OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12: All the differences explained
Intro
OnePlus, despite being often overlooked in the discussion about the best phones, continues to thrive and produce exceptional devices that offer competitive pricing against iPhones, Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones.
Their latest flagship, the OnePlus 13, has just been released in China, but it's not yet available for purchase in other regions. However, we anticipate its global release, including the US, in early 2025.
So what is the OnePlus 13 all about? And what are the differences between the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 12?
OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12 differences explained:
| OnePlus 13 | OnePlus 12 |
|---|---|
| 6.8-inch 1440p OLED screen with better eye protection | 6.8-inch 1440p OLED screen |
| Brighter display: 800 nits typical brightness | Bright screen: 600 nits typical brightness |
| New design, flat sides | Curved sides |
| Slightly thinner at 8.5mm | 9.2mm |
| Weighs less at 210 g | Weight of 220 g |
| Faster Snapdragon 8 Elite chip | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| Bigger, 6,000 mAh battery 1.96 Days of Use | 5,400 mAh battery 1.79 Days of Use |
| Same charging speeds 100W wired 50W wireless | Charging speeds: 80W via wire (100W outside the US) 50W wireless charge |
| New sensors: 50MP main cam 50MP ultra-wide 50MP 3X zoom 32MP front cam | Cameras: 50MP main cam 48MP ultra-wide 64MP 3X zoom 32MP front cam |
| IP69 rating (protected against water jets) | IP65 splash protection |
| Global models not announced yet. China models: 12/256GB: 4,500 RMB (yuan) 12/512GB: 5,000 RMB 16/512GB: 5,300 RMB 24/1TB: 6,000 RMB | 12/256GB 16/512GB |
Table of Contents:
Design and Display Quality
New styling with flat sides
The first and biggest change is just to the design of the OnePlus 13 which now gets flat sides, similar to what you have on iPhones, the latest Samsung Galaxy Phones, Pixels and many more. The previous OnePlus 12 used curved sides.
We like this change, it makes it easier to pick up the phone from a table and helps with grip.
The overall size of the OnePlus 13 remains quite big, it's a 6.8-inch phone after all, just like the OnePlus 12. However, it's a bit slimmer and weighs a bit less, despite having a bigger battery. That's a win.
Here is a comparison of the OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12 size and dimensions:
| Width | Height | Thickness | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| OnePlus 13: 76.5 | OnePlus 13: 162.9 | OnePlus 13: 8.5mm | OnePlus 13: 210 g 213 g for glass model |
| OnePlus 12: 75.8 | OnePlus 12: 164.3 | OnePlus 12: 9.2mm | OnePlus 12: 220 g |
Those are mostly minimal tweaks, but it's good knowing the exact numbers.
The other thing that has remained present is the alert slider aka the mute switch, a nice little touch we still very much appreciate, both the 13 and 12 have it.
One important new feature is IP69 support on the OnePlus 13, which means it can not only withstand water submersion but also water jets and high temperature water. Most other phones only have IP68 water and dust protection, which does not guarantee protection against water jets.
OnePlus 13 color options
You have a choice of three combinations of colors and materials:
- White dew dawn (white glass)
- Obsidian secret realm (black finish)
- Blue hour ("baby skin" soft touch faux leather finish)
Good news is that you get a fast charger, a charging cable and even a case in the box, at least that's what the unboxing experience looks in China.
You get an ultrasonic fingerprint reader for the first time on a OnePlus flagship
OnePlus is particularly proud of the next generation screen technology used in the OnePlus 13. It uses a 6.8-inch BOE X2 OLED display with a 1440p resolution, which is the same size and resolution as the OnePlus 12, but a newer panel with even better accuracy.
It's a much brighter screen too, reaching 800 nits of typical brightness, up from 600 nits on the OnePlus 12. Viewing angles have also improved as well. It also has better eye protection with a 2160Hz high frequency pulse-width modulation (PWM), effectively meaning that there will be less eye-straining flicker.
Performance and Software
Top-level Snapdragon 8 Elite chip on the OnePlus 13
It's not a surprise to see the latest and greatest chip inside the OnePlus 13. It's powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, a big upgrade over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, with nearly 40% boost in CPU and GPU performance. This is the kind of upgrade we rarely see year to year.
As for the rest, you have the same configurations, starting with a base model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and then you have a 12/512GB version, a 16/512GB model, and finally an insane 24GB RAM/1TB storage version. At least those are the OnePlus 13 models on sale in China, we are yet to see if all of them will be available in the US and global release.
As for the rest, benchmarks from the device are already here and we see the numbers we were promised: 40% upgrade in both CPU and GPU performance.
It's important to know that OnePlus phones run different software in their homeland of China and in their global release. The China models run on ColorOS, while the global ones feature OxygenOS. We strongly recommend you to avoid the Chinese versions (in case you are thinking of importing), and just wait for the global model. This will make your life much easier as you won't have to go through some big hoops just to set up your phone right.
And as for the OnePlus 13, it's coming with Oxygen OS 15 based on Android 15, and we already know the new features. And yes, it will finally have AI capabilities too, and you can read more in our detailed OxygenOS 15 review.
Camera
New sensors and a few camera tweaks
Three cameras on the back
There is no big overhaul of the OnePlus 13 camera system compared to the OnePlus 12, as it uses a similar setup with main + ultra-wide + 3X telephoto camera on the back.
However, the sensors are new and we have three 50MP sensors (different sizes, though).
The OnePlus 13 is not an "Ultra" flagship, so it skips on the biggest sensors and the main camera has a 1/1.4" Sony sensor (smaller than the 1-inch sensors on Xiaomi and Oppo Ultra models).
Unlike other mainstream phones, here you get a 3X telephoto camera, rather than a 5X one. However, it's a 50MP sensor, so it can deliver great zoom quality at 6X level as well thanks to the magic of sensor cropping.
The color science is once again "Hasselblad" inspired, and there are a few new portrait modes and Fuji-like color presets. We have to test more, but it does look promising.
Battery Life and Charging
A massive silicon-anode battery inside
20% bigger battery than on a Galaxy Ultra or Pixel phone
A 6,000 mAh battery on a flagship phone sounds awesome and this is a big upgrade over the 5,000 mAh battery commonly used on other Android flagships like the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Comparing the OnePlus 13 battery to the OnePlus 12, it's a smaller jump, going from a 5,400 mAh capacity on the OnePlus 12 to a 6,000 mAh size on the OnePlus 13.
What's notable here is the OnePlus 13 is using the new silicon-anode type of battery, where the anode no longer uses graphite but a new compound with silicon that provides more capacity at the same physical size.
The official estimate for OnePlus 12 battery life was 1.79 days of use, and the OnePlus 13 jumps to 1.96 days of use, so essentially this is a real two-day battery life phone! Absolutely great news.
Of course, we would need to double-check that on the global model once it's available, so stay tuned for a full review in the near future with those important details.
As for charging speeds, nothing has changed. Wired charging caps at 100W speeds (probably a little lower, 80W in the US), while wireless charging is available at 50W.
New OnePlus Magnetic Turbine wireless charger
OnePlus also introduced a new wireless charging puck for the OnePlus 13, which looks similar to the Apple MagSafe charger as it has magnets, but it's bigger and comes with a fan. Hey, that's the price to pay if you want double the charging speeds! By the way, that fancy new charger works with iPhones too.
Interestingly, there are no magnets built in the OnePlus 13 itself. You would need to purchase a separate case with magnets (OnePlus has a few official options) in order to use the new wireless charger. These cases simply allow for the proper magnet alignment, while the wireless charging coil is still inside the phone itself. Why did OnePlus go with such a strange design? It's hard to tell, but there are benefits to not having magnets in the phone. It helps keep the device slimmer and cost down.
Specs Comparison
And below, you can find a breakdown of all the individual specs of the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 12:
Display
Size
Technology
AMOLED
AMOLED
Refresh rate
120Hz
120Hz
Screen-to-body
90.88 %
90.88 %
Peak brightness
4500 cd/m2 (nit)
4500 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
Hardware
System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SM8650-AB (4 nm)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite SM8750-AB (3 nm)
Processor
GPU
Adreno 750
Adreno 830
RAM
Internal storage
256GB
256GB
OS
Android (14)
Android (14)
Battery
Capacity
5400 mAh
6000 mAh
Charging
Fast charging
Fast charging
Camera
Rear
Triple camera
Triple camera
Main camera
Specifications
Aperture size: F1.6; Focal length: 23 mm
Aperture size: F1.6; Focal length: 23 mm; Sensor size: 1/1.43"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm
Second camera
64 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF)
50 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF)
Specifications
Optical zoom: 3.0x; Aperture size: F2.6; Focal Length: 70 mm
Optical zoom: 3.0x; Aperture size: F2.6; Focal Length: 73 mm
Third camera
48 MP (Ultra-wide)
50 MP (Ultra-wide)
Specifications
Aperture size: F2.2; Focal Length: 14 mm
Aperture size: F2.0; Focal Length: 15 mm
Video recording
7680x4320 (8K UHD) (24 fps), 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps)
7680x4320 (8K UHD) (30 fps), 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps)
Front
32 MP
32 MP
Video capture
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps)
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps)
Design
Dimensions
Weight
the average is 5.9 oz (169 g)
the average is 5.9 oz (169 g)
Materials
Back: Glass; Frame: Aluminum
Back: Glass; Frame: Aluminum
Resistance
Yes; IP65
Yes; IP69
Biometrics
Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint
See the full OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 13 specs comparison or compare them to other phones using our Phone Comparison Tool.
Should you buy the OnePlus 13?
If you have an older phone, absolutely!
Of course, OnePlus 12 owners don't really need to rush as one year does not get you THAT many upgrades. For all else, this seems like an awesome upgrade with a brand new design, a much bigger battery, improved fingerprint scanner, and a brighter display.
We’re still in the dark about the official global release date and price of the OnePlus 13. However, considering its early release in China, it’s likely that the price will be only slightly higher than before. Therefore, the OnePlus 13 will still be one of the best deals if you’re in the market for an all-out flagship phone.
We will be updating this comparison with all the details about the global model once we have them, so make sure to bookmark this and check back here in a month or two when we will hopefully know more.
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