The R-series reminds us of the early days of OnePlus – instead of all-out flagships, phones like the OnePlus 13R dial things down a bit and offer a near-flagship experience at an affordable price. In the case of the 13R, that price is $600/€750/₹43,000.
OnePlus 13R
What you get for your money is… actually, let’s look at what you don’t get. Comparing it with the OnePlus 13, several omissions immediately become noticeable – the big ones are the chipset that is a year older, the less capable camera system, the lack of wireless charging and the lower water resistance rating (IP65 vs. IP69). For a more detailed comparison, check out our head-to-head article.
Can you live without the Snapdragon 8 Elite performance? The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 still has enough oomph to handle everything you throw at it. Can you live without the 50MP 73mm periscope? This one will be harder, but the 13R features the first telephoto camera in the series – a 50MP module with a 47mm lens (2x magnification instead of 3x) and it’s actually quite good. Downgraded ultra-wide camera isn’t ideal (8MP, really, OnePlus?), but it’s probably the least used lens. See the head-to-head article for a camera comparison with samples.
There are other omissions too, but whether those matter depends on the consumer – for example, we know many of you don’t care about wireless charging. There’s also the flat vs. curved debate, the glass back vs. vegan leather discussion and so on, but again, those are personal preferences.
OnePlus 13R
One difference we didn’t mention above is price – the OnePlus 13 starts at $900/€1,000/₹70,000, which is $300/€250/₹27,000 more than the R-model. What do you think – a great deal or would you rather have a true flagship?
