OnePlus 13 or Galaxy S25 Ultra: A Black Friday conundrum I’ll help you solve
Both phones are incredible and selling cheaper. See which one is the best choice for you.
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Amazon’s Black Friday discounts are in full swing and ever since all those juicy deals dropped, I’ve been seeing massive price cuts left and right. Seriously, if you check out our roundup of the best Black Friday phone deals, you’ll see 50 unmissable offers on phones during Black Friday 2025. And that’s a lot, even for an elite deal hunter with a lot of Black Fridays under my belt.
Nevertheless, if you’re a power user looking for a new smartphone and don’t want to lock yourself in Apple’s ecosystem, chances are that only two deals from the whole 50 are on your radar right now—Amazon’s $200 discount on the OnePlus 13 with 512GB of storage and the retailer’s $362 price cut on the Galaxy S25 Ultra also with 512GB of storage.
But which of these two powerhouses to choose? After all, both rank among the best phones on the market, and you can’t go wrong with getting either of them. Well, that, my friend is the conundrum I’ll help you solve today!
But which of these two powerhouses to choose? After all, both rank among the best phones on the market, and you can’t go wrong with getting either of them. Well, that, my friend is the conundrum I’ll help you solve today!
Galaxy S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13: Let the ultimate Black Friday deal battle begin
Round 1 — Performance
Both phones are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset—the company's best silicon for mobile devices this year. However, the Galaxy S25 Ultra boasts a slightly overclocked version of it, which technically tips the scales in its favor.
On the flip side, the OnePlus's answer rocks a generous 16GB of RAM, whereas its rival comes with only 12GB of system memory. Plus, as our benchmark tests showed, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra may be slightly more powerful, it throttles after extended heavy loads. We didn't notice that issue with the OnePlus 13.
So, I believe the winner in this round is the OnePlus 13. Sure, it might come with a slightly lesser version of the chip, but its extra RAM and its better thermal management, allowing it to handle demanding workloads for a longer time, make it the better choice if sustained performance is your most important thing.
On the flip side, the OnePlus's answer rocks a generous 16GB of RAM, whereas its rival comes with only 12GB of system memory. Plus, as our benchmark tests showed, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra may be slightly more powerful, it throttles after extended heavy loads. We didn't notice that issue with the OnePlus 13.
Round 2 — Cameras
The Galaxy S25 Ultra may have lost the first round, but it's definitely the clear winner in this one. With its 200MP main camera and 50MP ultra-wide unit, it takes stunning photos with vibrant colors.
On the other hand, the OnePlus 13 with its 50MP main camera and 50MP ultra-wide snapper does take good-looking photos, but it utilizes aggressive oversharpening. Because of this, the photos aren't very realistic; the colors pop too much, and the lighting effects are exaggerated.
In short, if cameras are the most important thing you're after, you should go for the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Round 3 — Displays
That's a really tough one. Both phones boast AMOLED panels with up to 120Hz refresh rates. And both deliver stunning visuals with vibrant colors. The Galaxy S25 Ultra rocks a 6.9-inch screen with a 3120 x1440 resolution, while the OnePlus 13 boasts a 6.82-inch panel with a 3168 x 1440 resolution. So, the difference between the displays isn't that huge. That being said, Samsung's flagship scored a slightly higher brightness in our tests.
Plus, it comes with a great anti-reflective coating, delivering better visibility in bright conditions. Therefore, the winner in this round is the Galaxy S25 Ultra, though not by a huge margin.
Round 4 — Battery life and charging
The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with a 5,000mAh battery, while the OnePlus 13 rocks a much bigger 6,000mAh power cell. Although one would think that the OnePlus phone would have better battery life, that's not the case. Sure, the OnePlus 13 lasted slightly longer in our browsing and streaming tests —by 45 minutes and by 18 minutes, respectively— but the S25 Ultra completely crushed it in the general-use estimate — by 30 minutes. In addition, it lasted over six hours more in our gaming test.
However, it's worth noting that the OnePlus 13 charges 26 minutes faster than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. So, go for the Samsung phone if you want better battery life and grab the OnePlus 13 if you prefer faster charging.
However, it's worth noting that the OnePlus 13 charges 26 minutes faster than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. So, go for the Samsung phone if you want better battery life and grab the OnePlus 13 if you prefer faster charging.
Round 5 — Software updates
Samsung promises seven years of OS updates and security patches for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, while OnePlus has committed to four years of Android updates and six years of security patches. This makes the Galaxy S25 Ultra the better choice if you're looking for a long-term investment. Therefore, Samsung's flagship is the clear winner in this round.
Round 6 — Price
There's a clear winner in this round as well, but this time isn't the Ultra. While both phones are discounted on Amazon for Black Friday, you can snag the OnePlus 13 with 16GB of storage and 512GB of space for just under $800. On the other hand, the Galaxy S25 Ultra with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage will set you back about $1,058 even with Amazon's generous discount. Sure, you also get an S Pen when going for the Ultra, but we're talking a difference of around $258, if my math is correct. And that's a lot.
So, which phone should you get this Black Friday?
As we saw, both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the OnePlus 13 have a lot to offer in return. However, if you're looking to score the biggest bang for the buck, I'd say go for the OnePlus 13. It won the performance round, its display is almost as incredible as the Ultra's, it also has great battery life, and it decimates Samsung's smartphone in terms of charging speeds and pricing.
On the other hand, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the better choice if you want top-notch camera performance, a built-in stylus, and don't think of upgrading at least for the next seven years.
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