software: Oxygen OS 15/Android 15

• Size: 6.82inches

• Glass: Crystal Shield super-ceramic glass

• Chip: Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite

• Cameras (All Hasselblad): 50 MP, f/1.6, 23mm (wide), 1/1.43″, 1.12µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS
  50 MP, f/2.6, 73mm (periscope telephoto), 1/1.95″, 3x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS
  50 MP, f/2.0, 15mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), PDAF

• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.4, 21mm (wide), 1/2.74″, 0.8µm

• Battery: 6,000mAh

• Price: £899 (256GB) £999 (512GB)

• Water Resistance: IP68 and IP69

• Daily Star rating: 9/10

Having spent a month with it, the device has many great features, but one absolute stand out. Try as I might, I could not get the batter to run out across a full day of power usage. For the first time in recent memory – especially with an OP device – I wasn’t panicking about running out late on in a day if I was out and about.

The bigger batter and the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset appear to combine to create somewhat of a power saving beast, that no matter how much Pokemon Go I play, YouTube I watch or messaging I do, I would very often finish a full day within the 30% battery range – a massive round of applause to OP for this.

The software is what you’ve come to expect from OP, being as close to stock Android as possible, but with just enough customisation options and tweaks that you’re left feeling comfortable with it, not confused by it. The size, although some might find it slightly small than some flagship phones, was perfect for me. I did find the OP12 a little too big at times, but the OP13 is perfect for one-handed typing.

But, it’s not all singing and dancing, as OP still has issues with the camera – except this time it’s now AI-powered. I will never understand the brand’s historic issues with camera software, as most of my images felt over-processed, and it really struggled in low-light. It does have some cool features like Clear Burst and Action Mode, but not enough to really win me over on that side of things.

However, videos in 4k and 8k were stunning, and indefinitely worth the investment, so that’s something OP have improved upon this year. Overall, the price makes this phone an absolute flagship killer for me – be it £899 or £999, you’re still way off the extortionate prices charged by rivals like Samsung, and it makes the camera issues something I’d be happy to look past.

And yes, the OP13 is water resistant, something I was baffled by last year when OP decided to leave off the OP12, and does also have its own version of MagSafe this year. To sum up, I’m confident in claiming that the “Flagship Killer” of old is back, or at least well on its way to reclaiming its former glory.

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