OnePlus 13R Phone Review

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home January 10, 2025 4 Views 10 Min Read



The OnePlus 13 series is the latest and greatest of the brand, which continues its development partnership with Swedish photography company Hasselblad. The brand also continues its consumer-friendly approach by releasing a OnePlus 13R as well, which is similar to the high-end OnePlus 13 smartphone but without some bells and whistles. For someone looking for a modern, yet simple smartphone that does its job and does it well, the OnePlus 13R is just that.

What everyone desires out of a phone may differ: some may want continuous upgrades to always be on the cutting edge, some may want excellent cameras to capture those ever-precious moments, some may want a hardcore gaming experience, and some may want just enough for the mobile device to serve its purpose. I’ve always been the latter; I want a phone that lasts, that I do not have to constantly think about OS or tech-wise, that isn’t inundated with frills and buzzword-only features, and that will last a long time without breaking the bank. This is evidenced by the fact that I’ve used a second-generation iPhone SE for the past five years – because I enjoy the simplicity. As a newcomer to OnePlus, I am extremely happy with the OnePlus 13R even if it has a few quirks.

The OnePlus 13R is a modern powerhouse with simple packaging. It features a 1.5K 6.78 inch ProXDR flat display utilizing Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass GG7i with a 16-megapixel selfie camera, a three-camera set-up (8-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a pair of 50-megapixel sensors, and the primary sensor is Sony’s latest LYT-700 technology), and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. It comes equipped with OxygenOS 15, based on Android 15 software, and a huge battery with plenty of life. Indeed, OnePlus phones have always prioritized long-lasting performance, but seeing it in practice is altogether a different story.

Daily Use of the OnePlus 13R

On days of heavy use, I never even had to worry about the battery life. On days of light use, charging my phone at night was redundant—a behavior that will have to be unlearned. Charging the OnePlus 13R overnight, as a whole, is redundant. When paired with its 55W SUPERVOOC charger, the OnePlus 13R can easily be charged in an hour, if not half that time, and it will last well after that. Testing this, I left the OnePlus 13R at two percent when I went to bed one night, and the phone was still operational when I woke up the next morning. It even lasted several minutes – much longer than I even anticipated with such a depleted battery. The battery life of the OnePlus 13R is a huge selling point, although it’s worth mentioning that the charge slows significantly if using anything (like a portable power bank) but its official charger.

OnePlus 13R Display Specs

  • Type: 120 Hz ProXDR Display with LTPO 4.1, Support 100% Display P3, 10-bit Color Depth
  • Resolution: 2780×1264, 450 ppi
  • HBM/Peak Brightness: 1600/4500 nits
  • Refresh Rate: 1–120 Hz dynamic
  • Cover Glass: Corning Gorilla Glass GG7i

Its form factor matches any modern Android phone on the market, with OnePlus’s signature circular phone camera extending out the back. At first glance, I was concerned about how often this phone would become stuck in my pocket because of the camera. And it certainly does happen, but not as often as I thought. However, there is one double-edged sword when it comes to the screen. Whether it’s Oxygen 15, the Gorilla Glass GG7i, the combination thereof, or something else entirely, the screen is incredibly sensitive.

This makes performance and reactions when playing games like Genshin Impact, Among Us, Pokemon GO, Fortnite, or Final Fantasy 4 Pixel Remaster intuitive and quick. On the other hand, the Accidental Touch Protection feature constantly forces me to swipe when grabbing my phone, even when it’s not in my pocket.

Overall, the OnePlus 13R is built for heavy and light daily use, making it easy to forget about unless needed on any given day. Its sensitivity has its quirks, but it’s kicking off the year with a strong claim to be the best affordable smartphone of 2025.

OnePlus 13R’s Camera is Impressive

The triple-camera setup and Sony sensors ensure that the phone feels fitting for any photography experience. The LYT-700 sensor has a high Full Well Capacity, or FWC, meaning that the sensors are capable of capturing more light. While movement, low light, and overall dark environments still impact an image as you’d suspect, it delivers the crisp clarity expected of a phone in 2025. Furthermore, this is where the Google Gemini AI was most noticeable.

As is increasingly common in technology, the OnePlus 13R comes with a generative AI feature. It is easily hidden away on the bottom left of the lock screen for those who don’t care about it, which also makes it highly accessible for those who do care to use it. Where I found it most noticeable is how it would quickly touch up photos in my library, allowing me to easily revert with the touch of a button if I didn’t want them adjusted. It’s the definition of a quality-of-life feature where it’s available as necessary but not overly dominating the OS or in daily use of the phone.

Gaming on the OnePlus 13R

While the OnePlus 13 series has not been billed as a mobile device designed for gaming, it easily could have been. In the hours I’ve put into it, not once have I encountered lag of any form, whether when gaming or when a group chat is popping off. This is something that typically shows more with age, meaning mileage may vary, but even when opening several apps on the phone, I never once had an issue with any mobile game. Part of this is its Hyperboost Game Engine, which turns on with games; it essentially uses a CPU Scheduler to divert resources between two lanes, prioritizing game support while in use. This increases performance, saves battery life, and overall ensures a smooth mobile gaming experience.

Not all Android games can take advantage of the OnePlus 13R’s CPU Scheduler.

The quality of its speakers is also second to none. Typically, I need to play sounds on a mobile device at max volume to hear them, but whether watching a TikTok video or playing a game, that’s not the case here. I need to turn it down because the speakers deliver at such high quality. It’s almost enough to turn off subtitles, but not quite. Either way, it adds an immersive layer to any audio experience on the device.

Overall, a OnePlus phone is an investment and the OnePlus 13R is a wise investment. Not only is the phone built strong enough to last, including its battery, but the OnePlus 13 series will support four years of Android OS updates and 6 years of security updates. High-end simplicity and guaranteed support ensure someone who wants a phone that accomplishes much behind the scenes and delivers it without a ton of tricks and whistles can’t go wrong with the OnePlus 13R.

The OnePlus 13R retails for $599.99 USD. Game Rant was provided a unit for the purposes of this review.

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