
The OnePlus 13 emerged as an unexpected standout, earning the Editor's Choice Award for 2025 due to its surprising quality and impressive feature set. It boasts a powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, a vibrant 6.82-inch AMOLED display, and strong camera performance that rivals top flagships. A highlight is its impressive 6,000 mAh battery with 80W charging.
This device delivers a flagship-level experience at an exceptional value, priced at just $899, significantly undercutting competitors like the S25 Ultra. While it only provides four years of software updates, the OnePlus 13 was overwhelmingly praised for its comprehensive package and overall user experience.
“But taking first place of the Editor's Choice Awards 2025 is the OnePlus 13. Even though this was the first phone of the year to release, I didn't think anyone was expecting it to be as good as it was.”
“The best thing about this though was the price. It was $899 when it was released. And that gave you a flagship level experience without having to pay a flagship level cost. Like it undercut the S25 Ultra by a couple of hundred. And you still got arguably as good of an experience with the OnePlus 13.”
The OnePlus 13 remains a solid smartphone choice, featuring a premium design with advanced ingress protection and a high-resolution 2K display. Its camera system stands out as a key strength, boasting more capable hardware across all rear lenses and consistently delivering sharper, cleaner photos, particularly in low-light conditions.
While it provides commendable flagship-grade performance, its battery life is notably less robust than newer models, and the device may experience thermal throttling during extended heavy usage. The screen's 120Hz refresh rate also limits high frame rate gaming, which is supported by some competitors.
Overall, the OnePlus 13 offers a very similar user experience to more recent devices for a lower price, making it an excellent value. It's a viable option for those prioritizing camera performance and cost savings over the absolute latest chipset and maximum battery endurance.
“The OnePlus 13, on the other hand, can charge a bit faster. Its camera hardware is more capable than the new models, and it can provide much the same user experience for less money.”
“you can get by with the OnePlus 13 without sacrificing too much other than the extra battery life and save a bit of cash along the way.”
“Given that the OnePlus 13 has better camera hardware, a 2K display, and now that it's nearly a year old, a lower price”
“The OnePlus 13 is simply the better buy if you're thinking about getting one of these two phones.”
“Unfortunately, the company's smartphone masterpiece is still the OnePlus 13 across the board.”
The OnePlus 13 is strongly recommended as a superior purchase, especially as its price is anticipated to drop. It offers a much better camera system, a 2K resolution display, and a processor with excellent thermal management.
The phone also maintains comparable software and storage options, along with the beloved alert slider. Its 6,000 mAh battery ensures exceptional longevity with 80W fast charging, making the OnePlus 13 a well-rounded and high-value flagship.
“I know, I know I sound crazy, but hear me out because the OnePlus 13 might be the better buy right now.”
“Oh, and one more thing. You may have noticed that the alert slider is gone. I don't know about you, but I think that that was a defining aspect of OnePlus phones. [...] The OnePlus 13 still has it though. So, yeah, the OnePlus 13 is looking pretty good right now.”
The OnePlus 13 stands out as a clear winner, primarily due to its innovative silicon carbide battery that delivers a 6,000 mAh capacity in a standard-sized phone, allowing for an easy two-day usage. It also features ultra-fast charging, capable of full recharge in about 45 minutes.
Under the hood, the phone is powered by the incredibly powerful and efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which is noted as the fastest on any Android device. This ensures top-tier performance across all tasks.
Beyond its core performance and battery, the OnePlus 13 offers high-quality cameras and a great display, indicating no compromises on key user experience aspects. Overall, it is presented as a highly capable and well-rounded device.
“I think the clear winner here has to be the phone that added the new silicon carbide battery inside. So, this kind of battery is significantly more energy dense, meaning it can be smaller and have more capacity, and OnePlus 13 did exactly that.”
“this has a 6,000 mAh battery despite being a very normalsized phone. And on top of that, you have the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset in here, which is very, very powerful. It's like the fastest on any Android, but also incredibly efficient. And you're not compromising on this phone.”
“This could easily be a two-day phone that you just plug in maybe like while you're showering and eating breakfast every other day and your phone is ready to go.”
“I know it's still not a flip, but it is probably the best phone you can get for your money. It beats everything else that I've mentioned in this list easily.”
“I think the display is ridiculous on this. It's so good. 120 Hz. It's a 6.8 in display. And again, it runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite.”
“It has a triple 50 megapixel camera setup, a 6,000 mAh battery, which is so much more than almost any other phone that you can pick up on the market, and it also has charging faster than anything else I've mentioned at 80 W.”
“it is a really very good device, characterized by a great processor, a large amount of RAM, fast charging, a large 6000 mAh battery, and a truly solid overall specification.”
“surprisingly, second place goes to the OnePlus 13, which for me is actually one of the most underrated phones of the year. I really, really rate the OnePlus 13. It's just a great allrounder.”
“So, you're getting basically the same performance, better battery life, faster charging, and great cameras for $400 less. How can you ignore that?”
“Do you think that OnePlus is way ahead of the game and the OnePlus 13 is going to be the best phone of the year?”