OnePlus 13R Review: Best Midrange Phone of 2025?

The OnePlus 13R is OnePlus’ latest entrance into the competitive midrange smartphone market, offering flagship-level features at a lower price than many competitors. The 13R, equipped with a strong Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 engine, a large 6,000 mAh battery, and a brilliant 120Hz AMOLED display, strives to give quality performance without breaking the budget. But how does it perform in real-world scenarios, and is it worth your money in 2025? In this review, we look at the OnePlus 13R’s features, drawbacks, and how it compares to top competitors such as the Google Pixel 9A and Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.

ONEPLUS 13R KEY FEATURES

• Flagship Processor: The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 provides quick, smooth performance for gaming, multitasking, and demanding apps.
• Stunning Display: 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate and 2780 x 1264 resolution for rich images and smooth scrolling.
• Telephoto Camera: The 50MP telephoto lens improves portrait and zoom photos.
• Flat Design: A change from curved edges to a flat design aimed at gamers and individuals who seek a modern appeal.
• Improved Durability: Gorilla Glass 7i has been upgraded to an IP65 rating for added protection.
• Extended Software Support: There are four significant OS updates and six years of security updates to ensure endurance.

OnePlus 13R Design & Display Review: Flagship Feel, Stunning AMOLED Screen

The OnePlus 13R showcases a modern design and an impressive display, catering to both aesthetics and functionality. Here’s a detailed look:

Design

• Flat Design: The OnePlus 13R has a sleek, contemporary appearance thanks to its flat aluminum frame and matte-finished glass back. Because it offers improved grip and usefulness over prolonged gaming sessions, its design is very appealing to gamers.
• Durability: The phone’s IP65 rating and Gorilla Glass 7i on the front make it more resilient to dust and splashes.
• Ergonomics: Although its flat sides give it a more modern look, some users may find it harder to handle than designs with curves.

Display

• AMOLED Panel: With a refresh rate of 120 Hz, the 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED screen provides fluid scrolling and vivid images.
• HDR Support: It is perfect for streaming high-quality material on websites like Netflix and YouTube because it has Dolby Vision and HDR10+ certifications.
• Brightness: Although it falls a little short of certain rivals, the display’s maximum brightness of 1,223 nits in auto mode is enough for outdoor use.

Overall, the OnePlus 13R strikes a balance between style and performance, with its flat design catering to gamers and its display delivering an immersive viewing experience. Let me know if you’d like to explore more about its features!

OnePlus 13R Camera Test – 50MP Power, But Is It Enough?

The OnePlus 13R features a versatile camera setup, but it has some strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a detailed review:

Camera Specifications

• Main Camera: 50MP Sony IMX906 sensor with OIS, PDAF, and f/1.8 aperture. It produces crisp images with a broad dynamic range and brilliant colors.
• Telephoto camera: 2x optical zoom, 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN5 sensor. Both indoors and out, it provides reliable performance and outstanding detail.
• Ultra-Wide Camera: 112° field of view, 8MP Sony IMX355 sensor. Although useful, it is devoid of dynamic range and fine detail.
• Front camera: fixed focus 16MP sensor. Selfies are vibrant yet a little mushy.

Performance

• Daylight Photography: Accurately colored, sharp photographs are produced by the telephoto and primary cameras. The ultra-wide camera, however, has trouble capturing detail.
• Low-Light Photography: While night mode improves clarity and sharpness, it can also overprocess photos, giving them an unnatural appearance.
• Video Recording: Supports 4K at 60fps with OIS and gyro-EIS for stable footage.

The telephoto lens on the OnePlus 13R makes it an excellent camera system for recreational shooting. However, when compared to rivals, it performs worse in low light and ultra-wide situations.

OnePlus 13R Review: AI Features, Performance & OxygenOS 15 Deep Dive

AI Features – Smarter User Experience

• AI Smart Cutout: Let users extract subjects from photos with a tap for easy editing or sharing.
• AI Eraser: Similar to Google’s Magic Eraser, it removes unwanted objects from photos using intelligent background filling.
• AI Smart Suggestions: Context-aware shortcuts and app suggestions based on your usage habits.
• Battery Health AI: Optimizes charging patterns to extend battery lifespan.

Software – Clean and Customizable

• OxygenOS 15: It offers a simple and easy-to-use user interface and is based on Android 15. It has more customizing choices and features like Circle to Search.
• Updates: Assures long-term usage with six years of security patches and four years of major OS updates.

Performance – Fast, Fluid, Flagship-Grade

• Processor: It offers flagship-level performance for multitasking and gaming thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset.
• Storage: Featuring UFS 4.0 storage, which guarantees quicker read/write performance.
• RAM: Offers seamless performance even under demanding conditions and comes in 12GB and 16GB varieties.

The OnePlus 13R excels in performance, AI features, and software stability. Whether you’re a power user, gamer, or someone who just wants a smooth daily experience, the 13R delivers on all fronts. The added AI tools enhance productivity and creativity, while OxygenOS remains one of the cleanest Android skins available.

OnePlus 13R Battery Review: 6,000 mAh + 80W SuperVOOC Charging Tested

Battery

• Capacity: The phone’s 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery replaces the 5,500mAh one that came with its predecessor.
• Performance: With moderate to heavy use, it lasts for more than a day and offers exceptional endurance. It outperformed other rivals, including the Xiaomi 14 Civi and Vivo V40 Pro, in benchmark tests.
• Real-World Usage: The battery lasts a long time, frequently into the following day, whether you’re gaming, streaming videos, or perusing social media.

Charging

• Speed: The OnePlus 13R supports 80W fast wired charging, which is somewhat slower than the previous model’s 100W charging speed.
• Efficiency: Despite the slower charging pace, it still charges swiftly, reaching 50% in approximately 20 minutes.
• Limitations: The phone does not allow wireless charging, which may be an issue for some users.