OnePlus 13 PhoneArena Camera Score revealed: Inconsistently running in place
With the new OnePlus 13, the phone company that doesn't really fancy settling down is once again treating us with a promising flagship phone that comes with a seemingly very versatile camera system. Once again tuned by Hasselblad, the triple camera system offers a lot in the name of versatility and promises some AI-enhancing tactics to deliver superb zoom quality even though it only comes with a 3X telephoto camera.
The OnePlus 13 now uses three 50MP sensors for the wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto cameras. That's a significant difference in comparison with the OnePlus 12, which only has a 50MP wide, but 64MP telephoto and 48MP ultrawide-angle cameras.
How have these changes affected the image and video quality of the OnePlus 13 achieves? Let's explore how it fares in the PhoneArena Camera Score test.
| Specs | OnePlus 13 | OnePlus 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50MP F1.6, 23mm Sony LYT-808, Sensor size: 1/1.4" | 50MP F1.6, 23mm Sony LYT-808, Sensor size: 1/1.4" |
| Telephoto camera | 50MP F2.6, 73mm, 3X optical zoom Sony LYT-600, Sensor size: 1/1.95" | 64MP F2.6, 70mm, 3X optical zoom OmniVision OV64B, Sensor size: 1/2" |
| Ultra-wide camera | 50MP, F2.0, 120º FoV ISOCELL JN5, Sensor size: 1/2.75" | 48MP, F2.2, 114º FoV Sony IMX581, Sensor size: 1/2" |
| Front-facing camera | 32MP F2.4 Sony IMX615, Sensor size: 1/2.74" | 32MP F2.4 Sony IMX615, Sensor size: 1/2.74" |
Also read: OnePlus 13 Review: Great phone, excellent value, questionable camera
So, the main camera is the same as last year, utilizing Sony's new LYT-808 50MP sensor with a standard F1.6 aperture and a fairly large 1/1.4" sensor size. OnePlus reveals that a new ALC coating on top of the camera lens aims to minimize glare and artifacts, and whatever slips through the cracks can be treated with some of the AI tools for photo post-processing.
The telephoto camera has scored some notable changes. It uses a new so-called Triprism lens design, which is significantly more compact in comparison with regular telephoto cameras. OnePlus cites 24% reduction in size and 30% lighter components for the telephoto camera. Aside from the native 3X zoom, the OnePlus 13 employs AI-assisted software zoom up to 120X, with the algorithms taking the reins immediately after 10X zoom.
Finally, the ultrawide camera is now wider than before, allowing you to fit more from the scene in the viewfinder in comparison with the OnePlus 12. The ultrawide camera itself is a 50MP one with F2.0 aperture.
Up front, we have the same front-facing camera as the OnePlus 12. And, unlike the Oppo Find X8 Pro, there's no dedicated 6X periscope here, which is a net loss, regardless how great the AI zoom algorithms are.
Oppo Find X8 Pro Camera Score compared to its rivals
| Phone | PhoneArena Camera Score | Photo Score | Video Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| OnePlus 13 | 144.9 | 148.8 | 141 |
| OnePlus 12 | 145.5 | 152 | 139 |
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | 156.4 | 161.9 | 150.9 |
| Google Pixel 9 Pro XL/Pixel 9 Pro | 150.5 | 159.4 | 141.6 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max | 153.9 | 158.4 | 149.5 |
However, all of these changes don't seem to be for the better. The OnePlus 13 ranks slightly lower than last year's OnePlus 12.
With a score of 144.9 points, it fails to beat its predecessor's total score of 145.5 points, which surely means that OnePlus 12 users shouldn't feel compelled to upgrade if camera excellence is important to them.
The main reason why the OnePlus 13 fails to beat the OnePlus 12 is in the still photo photography, where it achieves 148.8 points against the older phone's 152 points. In our video test, the OnePlus 13 actually beats the OnePlus 12.
With such a total score, the OnePlus 13 can't really match the rest of the grid, where potent cameraphones like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL, and iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max all dwell in the 150-point space and above. This is valid for both the still photo and video-recording tests, rounding up a slightly disappointing positioning for the new OnePlus 13 flagship.
This doesn't mean the OnePlus 13 takes bad photos or videos, it just shows that the competition is still way ahead in terms of image quality.
OnePlus 13 camera spider chart
Main Camera
OnePlus 13 wide-angle samples
The main camera of the OnePlus 13 has some issues with dynamics, deviating from the ideal target that the Galaxy S24 Ultra, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and interestingly, OnePlus 12, have all met with ease.
The main camera has the tendency to crush shadows, and at the same time, underexposes highlights, resulting in images that appear too grim and drab. The contrasts in some scene is a bit extreme, too, and colors are definitely on the overly vivid side. As a result, photos don't really appear natural and have that over-processed look that doesn't look appealing.
There are some over-sharpening issues, but not more than what you'd find on an iPhone or a Galaxy, so nothing out of the ordinary. There are some issues with portrait mode, too.
Zoom Quality
OnePlus 13 3X, 6X, 15X zoom samples
Zooming in to 3X, which is the native optical zoom of the OnePlus 13, things are certainly looking good. Detail is superb, besting all of its competitors and on equal grounds with the Galaxy S24 Ultra in terms of sharpness. There are, however, some over-sharpening artifacts.
At 15X, in which the optical zoom is way out of its league, the quality is still mighty usable thanks to the AI upscaling algorithms that OnePlus has reined in. This goes on up until 120X, but results will gradually become less and less usable the further you zoom in until you're left with an overly oversharpened and AI-processed photo.
Ultra-wide Camera
The OnePlus 13 ultrawide camera is probably the biggest offender when it comes to oversaturated colors and overly rich contrast. Shadows are crushed and highlights can easily get blown out, so dynamic range is definitely not a strong suit of that camera. It's quite wide, though, which is always nice.
Front Camera
The front camera of the OnePlus 13 is very sharp and selfies turn out super-detailed, with good dynamic range. The color temperature errs on the side of magenta hues, though.
Video
Main Camera - Video
Screen capture from OnePlus 13 main camera video
Videos made with the main camera look good, exhibiting excellent dynamics and colors (unlike the same camera in still photo mode). Sharpness leaves a lot to be desired, though, trailing behind all of OnePlus 13's competitors and including the OnePlus 12 as well. That's not very inspiring and moderately disappointing.
Ultrawide camera - Video
Screen capture from OnePlus 13 ultrawide video
At the same time, the ultrawide camera has good detail, and interestingly, little to no oversharpening here. Dynamics, color temperature, and decent exposure are all strengths of the ultrawide snapper.
Zoom camera - Video
Screen capture from OnePlus 13 3X video
At the 3X native zoom range, videos taken with the OnePlus 13 turn out pretty decent! Sharpness is exceptional here, pretty much beating all of its closest competitors, which is good to see.
Selfie camera - Video
Screen capture from OnePlus 13 selfie video
The front-facing camera delivers clean videos with lots of sharpness, lovely colors and decent dynamics. Overall, a decent surprise that will do great for either selfie videos or the occasional Teams meeting.
Conclusion
The OnePlus 13 is a mixed bag when it comes to the overall camera performance. Sure, it's a good camera that will do just fine, but fails to improve the OnePlus 12 camera experience and loses to its rivals (Galaxy S24 Ultra, Pixel 9 Pro XL, iPhone 16 Pro Max). While OnePlus has improved in some areas, it has either remained in the same spot or deteriorated in other areas.
The main offender here is the main camera, which delivers an overly processed look, with noticeable oversharpening, unimpressive dynamics, and an overprocessed look that sometimes reminds us of those garish faux HDR effects. Contrast is also too strong, and colors are more saturated, culminating in a photography style that's very far from the natural looks that we love to see.
At the same time, the zoom camera is great and surely lives up to the expectations, with decent sharpness, good dynamics, and overall an appealing style. The same applies for the front-facing camera, which is pretty decent and has no major flaws whatsoever.
The recurring theme with the OnePlus 13 camera is an overall inconsistency between the different cameras, which worsens the camera experience. The synergy between the different camera sensors hasn't worked in the OnePlus 13's favor. This isn't great to see.
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