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My spouse summed up the OnePlus 13s completely: “this simply appears like a smaller iPhone, however with Android.” That is mainly what it’s to make use of the OnePlus 13s; whereas it’s good to see OnePlus making a compact gadget — the OnePlus X got here out a decade in the past — the 13s finally ends up deviating a bit an excessive amount of from the producer’s design language.
Look, I get that the majority telephones as of late have the same design, and I am okay with that; switching to a flatter profile permits manufacturers to fit in huge batteries, and that is undoubtedly a great factor. However with the 13s, it seems like OnePlus deliberately tried to make a tool that is as near the iPhone as attainable, and it is not simply the {hardware} design — the adjustments to OxygenOS convey it nearer to iOS.
I had the OnePlus 13s for over a month, and I used the gadget extensively in that point. That is what it’s good to learn about OnePlus’ compact flagship, and whether or not it’s best to choose it up.
OnePlus 13s: Specs, value, and world availability
OnePlus unveiled the 13s in India on June 5, and the cellphone is happening sale within the nation within the coming weeks. The gadget is an identical to the OnePlus 13T that debuted in China again in April, with two variations: the 13s has a smaller 5,850mAh battery (the 13T has 6,260mAh), and the 13s will get a 32MP selfie digicam with autofocus.
The 13s is accessible in two configurations: the bottom mannequin with 12GB/256GB storage is happening sale in India beginning at ₹54,999 ($640), and there is additionally a 12GB/512GB mannequin that prices ₹59,999 ($699). The gadget mainly slots in between the OnePlus 13R and OnePlus 13, and it is not fairly as reasonably priced as I assumed it will be.
Why the title change to 13s, you ask? OnePlus says it did so to focus on the truth that this can be a smaller cellphone. As to why it did not accomplish that in China, your guess is nearly as good as mine. Though the OnePlus 13R is accessible globally, OnePlus is not promoting the 13s outdoors India, and the 13T is unique to China.
|
Class |
OnePlus 13s |
|---|---|
|
Show |
6.32 -inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 2640×1216, 1600 nits max |
|
OS |
OxygenOS 15 primarily based on Android 15 |
|
Chipset |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, Adreno 830, 3nm |
|
RAM |
12GB LPDDR5X |
|
Storage |
256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 |
|
Rear digicam 1 |
50MP Sony Lytia LYT-700, PDAF, OIS |
|
Rear digicam 2 |
50MP Samsung JN5 tele, 2x optical zoom |
|
Entrance digicam |
32MP GalaxyCore GC32, autofocus, 4K video |
|
Ingress safety |
IP65 mud and water resistance |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, restricted 5G bands, NFC, dual-band GPS |
|
Safety |
Optical in-screen sensor |
|
Audio |
USB-C, stereo sound, AptX HD, LDAC, LHDC 5.0 |
|
Battery |
5,850mAh battery, 80W charging |
|
Dimensions |
150.8 x 71.7 x 8.2mm, 185g |
|
Colours |
Inexperienced, Pink, Black |
OnePlus 13s: Design
OnePlus says the 13s has a “beautiful new design,” however what it really appears like is an iPhone. Even the OnePlus 13 had a design with flat sides, however it retained the model’s design ethos and managed to face out. The 13s, in the meantime, has a flatter profile that is unmistakably iPhone, and OnePlus actually ought to have completed extra to distinguish the design somewhat bit.
That mentioned, I just like the inexperienced coloration variant, and the sizing is good. With a top of 150.8mm (the OnePlus 13 is 162.9mm) and weighing simply 185g, the 13s is an effective selection should you want a compact gadget. The Galaxy S25 is shorter and lighter, however you aren’t getting wherever as giant a battery, and the gadget is not fairly nearly as good to make use of.
One other optimistic is that the digicam island would not protrude an excessive amount of from the chassis, so there is not a lot in the best way of wobble when utilizing the cellphone on a desk. The rounded sq. design appears good, and it highlights the twin cameras on the again. Weight distribution is right too, and I did not see any points on this regard — identical to the usual OnePlus 13.
The again is made out of glass and has a frosted glass end that feels good to carry, and it minimizes smudges. The edges have a matte texture, and so they’re color-matched to the again. There’s additionally a black mannequin with a matte again if that is extra to your liking.
Together with the adjustments to the design, OnePlus ditched the long-standing alert slider; the 13s as a substitute will get a Plus Key that launches AI Plus Thoughts, a brand new AI utility that is just like what Nothing presents with Important Area. The design of the Plus Key and the related software program sub-menu is as near a facsimile of the iPhone’s Motion Button as I’ve seen on any gadget. The button allows you to undertake varied actions, together with launching the digicam, translate, allow DND, and toggle the flashlight.
Annoyingly, the button has only a single lengthy press, so you’re restricted in what you may really do with the important thing. I take advantage of the alert slider extensively on OnePlus telephones, and never having the toggle is irritating — significantly when you think about the asinine DND mode on the gadget.
The cellphone has an ordinary optical fingerprint module, however it’s positioned far too low on the panel, and that makes it awkward to entry. I nonetheless do not get why OnePlus simply would not place this sensor in such a manner that it is easy to succeed in, however this has been a problem on a number of of the model’s gadgets up to now as nicely.
One other limitation is water resistance; the 13s will get IP65 ingress safety, and misses out on IP68 and IP69. It ought to nonetheless stand up to the occasional splash of water, however it is not designed to be submerged within the pool or a tub.
OnePlus 13s: Show
The important thing differentiator of the OnePlus 13s is the compact chassis; the cellphone will get a 6.32-inch AMOLED panel, and to place issues into context, the common OnePlus 13 has a 6.82-inch show. You continue to get 120Hz refresh alongside Dolby Imaginative and prescient and good colours, however it would not fairly get as vibrant because the common mannequin.
That mentioned, I did not have any points utilizing the panel outside; it could not win any awards, however it holds up nicely in each day use. What I like is that the bezels are razor-thin, so that you get a decent-sized panel in a cellphone that is significantly smaller than its rivals. The cellphone will get a 1.5K decision (2640 x 1216), and has 2,160Hz dimming, Aqua Contact mode that permits you to use it even with moist fingers, and it goes all the way down to as little as 1.1 nits at night time.
You get the identical degree of customizability as different OnePlus telephones, and the 13s does a great job in gaming; the smaller dimension is not fairly as immersive, however it would not have any outward limitations as such — past the 60fps throttling that is on all OxygenOS gadgets. Fortunately, BGMI goes as much as 120fps, however that is the one recreation that does.
OnePlus 13s: {Hardware}
The OnePlus 13s will get the identical Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite because the common OnePlus 13, and it comes with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 storage. Overheating is a matter in smaller telephones as there’s simply not sufficient room to accommodate a sizeable liquid cooling unit, however the 13s does a great job on this regard, managing efficient warmth dissipation due to a vapor chamber and graphite layer that is hooked up to the again.
Nonetheless, the gadget tends to get scorching throughout gaming, and even in a couple of mundane situations, I noticed the again get heat. The cellphone acquired as much as 53 levels Celsius after a 30-minute gaming session, six levels hotter than the OnePlus 13R and 11 levels greater than the iQOO 13, which has the identical Qualcomm platform.
|
Class |
OnePlus 13s |
OnePlus 13R |
iQOO 13 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6 (single-core) |
2870 |
2093 |
2954 |
|
Geekbench 6 (multi-core) |
8453 |
6246 |
6650 |
|
Geekbench AI (Quantized Rating) |
3641 |
3041 |
3915 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Excessive (rating) |
6062 |
4550 |
4514 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Excessive (FPS) |
36.3 |
27.25 |
27.025 |
|
3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (rating) |
11061 |
8075 |
7287 |
|
3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (FPS) |
42.06 |
30.71 |
27.695 |
There may be noticeable throttling as nicely, and once more, that is to handle thermals and stop overheating. The cellphone does a terrific job in gaming due to the highly effective {hardware}, however it would not fairly have the identical overhead because the OnePlus 13 in relation to prolonged gaming.
The vibration motor is first rate sufficient, and whereas it is not nearly as good as a flagship, you continue to get good suggestions. I had a couple of points with connectivity; the cellphone wasn’t capable of keep linked to my dwelling community persistently, and calls weren’t fairly as clear. This could possibly be a case of positioning of the RF front-end modules to accommodate for the smaller chassis, and even with mobile knowledge, I did not get the identical bandwidth because the OnePlus 13.
OnePlus 13s: Battery life
Though this can be a compact gadget, the OnePlus 13s will get a 5,850mAh battery that lasts all day with ease. I managed to recover from a day with medium use, and even with heavy use, I acquired to the top of the day with out having to cost the battery. It makes use of the usual 80W charging tech, and it takes just below 50 minutes to cost.
Annoyingly, the 13s has an everyday battery and misses out on silicon-carbon tech — not like the 13T. OnePlus says it invested within the selfie digicam as a substitute, delivering a module with autofocus, whereas the Chinese language mannequin will get a 6,260mAh battery. Given the selection, I’d have wished an even bigger battery (I do not use the selfie digicam a lot), however it’s clear that OnePlus wished to distinguish the digicam as a substitute.
OnePlus 13s: Cameras
The OnePlus 13s has a 50MP Sony LYT-700 sensor — identical because the OnePlus 13R. That is joined by a 50MP Samsung JN5 telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, however it misses out on OIS. You simply get the 2 cameras, and there is not a wide-angle lens. The selfie digicam is a 32MP GalaxyCore GC32 with autofocus and 4K video.
The digicam interface is unchanged, and also you get the standard toggles and filters. The cellphone shoots 4K60 video with the principle and tele lenses, and also you get Dolby Imaginative and prescient video as nicely. There is a handbook mode and customized filters, and identical to the 13R, it misses out on all of the Hasselblad extras.
Picture 1 of 12
The primary digicam does a terrific job in daylight conditions, delivering pictures with excessive distinction and vibrant colours. There’s an oversaturated look to the photographs that appears good when shared on social media, and the sensor does simply as nicely in difficult situations, producing photographs with minimal noise.
The 2x tele lens is sort of first rate as nicely, and also you get usable photographs at as much as 4x with none artifacting. I acquired good portrait photographs out of the principle digicam, and whereas you aren’t getting as a lot versatility because the OnePlus 13, this can be a dependable shooter.
OnePlus 13s: Software program
Just like the OnePlus 13, the 13s runs OxygenOS 15 primarily based on Android 15. OnePlus made a number of adjustments to the software program this 12 months, and the design brings it nearer to iOS. A brand new addition is AI Plus Thoughts, a characteristic that collates pictures, notes, and different knowledge in a single location. If in case you have any info you need to save lots of — payments, occasion QR codes, and so forth — simply press and maintain the Plus Key, and it will get saved to Thoughts Area.
The utility makes use of machine studying to extract related info. If that sounds acquainted, it is as a result of Nothing’s Important Area mainly does the identical factor, and if something, Google’s Pixel Screenshots has the same utility. I will admit that it’s helpful in sure situations, however as of now, it would not do a lot apart from summarizing info.
You possibly can’t take your knowledge out both, so it’s tied to the gadget. Because it stands, there is not a lot to justify the characteristic, however it’s clear that the producer sees AI as a degree of differentiation (like each different cellphone model), so it ought to get higher options within the coming months.
More often than not, utilizing the software program on the 13s was an train in frustration. I migrated knowledge from the Vivo X200 Professional, however it did not set up all the pieces — fundamental apps like Amazon and Swiggy did not present up, and I needed to go to the Play Retailer and obtain these once more. That is by no means a problem on different gadgets, however I bumped into the identical drawback on the OnePlus 13 earlier this 12 months, so I am highlighting it.
Background reminiscence administration continues to be very aggressive, so if in case you have an app within the background, will probably be shut down after a couple of hours. There may be intermittent lag when searching in Chrome, and it might simply be a case of the gadget not being optimized forward of launch, as I did not see this difficulty on the common mannequin.
After which there’s the standard AI-backed options. You get AI Search and AI transcribing together with translation, and so they do an honest sufficient job. There is a new AI Name Assistant, and it’s meant to supply real-time translation. I examined it with Hindi to English, and it simply did not do a ok job translating the decision on the fly; the resultant textual content was mistaken in lots of areas, and it wasn’t capable of deal with whole sentences.
Coming to updates, the 13s will get the usual 4 years of Android updates alongside six years of safety patches.
OnePlus 13s: The options
I just like the OnePlus 13R, and though it is not as quick because the 13s, you will not discover any distinction in each day use, and it has an even bigger AMOLED panel and bigger battery. It’s accessible within the U.S. and different world markets as nicely, and is a greater worth all issues thought of.
Should you want the identical Qualcomm {hardware}, I might counsel getting the iQOO 13 as a substitute. It prices the identical in India, and it has an even bigger battery, brighter AMOLED panel, and the cameras are a lot better than earlier generations. It’s better-suited as a gaming gadget.
OnePlus 13s: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You want a strong compact cellphone
- You need dependable battery life
- You need a good digicam on the again
You should not purchase this if:
- You need bug-free software program
- You are used to the alert slider
- You want significant AI options
On the entire, the OnePlus 13s would not do sufficient to advantage a advice; the compact design and high-end {hardware} is a transparent differentiator, and there is a distinct dearth of such gadgets in the present day. You get standout battery life, and the principle digicam takes good pictures and movies.
That mentioned, I am not a fan of the design or the software program. OxygenOS 15 is now veering so near iOS that it simply would not have any originality left, and there are sufficient annoyances with bugs that it wasn’t pleasurable to make use of the cellphone. I am positive these might be resolved a couple of weeks after the cellphone goes on sale — that is all the time been the case within the final three years — however I do not see why these could not be addressed beforehand, like each different cellphone producer is ready to do.
More often than not, I felt like I used to be beta testing the 13s. The OnePlus 13 continues to be an outlier in that it did not have any of those points out of the field, and with the 13s, OnePlus is again to its traditional shenanigans of launching a cellphone earlier than it is prepared. Should you’re keen to attend a couple of weeks (and even months), then the 13s has the potential to be an honest sufficient selection on this class. However because it stands, it simply would not measure up.
