The new OnePlus 13R brings a feature we were expecting – a telephoto lens. Of course, it’s no match for the flagship 13, but it’s one less sacrifice that people have to make when they can’t afford flagship prices.
The 13R is priced at $600/€750 for the phone with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. For comparison, last year’s 12R pricing started at $500, but that was for an 8/128GB unit. There was a 16/256GB option for $600/€700. This unit will be available in North America and Europe. An additional option with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage is available in India for ₹50,000, while the base 12/256GB model is priced at ₹43,000.
With that out of the way, let’s zoom in on the camera. The phone features a 50MP main sensor with a Sony LYT-700 sensor (1/1.56”, 1.0µm), which promises to be an improvement over the IMX890 used in the 12R. It has optical image stabilization (OIS) and can record 4K videos at 60fps.
The new addition is a 50MP telephoto camera (1/2.75” Samsung JN5 sensor). The f/2.0 lens has a focal length of 47mm, which is suitable for portraits (it works at 2x zoom). The high-resolution sensor also allows it to shoot at 4x zoom without compromising image quality. Note that this camera does not have OIS.
The other two cameras on board are an 8MP ultra-wide (112°) and a 16MP selfie camera (1/3.09”, 1.0µm), both with fixed focus lenses.
Another notable upgrade is the switch to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 instead of Gen 2 on the 12R. It’s a generation behind the flagship OnePlus 13, but it offers great performance for the price, especially in Western markets. The chip is paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. This is an upgrade from the UFS 3.1 storage on the 12R (assuming there will be no mixing this time).
oneplus 13r
The 13R launches with OxygenOS 15 (based on Android 15) out of the box. OnePlus has improved its software support strategy a bit, offering 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches, but it can’t match Samsung, Google and Apple support.
Not only this, OnePlus has increased the already large battery of the previous R-phone to 6,000mAh. This year the company dialed back the SuperVOOC charging a bit to 80W, so a full 1-100% charge takes 52 minutes (54 minutes in North America). The 12R can reach 100% in 26 minutes with its 5,500mAh battery and 100W charging (confirmed in our review).
OnePlus engineers managed to fit the extra capacity without extra bulk – the 13R weighs essentially the same at 206g and it’s actually 0.8mm thinner than its predecessor. It is 1.5 mm shorter than before but 0.5 mm wider.
OnePlus 13R has got IP65 rating
The company has improved the protection rating to IP65 – the phone can now resist splashes, not just water splashes. The improved Aqua Touch 2.0 technology can work when the screen is wet or when you keep the phone in a waterproof pouch. The new Glove Mode can detect touch, even if you’re wearing extra thick gloves.
The chassis of the phone is made of aluminum and comes in two colors: Astral Trail and Nebula Noir. For screen protection, the 13R switches to Gorilla Glass 7i (replacing the Victus 2 used by the 12R).
OnePlus 13R in Astral Trail and Nebula Noir
As for the screen, it’s mostly unchanged but the 12R already had a great panel. It is a 6.78” LTPO OLED with a 1-120Hz refresh rate. It is a 10-bit panel with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support. The resolution of 1,264 x 2,780px gives it 450ppi pixel density and 19.8:9 aspect ratio. The display can go up to 1,600 nits in high brightness mode, with peak brightness at 4,500 nits.
Some other things worth noting are that the phone has a dual nano-SIM slot. It supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 (with aptX-HD, LDAC, and LHDC 5.0), plus NFC. That’s all well and good, but we have some disappointing news – the USB-C port is still only wired for USB 2.0 data. At least the alert slider is still on board.
The OnePlus 13R is already available for pre-order on OnePlus. In the meantime, here are the details of the global rollout of the flagship OnePlus 13. Needless to say, we’ll be reviewing both, so stay tuned!
