The OnePlus 13R is a specific form of midrange cellphone for a specific form of particular person.
It’s a pared-down model of the OnePlus 13 — which is a full-on flagship and a superb one at that. And despite the fact that it shares quite a lot of the flagship DNA, the 13R lacks peace-of-mind options current on the Google Pixel 9A, like full water resistance and new OS variations for seven years. It’s additionally not precisely low-cost, with an MSRP of $599. But when all that reduces its mass enchantment, the 13R makes up for it in two key locations: battery life and display. Is it price shopping for over the $499 Pixel 9A? That depends upon the actual form of particular person you’re.
The 13R affords an enormous 6.78-inch OLED panel with a variable refresh fee as much as 120Hz, and its 1264 x 2780 decision is sufficient to maintain issues sharp. You’ll have a tough time discovering one other display this massive and fancy on a midrange cellphone, at the very least one offered within the US. It’s lots vivid in direct solar, and it maintains its peak brightness effectively. The always-on show is difficult to see within the solar with out waking the display, however that’s a minor grievance.
The 13R has an IP65 ranking, which means it’s totally mud resistant and may face up to some severe splashes. However it’s not assured to resist full immersion in water, and loads of trendy telephones on this worth bracket are. The iPhone 16E and Pixel 9A supply IP68 water resistance, as does the pricier OnePlus 13. Most 13R homeowners in all probability gained’t have an issue with this, but it surely doesn’t sit tremendous effectively with me that all the main competitors at this worth affords higher water resistance.
OnePlus made compromises to maintain the 13R’s worth down, however efficiency isn’t one in all them. It comes with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, final 12 months’s top-tier chipset, which remains to be a banger in 2025. There’s additionally 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage within the base mannequin. That’s loads of energy to maintain it operating easily, and nothing I might throw at it in my day-to-day gave it hassle. It by no means a lot as flinched doing my little day by day chores and scrolling, and it barely warmed up throughout an prolonged free roam session in Pocket Metropolis 2.
I used the cellphone with the always-on show and high-performance mode enabled, plus a beneficiant display time-out setting as a result of generally I would like to have a look at a recipe 20 instances earlier than I keep in mind what number of teaspoons of sesame oil it requires. All these issues drain the battery quicker, however I by no means bought decrease than 50 p.c by the tip of the day, even on days with lengthy bike rides tracked on Strava and prolonged TikTok scrolling classes. It is a two-day battery for most individuals, and that’s in all probability one thing that individuals need proper now greater than gimmicky AI options, that are blissfully minimal on the 13R.
OnePlus has promised 4 main OS upgrades and 6 years of safety updates for the 13R, which is healthier than the corporate has completed previously and can in all probability be sufficient for most individuals who purchase this cellphone. However Google affords seven years of OS upgrades on the 9A on prime of frequent safety updates. Should you’re trying to squeeze as a few years out of your system as attainable, the 9A can be a more sensible choice, even at its $100 decrease MSRP.
One thing else the 9A affords that the 13R doesn’t? Wi-fi charging. The OnePlus 13R affords speedy wired charging — as much as 55W with the included charger. That’s useful if you happen to want a fast prime off through the day or need to cost your cellphone whilst you deal with your morning routine. However you’ll get 0 if you happen to drop it on a wi-fi charger stationed in your nightstand, which I did, and couldn’t work out why it wasn’t charging till I remembered. Not everybody cares about wi-fi charging, and quick charging can turn out to be useful, however for $599 you must at the very least have the choice to cost wirelessly.
The 13R consists of three rear cameras: a 50-megapixel f/1.8 stabilized most important, 50-megapixel f/2.0 2x telephoto, and an 8-megapixel ultrawide. Photograph high quality is nice general, and the 2x telephoto digital camera is an enchancment over the low-res macro digital camera on final 12 months’s mannequin. Photos have a tendency towards a vivid aesthetic that I discover a bit of a lot at instances, and effective element is fairly crunchy if you happen to look shut. However if you happen to give it good lighting and a photogenic topic, it’ll do them justice.
“How a lot does this cellphone value?” is a query I’m consistently attempting to reply. On this case, the reply is simply as sophisticated as at all times. The 13R’s MSRP is $599, however proper now it’s marked right down to $499 from OnePlus and Greatest Purchase — no limited-time deal or something, only a straight up hundred greenback low cost. Is {that a} perpetually worth? What occurs if tariffs truly hit? Unclear!
Truthfully, $499 seems like the appropriate worth for this cellphone and $599 seems like only a bit an excessive amount of for a cellphone missing wi-fi charging and an IP68 ranking. The 13R affords sturdy battery life and an excellent display for its class, and if these are your prime priorities, then this can be a strong choose. However for everybody else, I believe there’s a greater choice within the Pixel 9A.
Images by Allison Johnson / The Verge
Comply with Proceed: OnePlus 13 and 13R
Each sensible system now requires you to comply with a collection of phrases and situations earlier than you need to use it — contracts that nobody truly reads. It’s inconceivable for us to learn and analyze each single one in all these agreements. However we began counting precisely what number of instances you must hit “agree” to make use of gadgets once we evaluate them since these are agreements most individuals don’t learn and positively can’t negotiate.
To make use of the OnePlus 13 and 13R, you have to comply with:
- OnePlus’ Finish Person License Settlement and Privateness Coverage
- Google’s Privateness Coverage and Phrases of Service
- Google Play Phrases of Service
- Set up updates and apps: “You agree this system might also routinely obtain and set up updates and apps from Google, your service, and your system’s producer, presumably utilizing mobile knowledge. A few of these apps could supply in-app purchases.”
There are additionally a number of elective agreements that you have to get previous throughout setup:
- Participation in Co-Creation Person Applications, which incorporates built-in app updates, push notifications for surveys and product updates, and system stability reporting
- Assistant Voice Match
- Backup to Google Drive: “Your backup consists of apps, app knowledge, name historical past, contacts, system settings (together with Wi-Fi passwords and permissions), and SMS.”
- Use location: “Google could acquire location knowledge periodically and use this knowledge in an nameless means to enhance location accuracy and location-based companies.”
- Permit scanning: “Permit apps and companies to scan for Wi-Fi networks and close by gadgets at any time, even when Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is off.”
- Ship utilization and diagnostic knowledge: “Assist enhance your Android system expertise by routinely sending diagnostic, system and app utilization knowledge to Google.”
In whole, that’s six obligatory agreements and 6 elective agreements.