OnePlus 13 vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: David vs Goliath
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Intro
We all know the David versus Goliath story; it's a metaphor for the improbable victory of the underdog, the outsider, the small kid in the classroom. And even though the OnePlus 13 is far form an underdog, put next to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it feels like little David with its tiny slingshot.
Could the OnePlus 13 deal a fatal blow to the iPhone 16 Pro Max and make this a perfect analogy? Today we'll try to find out. The OnePlus 13 has landed and it's now available worldwide, so we have all the benchmarks and camera scores needed to pit these two against each other. Can the OnePlus 13 slingshot it way to the top of the smartphone food chain? Read on to find out!
This is our OnePlus 13 vs iPhone 16 Pro Max comparison.
Could the OnePlus 13 deal a fatal blow to the iPhone 16 Pro Max and make this a perfect analogy? Today we'll try to find out. The OnePlus 13 has landed and it's now available worldwide, so we have all the benchmarks and camera scores needed to pit these two against each other. Can the OnePlus 13 slingshot it way to the top of the smartphone food chain? Read on to find out!
OnePlus 13 vs iPhone 16 Pro Max differences explained:
| OnePlus 13 | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Smaller size screen, different camera bump, slightly curved screen still | Flat sides, front and back design, bigger size |
| 6.82-inch panel with 120Hz LTPO, 4500 nits max brightness | Bigger 6.9-inch panel, 120Hz, potentially not as bright |
| Triple camera, three 50MP sensors, wide, ultrawide, and telephoto (3x zoom) | Triple camera with 48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, and 12MP telephoto, tetraprism 5x zoom |
| More base RAM (12GB), and a version with 16GB of RAM | Less RAM but not that important (8GB) |
| Equal base storage at 256GB | 256GB base storage here as well |
| Larger 6,000mAh battery that delivers better battery life | A smaller 4,685mAh battery |
| Faster wired and wireless charging, 80W and 50W respectively | Slower wired charging |
Table of Contents:
Also read:
- OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12: All the differences explained
- OnePlus 13 Review: Maybe settle here?
Design and Display Quality
Playing it safe
The iPhone 16 series unveiling was a bit of a downer. We're already accustomed to incremental changes in the smartphone world year on year, but Apple outdid itself with the iPhone 16 and the things that actually stayed the same. Nevertheless, there are some minor changes in the design—a new Camera Control button, a bigger screen, and new cameras but overall, the iPhone 16 Pro Max looks very similar to its predecessors.
The OnePlus 13 also follows in the design footsteps of the previous flagship from the company. The curvature on the screen is now almost non-existent; the phone looks much flatter and, subsequently, similar to what Samsung and Apple have been doing in the past couple of years.
The OnePlus 13 also follows in the design footsteps of the previous flagship from the company. The curvature on the screen is now almost non-existent; the phone looks much flatter and, subsequently, similar to what Samsung and Apple have been doing in the past couple of years.
Where these two phones differ is the materials. The iPhone is, of course, using a Grade 5 titanium frame, while the OnePlus 13 is sporting good old aluminum. There's glass on the back of both phones, but the OnePlus 13 has one faux leather option in blue, which by the way looks gorgeous.
Speaking of colors, here are the hues of both phones.
OnePlus 13 available colors:
- Arctic Dawn
- Black Eclipse
- Midnight Ocean
iPhone 16 Pro Max available colors:
- Black Titanium
- White Titanium
- Natural Titanium
- Desert Titanium
The camera housing on the back is in line with what these two brands have been doing design-wise in the past couple of years; in the case of the OnePlus 13, it's a circular camera bump offset to the left. The iPhone relies on the same squarish camera housing we know back from the iPhone 12 series days.
The OnePlus 13 is featuring a 6.82-inch LTPO (1-120Hz) AMOLED screen that can hit a super bright 4,500 nits, or 1,600 nits in high brightness mode (HBM). But as always, real-life brightness may differ due to the way companies measure these things (usually on a very small patch of the screen for a very short time). The resolution is 3168 x 1440, giving it a sharp pixel density of around 510 PPI.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the other hand, sports one of the biggest panels out there, a 6.9-inch monstrosity with a 2868 x 1320 pixel resolution, which results in about 460 pixels per inch density.
Our display tests revealed that the OnePlus 13 offers excellent brightness at 20% APL (average picture level, which closely mirrors real-life scenarios), outperforming its big-name rival. While an additional 300 nits of brightness might seem significant, the way the human eye perceives brightness makes this difference less noticeable.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a slight edge over the OnePlus 13 in terms of color temperature, minimum brightness, and color calibration, but the disparity is not dramatic. Overall, both phones excel in the display department, and you’ll be satisfied with either one of those.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a slight edge over the OnePlus 13 in terms of color temperature, minimum brightness, and color calibration, but the disparity is not dramatic. Overall, both phones excel in the display department, and you’ll be satisfied with either one of those.
Performance and Software
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a serious weapon!
This is probably one of the most interesting sections of this comparison, as initial Geekbench results put the Snapdragon 8 Elite up there with Apple's A18 silicon. Leaked Xiaomi 15 and OnePlus 13 scores put the chip ahead of the A18 Pro in multicore performance and very close in single core.
The OnePlus 13 comes with 12GB of RAM in the base 256GB configuration, and there's also a 24GB RAM model coupled with 1TB of storage. The iPhone 16 Pro Max uses 8GB of RAM, but it doesn't affect performance negatively.
The OnePlus 13 comes with 12GB of RAM in the base 256GB configuration, and there's also a 24GB RAM model coupled with 1TB of storage. The iPhone 16 Pro Max uses 8GB of RAM, but it doesn't affect performance negatively.
Well, what do you know! We have a new silicon champion—with a caveat. The OnePlus 13 outperforms the iPhone 16 Pro Max in all our benchmarks except the single-core Geekbench 6 test. This is a significant caveat, as smartphones predominantly rely on a single processing core for day-to-day operations and simple apps.
That said, it appears Qualcomm has finally closed the gap with Apple in overall hardware performance and even surpassed its rival in GPU performance.
In terms of software, Apple still polishes and updates its Apple Intelligence, so it's a work in progress. The OnePlus 13 debuted with OxygenOS 15, featuring its own suite of AI-powered tools under the moniker (drumroll) OnePlus AI.
These tools include AI Detail Boost (which enhances photo clarity and quality), AI Unblur (as the name suggests, it reduces blur in images), AI Reflection Eraser (a handy feature for taking photos through glass), AI Notes (offering robust assistance with note-taking), Circle to Search, and more.
The device also provides access to Gemini, although it’s unclear whether OnePlus leverages Google’s AI as part of its OnePlus AI suite or employs a standalone model. One thing is certain, though, all AI features are cloud-based, as they cease functioning when the phone loses internet connectivity.
Camera
Hasselblad-branded lenses over Sony sensors versus a good old iPhone?
The OnePlus 13 features a triple-camera system, each equipped with a 50MP sensor: wide, ultrawide, and a periscope telephoto with 3x optical zoom.
The main camera utilizes a 1/1.4” 50MP Sony LYT-808 sensor with a 1.12μm pixel size (2.24μm after pixel binning) and is paired with an f/1.6 aperture lens. The telephoto camera is built around a 1/1.95" Sony LYT-600 sensor and incorporates a new lens system called Triprism (sounds familiar?).
The main camera utilizes a 1/1.4” 50MP Sony LYT-808 sensor with a 1.12μm pixel size (2.24μm after pixel binning) and is paired with an f/1.6 aperture lens. The telephoto camera is built around a 1/1.95" Sony LYT-600 sensor and incorporates a new lens system called Triprism (sounds familiar?).
Finally, the ultrawide camera uses a Samsung JN5 ISOCELL sensor coupled with a lens offering a 120-degree field of view.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max features largely the same camera system as last year, with some new touches here and there.
The main camera still uses the 48 MP sensor that was an excellent upgrade a couple of years ago but now relies on software magic to stay sharp. The 12 MP zoom camera comes with that 5x tetraprism lens from last year. And now, we get a 48 MP ultra-wide camera to match that main one.
The main camera still uses the 48 MP sensor that was an excellent upgrade a couple of years ago but now relies on software magic to stay sharp. The 12 MP zoom camera comes with that 5x tetraprism lens from last year. And now, we get a 48 MP ultra-wide camera to match that main one.
Let's look at some side-by-side samples.
Main Camera
Both phones take incredible photos, but the differences only really stand out when you compare them side by side. The iPhone seems to capture a bit more detail—just look at the tree branches in the background—while the OnePlus leans toward a more dramatic look, with an almost HDR-like effect on contrast and shadows.
The color tones are also quite distinct. The iPhone sticks to its signature warmer tones, while the OnePlus has a cooler vibe and feels a little oversharpened. Both handle dynamic range impressively well, though the OnePlus might have a slight edge in that department.
Night samples reveal more of the same, with the OnePlus 13 relying on heavily stacked and stitched-together frames. The HDR effect is even more pronounced in this shot, with the pitch-black sky contrasting against the bright pavement.
The iPhone, on the other hand, is less dramatic in that sense, though the lens flare and ghost light reflections we all know (and definitely don’t love) are still present.
Both phones feature their own version of the periscope zoom system, with names that sound suspiciously similar (Tetraprism and Triprism), and both deliver quality zoom shots. If we had to nitpick, the OnePlus 13 tends to have more saturated colors, and the contrast is again boosted.
Zoom Quality
Both phones feature their own version of the periscope zoom system, with names that sound suspiciously similar (Tetraprism and Triprism), and both deliver quality zoom shots. If we had to nitpick, the OnePlus 13 tends to have more saturated colors, and the contrast is again boosted.
The cooler tone remains evident in the OnePlus samples, while the iPhone produces more natural, lifelike images, though with just a bit less detail. Overall, both look great, though they have a noticeably different feel.
The ultrawide samples are much closer in terms of detail, quality, dynamic range, and white balance, with the main difference being the warmer tone in the iPhone 16 Pro Max sample. It also seems that the iPhone has a slightly wider field of view, allowing more objects to fit within the frame.
When it comes to selfies, the iPhone 16 Pro Max captures more detail (just look at the OnePlus logo on the backpack shoulder strap). You can even see the graying hair on Vic's temples (despite him shaving it to look younger), while the OnePlus softens these details, producing a much smoother and softer image.
Ultra-wide Camera
The ultrawide samples are much closer in terms of detail, quality, dynamic range, and white balance, with the main difference being the warmer tone in the iPhone 16 Pro Max sample. It also seems that the iPhone has a slightly wider field of view, allowing more objects to fit within the frame.
Selfies
When it comes to selfies, the iPhone 16 Pro Max captures more detail (just look at the OnePlus logo on the backpack shoulder strap). You can even see the graying hair on Vic's temples (despite him shaving it to look younger), while the OnePlus softens these details, producing a much smoother and softer image.
More Camera Samples
Video Quality
Here's a quick video comparison between the OnePlus 13 and the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Battery Life and Charging
Capacity is not everything
The OnePlus 13 houses an impressive 6,000 mAh silicon-carbon battery, an exceptional feature for a flagship of this size and design. Typically, such high-capacity batteries are reserved for gaming phones or bulky smartphone models.
In contrast, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is equipped with a comparatively modest 4,685 mAh battery. However, Apple's excellent battery optimization allows it to compete with other flagships that feature significantly larger cells.
Let's see how these two devices perform in our battery and charging tests.
In contrast, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is equipped with a comparatively modest 4,685 mAh battery. However, Apple's excellent battery optimization allows it to compete with other flagships that feature significantly larger cells.
Let's see how these two devices perform in our battery and charging tests.
PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results:
As you can see, battery capacity isn’t everything when it comes to smartphones. The results are remarkably close. Despite its smaller battery, the iPhone 16 Pro Max outperformed the OnePlus 13 in every category, lasting approximately an hour longer in browsing and YouTube streaming, and an impressive four hours more in gaming.
However, the charging situation tells a different story. Thanks to its 80W wired charging support, the OnePlus 13 fully charges its massive 6,000 mAh battery in just 43 minutes. In comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max takes 102 minutes—more than twice as long
However, the charging situation tells a different story. Thanks to its 80W wired charging support, the OnePlus 13 fully charges its massive 6,000 mAh battery in just 43 minutes. In comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max takes 102 minutes—more than twice as long
Specs Comparison
Here's a specs comparison for the number nerds out there.
| Specs | OnePlus 13 | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5 mm | 163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm |
| Weight | 210 g | 227 g |
| Screen | 6.82-inch Super AMOLED 1-120Hz | 6.9-inch OLED 1-120Hz |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A18 Pro |
| RAM, Storage and Price | 12/256GB for $899 | 8/256GB for $1199 |
| Cameras | 50MP main 50MP ultra-wide 50MP telephoto, 3x zoom 32MP front | 48MP main, f/1.8 48MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 12MP 5X zoom, f/2.8 12MP front |
| Battery Size | 6,000 mAh | 4,685 mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 80W wired 50W wireless | 25W wired wireless |
Which one should you buy?
So, has David emerged victorious from this battle? Unfortunately, the results aren’t so clear-cut. The OnePlus 13 is one of the first Android flagships to seriously challenge Apple on the hardware front, thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The phone also features a bright flat screen that’s absolutely on par with what Apple offers on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
In the camera department, things are close, but we feel the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a slight edge. Despite the larger battery in the OnePlus 13, the battery score favors the iPhone. On the other hand, fast charging is undoubtedly better on the OnePlus, as is its price. The base 12/256GB model starts at $899, while the iPhone is much more expensive at $1,199.
In the end, the OnePlus 13 offers excellent value for the money. The fact that it can challenge the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is $300 more expensive, speaks for itself. The final byuing decision will likely come down to ecosystem loyalty and, as always, personal preference.
In the camera department, things are close, but we feel the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a slight edge. Despite the larger battery in the OnePlus 13, the battery score favors the iPhone. On the other hand, fast charging is undoubtedly better on the OnePlus, as is its price. The base 12/256GB model starts at $899, while the iPhone is much more expensive at $1,199.
In the end, the OnePlus 13 offers excellent value for the money. The fact that it can challenge the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is $300 more expensive, speaks for itself. The final byuing decision will likely come down to ecosystem loyalty and, as always, personal preference.
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