The most major upgrade expected to set the OnePlus 13 apart from the likes of the Galaxy S24/S25 series, the Pixel 9, and iPhone 16 is the new SiC battery on board, which is rumored to be of at least 6,000 mAh.
The cherry on top is 100W wired charging as well as the ability to not only fast-charge the phone wirelessly (50W) but also do it magnetically – like an iPhone. And the jaw-dropping spec sheet doesn’t end there…
The new “Snapdragon 8 Elite” chip (which is shaping up to leave Apple and MediaTek in the dust) with up to 24GB(!) RAM combined with the fluidity of Oxygen OS could very well make the OnePlus 13 the performance champ of 2024-2025.
Now, believe it or not, despite all of that… this article isn’t exactly a “positive” take on the OnePlus 13. And I think most of us will agree on the reason why…
OnePlus 13 could’ve been “perfect” but OnePlus pulled a Google: What happened to the signature camera island of the OnePlus 12?
The blue OnePlus 13 looks classy but I find the other two variants a little too bland.
Luckily, OnePlus seems to have done the latter, but this doesn’t mean I’m not mildly frustrated (that’s basically my job after all).
To start with the positive sides of the design of the OnePlus 13 – this is the first OnePlus that (seems) to have symmetrical display borders with a 3D curved glass, and that’s a long overdue win in my book.
The phone will also be thinner than the OnePlus 12, and presumably, lighter, which is always a welcome upgrade – especially when it comes to large phones (which it very much will be).
Also… Can we talk about that blue eco leather variant?! I’ve said it several times here – I pretty much never tend to go for blue phones but this year’s iPhone 16 and the OnePlus 13 are making me reconsider my color preferences.
The blue leather variant of the OnePlus 13 has the most fashionable/professional phone design I’ve seen in a while.
OnePlus 13 has lost its personality for no reason at all – drops the unique camera island from the OnePlus 12, OnePlus 11, OnePlus 10
The OnePlus 12 had some personality, and the OnePlus 13 doesn’t.
But that’s where the compliments will end, and the reason is pretty obvious to any phone nerd… Where did the camera island that melts into the metal frame go, OnePlus?! Everyone seems to like this unique design element, which has become your “thing” thanks to being part of the OnePlus 12, OnePlus 11, and the OnePlus 10.
Of course, there’s always the chance the reason for this decision was due to hardware constraints, but I really don’t see why this would be the case. Sure, the frame of the OnePlus 13 is now flat but this doesn’t mean the melting camera island is impossible to achieve – not to mention the actual back of the phone is still curved (for the sake of ergonomics).
What happened here sort of reminds me of the time when Google came up with the killer Pixel 6 series design (which made the Pixel 6 look like the most unique phone from the back), but dropped the symmetrical display of the Pixel 5.
Not to mention the time when Google went ahead and got rid of the black camera visor the very next year with the Pixel 7 series. I was never a fan of this decision, and the same stands true for the OnePlus 12 > OnePlus 13 camera design change.
Why lose pretty much the only design element that makes your phone stand out in a phone market already saturated with devices that look and feel 95% identical?
Now, is this a dealbreaker? Not, absolutely not. But it’s such a bizarre move – especially at a time when literally all flagship phones have adopted a flat display with a flat frame and look and feel identical.
And if you live in Asia, the cherry on top is that OnePlus’ sister company (Oppo) has also ruined the stunning look of the Oppo Find X6 and X7 to go with something way more basic. So, I guess everyone is getting equally screwed.
And I still fail to see why…