OnePlus 13R Camera Score revealed: Strong still photography, but stumbles in video
Earlier this month, OnePlus announced the OnePlus 13 series, consisting of the OnePlus 13 flagship itself and the more affordable but equally intriguing OnePlus 13R. To achieve the lower price tag in comparison with the proper flagship ($749 vs $899), OnePlus has had to cut some proverbial corners. One of those corners is the camera.
The OnePlus 13R has a triple-camera setup as well as its bigger brother, but the camera specs are humbler, as one can imagine.
The main camera is a 50MP Sony LYT-700 sensor with an F1.8 aperture and a 24mm field-of-view, which is a smidgen narrower than the 23mm one on the OnePlus 13, but is still wider than the 26mm FoV of the iPhone 16, for example. The sensor is smaller than the OnePlus 13 one, so our expectations about the phone's lower-light capabilities are automatically lowered.
The telephoto camera is a 50MP one, too, but it uses a significantly smaller Samsung sensor. It also provides only a 2X optical zoom, which is shorter than the 3X telephoto of the OnePlus 13. Still, consistent with other phones in the same price range, like the iPhone 16.
Finally, we get a very unimpressive 8MP ultrawide camera with an F2.2 aperture and fairly small sensor size of 1/4". The field-of-view here is also rather narrow, at 112º.
| Specs | OnePlus 13R | OnePlus 13 |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50MP F1.8, 24mm Sony LYT-700, sensor size: 1/1.56" | 50MP F1.6, 23mm Sony LYT-808, Sensor size: 1/1.4" |
| Telephoto camera | 50MP F2.0, 47mm, 2X optical zoom Samsung S5KJN5, Sensor size: 1/2.75" | 50MP F2.6, 73mm, 3X optical zoom Sony LYT-600, Sensor size: 1/1.95" |
| Ultra-wide camera | 8MP, F2.2, 112º FoV Sensor-size: 1/4" | 50MP, F2.0, 120º FoV ISOCELL JN5, Sensor size: 1/2.75" |
| Front-facing camera | 16MP F2.4 Sensor size: 1/3.09" | 32MP F2.4 Sony IMX615, Sensor size: 1/2.74" |
How have these changes affected the image and video quality of the OnePlus 13R? Let's explore how it fares in the PhoneArena Camera Score test.
OnePlus 13R Camera Score compared to its rivals
The OnePlus 13R scores a total camera score in our test of 138.5 points, which is pretty decent, all things considered. That's a compound score between the still photo and video tests, and the OnePlus 13R actually performs extremely well in the first one.
In fact, with a score of 152.7 points, it actually beats the OnePlus 13 and is on par with the Pixel 9 in terms of standard photography, which earn 148.8 and 152.9 points, respectively. The iPhone 16 is close by with 154.3 points, and finally, at the top, we have the Galaxy S24 with 156.1 points.
Where the OnePlus 13R lags severely behind is video-recording, where it's trailing behind all of its competitors with a score of just 124.3 points.
OnePlus 13 camera spider chart
Main Camera
OnePlus 13R wide-angle samples
The main wide camera of the OnePlus 13R does a pretty decent job. It delivers great dynamics, good colors, and is pretty sharp, which is always good to see. However, it tends to oversharpen most details, which leads to undesirable artifacts to manifest. In low-light conditions, it's pretty much the same thing: good dynamics and not that much noise.
Zoom Quality
2X
3X
5X
OnePlus 13R 2X, 3X, 5X zoom samples
The zoom camera of the OnePlus 13R is pretty decent, despite offering merely a 2X telephoto zoom. Exposure is great, as well as the color temperature and tint, both perfectly balanced. There are some minor oversharpening artifacts here, too, but otherwise, the level of detail is very decent, on par with the Galaxy S24 and beating the iPhone 16 and the Pixel 9. However, as you start zooming in, you get a natural deterioration of detail.
Ultra-wide Camera
OnePlus 13R ultrawide samples
The 8MP camera is humble in terms of hardware specs, but the quality isn't half-bad, In fact, it delivers decent dynamics, color temperature and tint, though detail isn't great. The phone also throws in some oversharpening to compensate for that, which isn't great. There is a macro mode on deck.
Front Camera
The selfie camera isn't very good, mostly because detail isn't great. Thankfully, there's no oversharpening here.
Video
Main Camera - Video
Screen capture from OnePlus 13R main camera video
Well, the main camera takes 4K videos at either 30 or 60fps, but the quality isn't good. The sharpness isn't great when recording video. The stabilization leaves a lot to be desired, too. Overall, this camera won't wow you in video mode; on the contrary, it can easily disappoint.
Ultrawide camera - Video
Sadly, you can't take ultrawide videos at 4K resolution with the OnePlus 13R. You can only do so at 1080p resolution, and the quality is okay, but that's a pretty severe limitation that doesn't have place in early 2025.
Here's a screen grab from a 1080p ultrawide video sample, which should give you a pretty decent idea of what quality to expect. There's good corner sharpness, but detail as a whole isn't good.
Screen capture from OnePlus 13R ultrawide video (WARNING-1080p quality!)
Zoom camera - Video
Screen capture from OnePlusR 13 2X video
Videos taken with the telephoto camera aren't particularly enthralling either. Dynamics and exposure aren't great, but at least this camera is stabilized well. Detail is passable here, on par with the Pixel 9 when it comes to telephoto video (the Pixel relies purely on software in this mode).
Selfie camera - Video
Just like the rear ultrawide camera, the selfie one can't capture 4K video quality; you're limited to 1080p and 720p. That's pretty embarrassing for a 2025 phone. Still, the quality is okay for 1080p footage, whith nice dynamics and exposure, but muddy detail with lots of artifacts.
Screen capture from OnePlus 13R selfie video (WARNING-1080p quality!)
Conclusion
Just like the OnePlus 13, the OnePlus 13R camera is a mixed bag.
It's good in still photography, trading blows with some of its more premium rivals in the same price range. The dynamic rage is surprisingly consistent, while the colors strike the typical OnePlus-esque balance between realism and pleasing saturation.
However, things aren't ideal when it comes to video. Lacking 4K video-recording on any camera is a major red flag fora 2025 phone that's far from the entry-level segment. Additionally, the cameras that can shoot 4K footage aren't very good at it either.
Overall, the OnePlus 13R will do good if you don't have particularly tasking requirements for its camera setup, but if you're a shutterbug, there's the possibility that it might disappoint you.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: