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Unreleased OnePlus 13 surfaces at an eSports event in China

Published: Oct 20, 2024, 6:25 PM

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Letters spelling "OnePlus" are seen on a table in white and are reflecting off of it.

While the OnePlus 13 can be pre-ordered in China, no release date has been announced. And while the global variant (OnePlus CPH2653) was benchmarked on Geekbench, we may not see that version of the phone ready for purchase until early next year. Meanwhile, photos posted on the Weibo social media site in China showed a trio of gamers using the OnePlus 13 while attending the Peacekeeper Elite 2024 event in China.

OnePlus 13 is a dream for Android users who like phones with spectacular specs

This is a mobile game tournament featuring PUBG Mobile. It has been described as one of the largest PUBG Mobile tournaments with players from around the world seeking to win a share of prize pools said to be in the millions of dollars. So if you're a Chinese phone manufacturer such as OnePlus, this would be a propitious time to give samples of the device to certain entrants to get attention for the upcoming new model.

PUBG Mobile ploayers at a tournament in China are using the unreleased OnePlus 13.

The OnePlus 13 surfaces at the Peacekeeper Elite 2024 event in China. | Image credit-Weibo

The three photos seen on Weibo revealed at least three color options for the OnePlus 13. There is a version of the phone dressed in Black, one in Blue with a White camera island (personally my favorite) and a version of the OnePlus 13 in White with a silver band. A rumored model with a green faux leather back was not spotted at the event and it should be noted that according to prolific leaker Digital Chat Station, the Black version of the phone has a textured back.

Now how do we know that the phones in the pictures are the OnePlus 13? Good question. All three have some design features that were included in a previous teaser of the OnePlus 13 that was released by the manufacturer. These features include:

A Hasselblad logo next to the camera island which was not on the One Plus 12.
A centered OnePlus logo on the rear panel of the phone.
A silver band cutting through the camera island which also was not on the OnePlus 12.

The OnePlus 13 will be up against several flagship models in China, mostly produced by stablemates vivo and Oppo. All three firms are owned by BBK Electronics along with Realme and iQOO. The powerful Dimensity 9400 processor powers both the vivo X200 series and the Opp Find X8 line.

About OnePlus 13

No release date has been scheduled yet for the OnePlus 13 in China although pre-orders can be made. The phone will first be released in China and early next year we expect to see the global release of the model. That variant would be available in markets such as the U.S., Europe, and India. By the time the phone is available in the U.S., it probably will face off against the Samsung Galaxy S25 series including the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The phone has some great specs which include:

A 6.82-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 5,000 nits.
Three rear-facing 50MP cameras (main, ultra-wide, and telephoto).
50MP front-facing selfie camera.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 application processor manufactured by TSMC using its second-gen 3nm process node (N3E).
Up to 24GB RAM.
Up to 1TB internal storage.
6000mAh battery supporting 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
IP 68/69 protection from dust and water.
Color options: Black (textured), White, and Blue (two-tone with white camera island).

The OnePlus 13 might have an unlucky number but it does have some of the best specs that we will find on an Android phone next year. With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 AP under the hood, performance shouldn't be an issue and the large battery capacity bodes well for battery life. This could be the year that OnePlus really lands some blows to Samsung's top-of-the-line flagship phone. After all, it's hard to find a weak spot on the OnePlus 13 and if OnePlus works its usual pricing magic, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is going to have some competition next year.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.