Following OnePlus 13, the OnePlus 13R is also here, with a refined design, an added telephoto, a 6000mAh battery, and a new chip.
A flat design
First of all, OnePlus has switched from rounded to a flat design. Unlike the OnePlus 12R, the 13R packs a completely flat display and middle frame. The camera island on the back is now completely separated from the frame, and the flash module is placed inside the camera assembly. Ingress protection is upgraded from IP64 to IP65, and the body is 0.8 mm thinner.
Performance?
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip also packs decent performance and power efficiency improvements over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 of OnePlus 12R. But this wasn’t apparently enough for OnePlus (at least for the marketing team). According to a company official, their chip-level performance optimization enables the phone to offer better gaming experience than average Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered devices. And the improvements go beyond the official claims—gameplay tests have revealed even more promising results.
The phone also packs a larger 6000mAh battery, up from OnePlus 12R’s 5,500mAh one. Notably, the phone hasn’t is not heavier than its predecessor—but 1g lighter—thanks to the new high-density battery tech.
A telephoto!
The OnePlus 12R’s rear camera assembly includes three sensors: a 50MP main, an 8MP ultrawide, plus the super useful 2MP macro sensor. This time OnePlus has replaced the macro camera with a 50MP 2x telephoto—one of the most helpful additions for those who use it.
Downgrades?
OnePlus decided to go back to Gorilla Glass Victus 7i from Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The latter one is considered significantly tougher and more scratch-resistant than Gorilla Glass 7i.
The maximum charging speed is also downgraded from 100W to 80W. OnePlus claims the 6000mAh battery can be charged up to 50% in 20 minutes, and 100% in slightly over 50 minutes. For context, the predecessor was rated to charge up to 100% in just 26 minutes—only slightly higher than the time it takes for the new phone to fill half of its capacity. For the sake of comparison, the 500mAh extra capacity cannot compensate for the extra time it takes to charge.
Price
As of writing, the OnePlus 12R (8GB + 256GB) is available on Amazon India and OnePlus India for a price tag of Rs. 39,999. Surprisingly, Flipkart is offering the 16GB + 256GB version of the phone for only Rs. 38,360.
In contrast, the 13R is listed for the following prices:
- 12GB+256GB: Rs. 42,998
- 16GB+512GB: Rs. 49,998
Based on the upgrades and downgrades mentioned above, you can decide which option fits your needs best. If I were considering an upgrade within this budget, I’d go for the 12GB version of the 13R, as the higher variant seems overpriced for the extras it offers. The same should apply to you, unless maximum storage is your priority. I’d rather buy a 1TB external SSD from Samsung for around the same cost, connect it to my phone maybe once a year, and browse through the camera roll.
