The OnePlus 13 might actually bring some major changes to the cameras

Image: Hannah Cowton / Foundry

When it comes to flagship smartphones, Apple, Samsung and Google are probably the first brands that come to mind.

But ignore OnePlus at your peril. The Chinese company is great at making high-end phones, evidenced by the excellent OnePlus 12. It offers everything most people are looking for in an Android phone, at a price that undercuts many rivals.

So, what can we expect from its successor? While unlikely to arrive in Europe before 2025, we already have an idea of what OnePlus is planning. Here’s everything you need to know at this stage.

When will the OnePlus 13 be released?

In recent years, OnePlus has settled into a very consistent release schedule for its flagship phones in Europe and North America:

• OnePlus 12 – February 2024
• OnePlus 12R – February 2024
• OnePlus 11 – February 2023
• OnePlus 10 Pro – March 2022
• OnePlus 9 – March 2021
• OnePlus 9 Pro – March 2021

With this in mind, it seems highly likely that the OnePlus 13 will arrive in February or March 2025.

However, leaker Smart Pikachu posted on Weibo (as reported by 91 Mobiles) that OnePlus wants the 13 to be the first smartphone to launch running the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, Qualcomm’s next top-of-the-line smartphone chip.

If true, its launch would almost certainly be brought forward, at least in China, as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is rumoured to launch as soon as September 2024. Indeed, OnePlus Club said in a post on X that the OnePlus 13 will launch in October 2024.

It remains to be seen how accurate that is, or if OnePlus will continue with its strategy from the OnePlus 12, which initially launched in China before a global release a few weeks later.

How much will the OnePlus 13 cost?

Nothing has been revealed regarding the pricing of the OnePlus 13 at this stage. However, previous models give us a rough idea of what to expect:

• OnePlus 12 – from £849/$799
• OnePlus 12R – from £649/$599
• OnePlus 11 – from £729/$699
• OnePlus 10 Pro – from £799/$899
• OnePlus 9 – from £629/$729
• OnePlus 9 Pro – from £829/$1,069

The OnePlus 12 saw a significant price rise compared to the 11, but we don’t expect that to be repeated in the next generation. While tech in general has been getting more expensive, OnePlus will want to still undercut flagships from the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google on price.

What specs and features will the OnePlus 13 have?

The OnePlus 13 probably won’t arrive in Europe and North America until early 2025, but there are already some key rumours about the phone.

Design

It seems that OnePlus may be reworking the rear camera module design of the OnePlus 12. Tech tipster Digital Chat Station posted on Chinese social media site Weibo that the ‘family-style hinge’ that sits to the left of the rear camera module would be removed.

The same OnePlus Club post on X that mentioned the October launch date has also revealed what it says is a new design for the rear cameras. It shows a new vertical camera module that would replace the circular one from the OnePlus 12:

Replies have pointed out that the rear module looks remarkably similar to that found on the Sony Xperia PRO-I, so it could be a photoshop image that combines the two.

However, while the latest rumours also point to a change in the camera module, OnePlus might actually go in a completely different direction to the one above. The brand might continue using a circular camera array for the OnePlus 13, but it will be positioned more centrally than on the OnePlus 12.

A known leaker, Yogesh Brar, shared a drawing supporting this change:

Meanwhile, the OnePlus 13R is expected to feature a rectangular camera array, distinguishing it from its flagship counterpart.

However, some confusion arises from posts on the Chinese site Weibo, which suggest that the OnePlus 13 might also have a rectangular array, but this might be a mix-up with the OnePlus 13R.

A render from Weibo leaker fixed focus digital suggests the OnePlus 13 will have a rectangular array, reminiscent of the OnePlus 10 Pro, while retaining the Hasselblad branding. However, Yogesh Brar again claims that OnePlus will continue using a round camera block:

These contradictory reports may indicate a mix-up between different models, such as the flagship OnePlus 13 and the more budget-friendly OnePlus 13R, which might feature the square design.

Display

The OnePlus 12 features already excellent 6.82-inch AMOLED screen with a QHD+ (3168×144) resolution and adaptive refresh rate from 1-120Hz.

However, a Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station suggests that OnePlus 13 will bring significant upgrades from the OnePlus 12 and 12R. According to the leak, the OnePlus 13 will feature a flat screen instead of the curved displays of the lat year’s models.

However, within the display, there are also rumours that OnePlus could be upgrading the fingerprint sensor. According to Smart Pikachu on Weibo, the OnePlus 13 could include an ultrasonic scanner instead of the current optical one.

In general, ultrasonic sensors are more reliable and better at unlocking when your fingers are wet, so this would be a nice upgrade.

Performance

Smart Pikachu on Weibo and OnePlus Club on X both believe that the OnePlus 13 will be powered by Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset.

That would make sense, given that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 can be found in the OnePlus 12 and the company generally aims to put the latest and greatest chips in its flagship phone.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Cameras

Cameras are likely to be a big focus on the OnePlus 13. According to Android Authority, and aside from the change in layout shown above, Digital Chat Station claims OnePlus will make minor improvements to its periscope-style telephoto lens and keep other cameras the same.

If true, OnePlus would be sticking with three lenses on the back – the current 50Mp main, 48Mp ultrawide and 64Mp 3x telephoto cameras. It’s also not clear if the 16Mp selfie lens will be improved at all.

However, another rumor from Digital Chat Station (also via Android Authority) suggests that all three lenses might be 50Mp, with the telephoto lens retaining its 3x optical zoom.

Battery and charging

The OnePlus 12 already has a great battery and charging combination, with a 5400mAh cell and support for 100W wired, 50W wireless and 10W reverse wireless charging.

While it’d be a surprise to see any further improvements on the 13, according to a recent rumour, OnePlus 13 will boast a bigger 6000mAh battery. Digital Chat Station also adds that it will once again feature a 100W wired charging support.

Although there are no rumours regarding the topic, we could see a move to the Qi2 wireless charging standard too.

Software

Android 15 is likely to be out by the time the OnePlus 13 is released, so it’s likely to be running Google’s next major version of the software.

It’ll likely be paired with OnePlus’ own OxygenOS 15 skin, although it doesn’t usually make many changes to the core Android user experience.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

It’ll be interesting to see if OnePlus matches Google and Samsung in offering seven years of software updates. The current four years of OS updates and five years of security patches is already pretty good, though.

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