OnePlus 13R vs. OnePlus 13 | Infinium-tech
The OnePlus 13 series has recently been released, and you may be wondering if the OnePlus 13R is a good option or if the OnePlus 13 might be worth the higher price.
After all, the difference is not trivial. We are talking about a difference of a few hundred rupees in the US and Europe.
Table of Contents:
For starters, you can compare the full specifications or continue straight to our editor’s assessment In the text below.
size comparison
oneplus
13r
161.7 x 75.8 x 8.0 mm
(6.37 x 2.98 x 0.31 inches)
oneplus
13
162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5 mm
(6.41 x 3.01 x 0.33 inches)
The OnePlus 13 and 13R have similar design features but feel quite different in the hand. The 13R adopts a flat design with a completely flat back and side frame, while the 13 Pro has a slightly curved back, and the side frame is also not completely flat.
Additionally, the 13 comes in two variants – glass back and vegan leather option. The latter is not available on the 13R.
When it comes to build quality, both are largely similar. The front of the 13R uses a Gorilla Glass 7i protective sheet, while the standard 13 uses something called Crystal Shield ultra-ceramic glass with better drop and shock resistance. The OP13R also has a lower ingress protection rating – IP65 vs IP68/IP69.
Apart from the differences mentioned, both the handsets are very similar in terms of dimensions. No significant difference.
display comparison
Both devices share largely identical OLED displays. They both achieve similar levels of brightness (about 1,200 nits) and support HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content.
The only difference is that the 13 Pro has a slightly higher resolution and is 6.82″ compared to 6.78″. In any case, there is not enough of a meaningful difference to tip the scales in either direction.
battery life
Both the handsets have different chipsets but the battery capacity is the same and the overall stamina is largely similar. As you can see, the active usage scores aren’t too far off, but there are some nuances to discuss.
For example, the OnePlus 13 performs better during calls and video playback, while the 13R scores higher in the gaming endurance test. Keep this in mind when choosing one of these, depending on your usage habits.
charging speed
When it comes to charging speed, the OnePlus 13 is the clear winner. The device adopts a 100W proprietary charging protocol and can complete a full charging cycle in just 35 minutes, compared to 48 minutes with 80W-rated charging on the 13R. The difference isn’t huge, but if you’re in a hurry you get a lot more fun in the first 15-30 minutes with the OnePlus 13.
Additionally, the standard OP13 supports wireless charging. 10W reverse wireless charging and 5W reverse wired charging can also be done in it.
speaker test
The 13 and 13R have the same speaker setup and get similar scores in our loudness test. In any case, you can expect a good-sounding stereo speaker setup with clear tones and prominent bass.
Display
As is usually the case, the chipset is one of the most significant differences between the regular OnePlus and the R series. The 13R adopts last year’s top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, while the vanilla 13 gets the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
However, the OnePlus 13R memory variants are quite limited. You can only get 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB configurations, while the Flagship 13 also adds an improved 24GB/1TB option.
benchmark performance
Unlike previous generational upgrades, this one is quite significant. The Snapdragon 8 Elite shows a significant leap in multi-core CPU performance and meaningful performance improvements in the GPU department.
camera comparison
The 13 and 13R have very little in common when it comes to camera hardware. The 13R sports a 50MP main camera, a 50MP zoom camera with 2x optical zoom, an 8MP ultrawide unit, and a 16MP selfie.
The flagship 13, on the other hand, has a 50MP main shooter and a 50MP ultrawide camera with larger sensors and a wider aperture. The telephoto unit reaches up to 3x optical zoom and is also 50MP. Selfie is of 32MP.
image quality
As expected, the OnePlus 13 offers better picture quality overall. Its main camera is much better during the day. However, we didn’t find any meaningful benefits in night photography.
Photos from the 13R 8MP ultrawide aren’t that far off compared to the OP 13 50MP ultrawide.
OnePlus 13R: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x
OnePlus 13: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x
At first glance, the 13 to 2x crop zoom samples offer similar quality to the 2x optical zoom shots from the 13R, but upon closer inspection, you’ll see more fine detail than the 13R.
The difference is more prominent at 3x zoom where we have the crop zoom from the 13R versus the optical zoom from the 13R.
OnePlus 13R: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x
OnePlus 13: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x
video quality
Below, we have some framegrabs of videos taken by both phones at each focal length, so it’s easy to compare each other.
Surprisingly, the 13R takes better-looking videos with its main camera than the 13R. The 13R’s video has better contrast, and is much sharper. The same thing applies at night also.
Of course, when ultrawide cameras are compared, the opposite is true. Especially when you consider that the OP13 shoots ultrawide 4K video, while the 13R caps out at 1080p.
OnePlus 13R: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 1x low-light
OnePlus 13: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 1x low-light
Once again, each zoom camera is better at its respective focal length.
decision
The price difference between the OnePlus 13R and the OnePlus 13 is by no means trivial and will make you think twice before choosing the higher-end handset, especially if the user experience is so similar. And to some extent, it is. It depends on what you are looking for.
There is a significant overlap in the display, battery and audio departments. If you’re preferring one of these, it won’t matter which one you get. Design is very much about personal preference. It tells us about charging, chipset and camera performance. There are 13 clear winners, so it depends on how much you are willing to pay for them. It’s hard to beat, we admit. But if you’re not finicky about your camera and you’re not playing any games, the 13R is probably the sound choice.
- Very low price.
- Flat design (if you are interested in it).
- Long gaming battery runtime.
- Pretty much the same user experience.
- Amazing 2x zoom cam.
- Better video quality from the main camera.
Get the OnePlus 13R for:
- Curved design with vegan leather back (if you’re interested in that).
- High IP rating and toughened screen glass.
- Better performance.
- Fastest charging.
- Wireless charging support and reverse charging option.
- Great 3x zoom cam and overall better photo quality.
Get the OnePlus 13 for:
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