Although we are unable to make a firm judgment on the Android flagship for 2025, the OnePlus 13 will undoubtedly be discussed.
One indicator of the level of competition OnePlus faces is the fact that the first flagship arrival of 2025 isn't actually the first Android flagship announcement for 2025. With Samsung's upcoming Galaxy flagships on the horizon, the OnePlus 13 is already up against the Vivo X200 Pro and the Oppo Find X8 Pro. Given this, there wasn't much that OnePlus could possibly go wrong with this top Android phone. The clear-cut fact is that they haven't. This year may be remembered for its extremely amazing Android flagship phones in the most recent chapter.
Naturally, there is always the issue of cost and how value is determined (it is more arbitrary than just weighting on the specification sheet). With a pricing of ₹69,999 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage and ₹79,999 for 16+512GB, OnePlus has expanded the window of relevance. The bragging rights, if you can afford it, come with a top-tier 24GB RAM and 1TB model that truly outperforms the majority of the competitors. Above all, for a readiness to live up to the rhetoric.Of course, there is a case to be made for simplicity, which Vivo has supported with the 16+512GB X200 Pro, which retails for ₹94,999. The Oppo Find X8 Pro employs a comparable technique,bearing a ₹99,999 price tag. Although there are several color options, both brands now only offer one specification option. In fact, the 24GB+1TB model of the OnePlus 13 has no comparable rivals if your budget is large enough to reach the ₹90,000 barrier. Would Oppo and Vivo react? Probably not, unless there is a major price adjustment beforehand.
White phones look fine, so maybe I'm not too upset that the OnePlus 13 review unit is in the Arctic Dawn colorway rather than the Midnight Ocean (read: blue) option, which would surely have a sumptuous vegan-leather finish. Perhaps one of the reasons fingerprints blend in so well is the glass panel's pleasant, icy appearance.The Hasselblad and OnePlus logos also mix in well with the camera island's silver color, which makes for a pleasing contrast.
The aluminum frame has been subtly altered to be flat rather than slightly bent, which has enhanced the in-hand grip. The Alert Slider, which we have all grown to adore in OnePlus flagships, is still very much in use today. Overall, even with more than minor design adjustments, that sense of familiarity with the family is retained. With IP69 and IP68 classifications that distinguish between the ability to endure being submerged in water and the ability to repel sprays, there is no room for doubt or compromise in terms of water and dust resistance capabilities either—this was long overdue.
The main benefit of the OnePlus 13's use of Qualcomm's sexy new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is its impeccable thermal optimization; most Android flagships from recent memory would be between toasty warm and uncomfortable boiling after 30 minutes of gaming, but the OnePlus 13 hardly shows any heating on the back. Additionally, it will improve battery life and performance retention. Before other Android phones with this processor eventually come out later this year, OnePlus has a window of opportunity to turn its unquestionable performance superiority into sales.
When we reviewed the OnePlus 13, its battery life was, to put it mildly, astounding. Even when operating at peak efficiency for around half the day,With the always-on display and 120Hz refresh rate set on, this 6000mAh lithium-silicon NanoStack battery, which had been fully charged in the morning, returned with about 70% of its original charge. The new battery architecture and advancements at the chip level really stand out. This phone's robust battery frugality eliminates agonizing concern, even while you're unlikely to use it all in a day and it might not provide two days of use for scenarios involving heavy usage.
Without a question, the Zeiss alliance has produced enough to guarantee that the Vivo X200 Pro is the current flagship Android smartphone's clear standard for photography (and increasingly, videos as well). The OnePlus 13 is a good fit for the 50-megapixel troika, which consists of the main wide, ultrawide, 3x optical zoom, and telephoto cameras.However, it becomes evident how differently AI is used. This is also the cause of the results' varying tones. Keep in mind that both approaches would be preferred.
There are benefits to using AI and having Hasselblad calibrate the colors. It's important to note that the OnePlus 13 frequently overemphasizes details or colors in a recent shot you took (albeit this behavior isn't always obvious). Unnatural skies or textures may occur from the frame being somewhat too sharp or from the shadows being less noticeable than they should be. It's possible that this will be resolved when the new Dual Exposure Algorithm is fine-tuned.
That over-processed appearance might work well for social media posts, but not so much if you're looking for specifics and a genuine recollection of that particular occasion. The Master mode (even when all other settings are left same) in the OnePlus camera app is the answer if realism is your goal. Here, any computational interventions, such as replicating the natural illumination of a scene, are less profound.
Over time, I really started using this more than the Photo mode. A major improvement has been made to the OnePlus 13's camera suite for portraits. It might be challenging to match the Vivo X200 Pro's telephoto performance.Even at 20x zoom, the OnePlus 13 does produce incredibly detailed images. One benefit of the active picture processing is that the intricacy is reproduced here. For 30x zoom images to look their best, you'll need a very steady hand (or a tripod) and a very clear day.
Although the Vivo X200 Pro raises the standard in terms of photography, the OnePlus 13 has firmly done the same in terms of battery life and is prepared for the future with a fresh design. Support for Reliance Jio's impending 5.5G network upgrade, which could potentially provide up to 1Gbps internet transfer speeds, is a first for the OnePlus 13.Although we have not yet seen Samsung's plans for the 2025 Galaxy flagships, the competition is looking to be fierce.
With the OnePlus 13, OnePlus has played its cards perfectly. If the OnePlus 11 and OnePlus 12 experiences are any indication, there will likely be a rush of software updates in the upcoming months that will enhance the cameras even more. Additionally, there is the anticipated AI layer, which includes AI Unblur (useful, more than you might think), Google's Circle to Search, and OnePlus' AI Reflection Remover (mileage varies, depending on frame and intricacy of items within).
The three leading candidates so far each have their own advantages, but we are not yet in a position to declare which will be the final Android flagship for 2025. However, if we must choose a ranking for the time being, the OnePlus 13 and the Vivo X200 Pro will share first place, with the Oppo Find X8 Pro coming in a close third. Not to be overlooked is the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, which is still visible in the background and will remain there until H2 2025. However, Samsung would now obviously be under pressure. Just as important as it was for OnePlus to get everything just right. Indeed, they have.
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