OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 13R: Value, value, value – Ultra-Sim

Smartphone nomenclature has become increasingly confusing in recent years. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen it all: Pro models, FE models, SE, Ultra, Max, and more. After dropping the “Pro” moniker from its flagship lineup, OnePlus decided to take a fresh approach by introducing the R series.What is the R series, you may ask? Simply put, the OnePlus R is a scaled-down flagship that offers exceptional value for money without compromising too much on real-world performance. OnePlus pioneered this trend with the OnePlus 11R, a device so successful that it was followed by the OnePlus 12R—and now, the freshly launched OnePlus 13R.

The regular OnePlus 13 debuted on January 7, while the OnePlus 13R went global on January 10, bringing with it the aspirations to challenge its bigger sibling for the Android crown. Today, we’re comparing the recently announced OnePlus 13 flagship against the dark horse of the lineup: the OnePlus 13R.

Table of Contents:

Design-wise, the regular OnePlus 13 is slightly larger than its predecessors, mainly due to its bigger screen and the more modest curvature of said screen. The OnePlus 13R, however, is marginally smaller than its more premium sibling—just by a millimeter here and there (1.2mm shorter, 0.7mm narrower, and 0.5mm thinner, to be precise).Moving on to the camera bump, the OnePlus 13 continues the design trend of its predecessors, featuring a circular camera housing slightly offset to the left. The Hasselblad branding is also prominently displayed on the camera module. In contrast, the OnePlus 13R adopts a very similar camera housing design but omits the Hasselblad branding.

In terms of materials, both phones use similar building blocks—aluminum and glass. The OnePlus 13 offers an additional variant with a faux leather back (crafted from polymer), which looks stunning in its blue colorway. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 13R relies exclusively on glass. It’s worth noting that the OnePlus 13R utilizes a new type of Corning Gorilla Glass called 7i, which, in theory, should offer better scratch resistance.

Color Options

OnePlus 13 available colors:

• Black Eclipse
• Arctic Dawn
• Midnight Ocean

When it comes to displays, the OnePlus 13R is equipped with a slightly smaller 6.78-inch screen compared to the 6.82-inch panel on the regular OnePlus 13.The resolution and underlying technology of the panels are very similar, as is the peak brightness. The OnePlus 13 boasts an impressive peak brightness of 4,500 nits and comes with 21 awards and an A++ rating from DisplayMate—a clear testament to its display quality. 

Display Measurements:

Our display tests painted a very interesting picture. Despite the slight differences in size and resolution, both panels perform almost identically in terms of brightness, color accuracy, white balance, and minimum brightness. This is excellent news for the OnePlus 13R, as it boasts one of the brightest displays in its price class.

As for the hardware, there aren’t any major surprises. The OnePlus 13 is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which has been making waves in the benchmark scene recently, even outperforming the A18 Pro in some tests.The OnePlus 13R, meanwhile, features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which remains impressively fast despite being a year older. The benchmark scores below highlight the performance gap between the two Snapdragon generations, but the usual caveat applies: real-life performance often differs from synthetic benchmarks. 

When it comes to AI, we’re happy to report that the OnePlus 13R shared the AI magic that the company first introduced with the regular OnePlus 13. It’s called OnePlus AI (we know, not very original) and it includes tools such as AI Unblur, AI Reflections Eraser, Circle to Search, AI Notes, and more. If you want to use a more popular LLM, such as Gemini for example, you can do so, as Google’s own AI entity can be found on both the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R.

Camera

Trimmed down

The Sony LYT808 sensor definitely has an edge over the LYT-700 found in the OnePlus 13R, but the difference isn’t dramatic. Both photos showcase a decent amount of detail, though the dynamic range is slightly wider in the OnePlus 13 sample. Additionally, the flagship handles exposure and white balance more effectively. That said, the OnePlus 13R performs admirably in this daylight comparison.

Night shots look noticeably better on the OnePlus 13, with excellent contrast and minimal artifacts. The OnePlus 13R sample, on the other hand, exhibits several imperfections, including ghost light reflections in the sky, washed-out highlights, and strange halo effects around some dark areas in the image.

Zoom Quality

The OnePlus 13 scores another win here, thanks to its 3x periscope zoom system, while the OnePlus 13R relies on a standard 2x telephoto lens (which feels somewhat redundant, as a 2x crop from the main camera could achieve a similar result). The OnePlus 13 captures better detail and offers a longer focal length of 73mm, whereas the OnePlus 13R’s 47mm focal length is well-suited for portraits but less effective for capturing distant objects.

Ultra-wide Camera

The 8MP ultrawide camera in the OnePlus 13R simply can’t capture enough pixels to match the detail offered by its bigger sibling. Even after pixel binning, the 50MP shots from the OnePlus 13 deliver a more detailed image with better exposure, color reproduction, and dynamic range. OnePlus could have opted for a 50MP sensor for the ultrawide and skipped the already marginally useful 2x telephoto lens, but it is what it is.

Selfies

Strangely enough, we prefer the selfies taken with the OnePlus 13R, despite its camera having half the megapixels. The OnePlus 13 features a 32MP selfie camera, while the R version is equipped with a 16MP sensor that boasts larger pixels (1 micron versus 0.8 microns). Both cameras capture a lot of detail and reproduce colors accurately, but we feel the OnePlus 13R handles exposure slightly better. Its 26mm focal length equivalent also aids in framing and produces more portrait-like shots.

More Camera Samples

The OnePlus 13 is the latest flagship from China to feature a silicon-carbon battery. This hybrid technology enhances the capacity of standard lithium-ion batteries by incorporating silicon into the carbon anode. As a result, OnePlus has managed to fit a massive 6,000mAh battery into the slim 8.5mm body of the OnePlus 13.The OnePlus 13R also boasts the same 6,000mAh battery, despite being half a millimeter thinner—a welcome feature. However, there’s a downside: the R version omits the wireless charging coils (likely to maintain its slim profile) and limits wired charging to 55W.

Let’s dive into our battery and charging tests.

PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results:

The overall battery scores are very similar, with 7:30 hours for the OnePlus 13 and 7:22 hours for the OnePlus 13R. The regular flagship holds a two-hour advantage in web browsing, though the OnePlus 13R’s score is still highly impressive. On the other hand, the R version is one hour ahead in YouTube streaming, and the gaming scores are nearly identical. For all practical purposes, we can conclude that both phones perform similarly in terms of battery life.

As for charging, the absence of wireless charging support on the OnePlus 13R might be disappointing for some, but the wired charging times are comparable. The OnePlus 13 fully charges its 6,000mAh battery in 42 minutes, while the OnePlus 13R achieves a full charge in 56 minutes.

When it comes to OnePlus R devices, the main appeal lies in their exceptional bang for the buck, and the OnePlus 13R more than delivers. At $300 less than the regular OnePlus 13, the R version manages to retain the core experience remarkably well. It features an almost identical display, the same battery, and while its chipset is a year older, it’s still a highly capable performer.

Naturally, some compromises were necessary to achieve the lower price point. In addition to lacking the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the OnePlus 13R also omits wireless charging, and its camera system—particularly the ultrawide sensor—is less advanced than the flagship model. However, if you can live with these trade-offs, the OnePlus 13R is an outstanding value proposition.