OnePlus 13T is the looker OnePlus 13 flagship wasn’t

6comments
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Five OnePlus 13T phones in different colors displayed over a white background.
OnePlus is at it again – dropping another addition to the OnePlus 13 family, and this time, it is the OnePlus 13T. It is set to launch on April 24 in China and honestly, I’m already pretty excited about it.

This thing packs the same punch as the original OnePlus 13, just in a smaller, more compact body. And yep, it already popped up on Geekbench, flexing scores that suggest it is ready to go head-to-head with powerhouses like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max. That is not a small deal!

But raw power aside, what really caught my eye is the way it looks. With the Snapdragon 8 Elite under the hood, up to 16GB of RAM and a rumored 6,000mAh battery, it is a beast for sure – but it is also just a better-looking one (at least to me).

And that is exactly what I want to talk about: the fresh design of the OnePlus 13T and why I think OnePlus made the right call by switching things up from the regular 13.

A design that follows the trend



Now, don’t get me wrong – the OnePlus 13 is a powerhouse and easily one of the best Android phones out there right now. But that massive circular camera bump on the back? Yeah… not my favorite. As good as the phone is, the design just doesn’t click with me. It kind of turns me off from the whole package.

That is why I’m really into what OnePlus is doing with the 13T. Even though it shares a lot of the same specs as the main model, it is rocking a completely different look. And honestly, that is a smart move. I mean, what is the point of launching two phones that are almost the same on the inside and outside – aside from a slightly smaller screen and a tweaked camera setup?



The OnePlus 13T is expected to come with two 50 MP cameras and a more compact 6.3-inch display, compared to the 13’s 6.8-inch screen and triple 50 MP camera setup (main, ultra-wide, and telephoto), all jammed into that oversized circular island.
 
But with the 13T, OnePlus is going with a cleaner rectangular camera module, which instantly makes me think of the iPhone 16 and the upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge. In terms of design language, the 13T feels way more in sync with those flagships than with its own sibling.

Put them side by side and, yeah, they are clearly different phones, but there is still a familiar vibe there when you look at them from the back. It is pretty obvious where the trend is heading, right?

Recommended Stories
The upcoming OnePlus 13T (first image), iPhone 16 (second image) and the upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge (third image). 

And OnePlus has definitely taken some cues from Apple in the past and it is not just about the design. For example, OnePlus has its own version of Apple’s Dynamic Island. And now, with the removal of the Alert Slider and the addition of a customizable new button – kind of like the Action Button on the iPhone – it is just more evidence that OnePlus is playing in Apple's playground again.

That being said, props to OnePlus for mixing things up a bit. For anyone who wants that flagship experience without the giant circle on the back, the 13T is looking like the more stylish option.

Power is here – but where is it going?



Looks aside, the OnePlus 13T isn’t just a pretty face. This thing means business. It recently popped up on AnTuTu and scored a jaw-dropping 3,006,913 points – beating out the Vivo X200 Pro and leaving compact rivals like the Galaxy S25 and Pixel 9 playing catch-up. So yeah, this smaller phone isn’t holding back.

OnePlus 13s Samsung Galaxy S25 Google Pixel 9

Design

Dimensions
5.94 x 2.82 x 0.32 inches
150.8 x 71.7 x 8.2 mm
5.78 x 2.78 x 0.28 inches (~0.33 inches with camera bump)
146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm (~8.45 mm with camera bump)
6.02 x 2.83 x 0.33 inches (~0.47 inches with camera bump)
152.8 x 72.0 x 8.5 mm (~12 mm with camera bump)
Weight
6.53 oz (185.0 g) 5.71 oz (162.0 g) 6.98 oz (198.0 g)
Materials
Back: Glass
Frame: Aluminum
Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2)
Frame: Aluminum
Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2)
Frame: Aluminum
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP65 Water, Dust; IP68 Water, Dust; IP68
Biometrics
Optical in-screen fingerprint Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint
Keys
Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Green Silk, Black Velvet, Pink Satin Icy Blue, Mint, Navy, Silver Shadow Obsidian, Porcelain, Wintergreen, Peony

Display

Size
6.3-inch 6.2-inch 6.3-inch
Resolution
2640x1216px, 20:9 ratio, 460 PPI 2340x1080px, 19.5:9 ratio, 416 PPI 2400x1080px, 20:9 ratio, 418 PPI
Technology
AMOLED Dynamic AMOLED OLED
Refresh rate
120Hz 120Hz 120Hz
Screen-to-body
90.61 % 91.02 % 81.73 %
Peak brightness
2600 cd/m2 (nit) 2700 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite SM8750-AB (3 nm) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite SM8750-AB (3 nm) Google Tensor G4 (4 nm)
Processor
Octa-core
2x4.32GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L
6x3.53GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M
Octa-core
2x 4.47GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x 3.53GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M
Octa-core
1x 3.1GHz Cortex-X4 + 3x 2.6GHz Cortex-A720 + 4x 1.92GHz Cortex-A520
GPU
Adreno 830 Adreno 830 Mali-G715 MC7
RAM
12GB (LPDDR5X) 12GB (LPDDR5X) 12GB (LPDDR5X)
Internal storage
256GB (UFS 4.0) 128GB (UFS 4.0) 128GB
Storage expansion
not expandable not expandable not expandable
OS
Android (15) Android (15), One UI Android (15, 14)

Battery

Capacity
5850 mAh 4000 mAh 4700 mAh
Type
Si - Carbon Li - Ion Li - Ion
Charging
Fast charging Fast charging, Qi wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging Fast charging, Qi wireless charging
Charge speed
Wired: 80.0W Wired: 25.0W
Wireless: 15.0W
Wired: 27.0W
Wireless: 15.0W

Camera

Rear
Dual camera Triple camera Dual camera
Main camera
50 MP (OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 24 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.56"
Pixel size: 1.0 μm
50 MP (OIS, PDAF)
Sensor name: Samsung GN3
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 24 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.56"
Pixel size: 1.0 μm
50 MP
Aperture size: F1.7
Focal length: 25 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.31"
Pixel size: 1.12 μm
Second camera
50 MP (Telephoto)
Optical zoom: 2.0x
Aperture size: F2.0
12 MP (Ultra-wide)
Sensor name: Sony IMX564
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal Length: 13 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm
48 MP (Ultra-wide)
Aperture size: F1.7
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Third camera
10 MP (Telephoto)
Sensor name: Samsung S5K3K1
Optical zoom: 3.0x
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 67 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.94"
Pixel size: 1.0 μm
Flash
LED LED LED
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps) 7680x4320 (8K UHD) (30 fps), 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps)
HDR, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD)
Front
32 MP, Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps) 12 MP (HDR), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps) 10.5 MP, Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
6.0 5.4 5.3
WLAN
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),Wi-Fi 6E,Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),Wi-Fi 6E,Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
Type-C, USB 2.0 Type-C, USB 3.2 Type-C, USB 3.2
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T4
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning, Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving)
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer
Other
NFC, Infrared NFC, Ultra Wideband (UWB) NFC

Multimedia

Headphones
No 3.5mm jack No 3.5mm jack No 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Multiple speakers Earpiece, Multiple speakers Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation

Cellular

5G
Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n71, n75, n77, n78 Bands n1, n2, n5, n7, n25, n28, n41, n66, n71, n258, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave, 5G Ready Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n77, n78, n258, n260, n261, Sub-6, mmWave
4G (FDD)
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 30(2300 WCS), 32(1500 L-band), 71(600) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 28(700 APT), 30(2300 WCS), 71(600) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD)
Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300) Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+) Bands 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 48(3600)
3G
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 6(800), 8(900), 19(800)
Data Speed
LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s LTE-A Pro Cat 20 (2000/150 Mbit/s) LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s
SIM type
Dual Nano SIM Nano SIM, eSIM Nano SIM, eSIM

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Nov 26, 2024
FCC ID value: A3LSMS931U
Date approved: Oct 16, 2024
FCC ID value: A4RG2YBB
Measured SAR
Head: 1.13 W/kg
Body: 0.81 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.08 W/kg
Head: 0.87 W/kg
Body: 0.98 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg

Buyers information

MSRP
$ 799 / € 899 $ 799 / € 899
In The Box
USB-C cable, SIM ejector tool, Paperwork Phone, USB Type-C cable, SIM ejector tool, Papers

Availability

Officially announced
Jun 05, 2025 Jan 22, 2025 Aug 13, 2024


Now, the downside – it is only confirmed for a launch in China... for now. Still, I find it hard to believe this beast is meant to stay locked away in just one market.

If history is any hint (and it usually is), the regular OnePlus 13 also launched in China first before making its way across the globe. So I’m hoping – and kind of expecting – the same rollout strategy here, too.

Maybe OnePlus will move even faster this time and bring the 13T to global markets as early as May. And hey, wouldn’t it be perfect timing?

That is exactly when Samsung is rumored to drop the sleeker Galaxy S25 Edge. So, if OnePlus wants to steal a bit of that spotlight, May might just be the moment to go big with a global release.

Grab Surfshark VPN now at more than 50% off and with 3 extra months for free!

Secure your connection now at a bargain price!


We may earn a commission if you make a purchase

Check Out The Offer
Loading Comments...

Latest Discussions

by Doug Fresh 123 • 4

Recommended Stories

FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless