Following the official announcement of the first Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered smartphones, the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro in China, another Chinese company, OnePlus, has launched its Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered OnePlus 13 in China. The OnePlus 13 has been the subject of multiple recent leaks and rumors in the past, all suggesting it to be a powerhouse, and as per the official specs, the OnePlus 13 does bring massive performance upgrades.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset on the OnePlus 13 is paired with 12GB, 16GB, and 24GB of RAM. The phone will be offered in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB of onboard storage options. The phone features Android 15-based ColorOS 15 out of the box, whereas, the global model of the phone will run OxygenOS 15. Notably, ColorOS is the UI for OPPO phones, which is slightly filled with bloatware and is bundled in OnePlus phones in China. On the other hand, OxygenOS is made for OnePlus global models with less bloatware.
Under the hood, the phone is powered by a massive 6000mAh battery (600mAh more than the OnePlus 12) with 100W super fast wired charging and 50W fast wireless charging. OnePlus has also announced official cases that will enable magnetic wireless charging, similar to that of the iPhone MagSafe accessories.
OnePlus 13 features an updated design with a flat 6.82-inch display, ditching the curves found on the OnePlus 12. The sides of the devices are also flat, having the power and volume buttons in the same position. And yes, the "Alert Slider" makes a return. There is also an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, an upgrade from the optical sensor used in previous models.
The device will be available in three colors: Secret Realm, Blues Hour, and Dew Dawn. The "Secret Realm" is basically black, the "Blue Hour" is blue, and "Dew Dawn" is white. All three colors have a metal accent on the back that connects to the center of the camera module. OnePlus 13 comes with IP69 water and dust resistance.
The camera module packs triple 50MP cameras with Hasselblad tuning, one of which is a 3x telephoto, and the other one an ultrawide lens with macro capabilities. For selfies, there is a 32MP front camera. Speaking of price, the OnePlus 13 in China is available for CNY 4,799 (roughly $679), which is an increase over the OnePlus 12"s CNY 4,299. However, it is unclear how that will translate for the global variant., which is expected to arrive in January next year, based on previous phone launches.