The OnePlus 13 will be unveiled this month and hit China first, as global markets wait
by Chris Thomas · Android PoliceKey Takeaways
- The OnePlus 13 will be announced in October, with Chinese shipments soon after and global versions a month or further off.
- Its new Snapdragon 8 Elite will offer 20–50% improvements in power and efficiency.
- The OnePlus 13 may include upgrades like a flatter screen, redesigned camera, and integrated Qi2 charging.
The OnePlus 12 made huge waves as one of this year's best phones, exposing consumers worldwide to the Chinese manufacturer's design and engineering prowess. Companies typically make users wait at least a year for a full flagship upgrade, but OnePlus beat expectations as leaks insisted its next top phone would hit the market before 2025.
Louis Lee, President of OnePlus, just fed us yet another morsel of promise, clearly indicating that the OnePlus 13 will be announced in October, with shipments presumably beginning shortly thereafter (via Android Authority).
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There was a lot to love about the OnePlus 12, including top-of-the-line performance and display capabilities, and at a surprisingly reasonable price. It's the kind of phone that can maintain flagship performance for years, but OnePlus wasn't content to rest on its laurels. It immediately set to work upping the ante to satisfy its demanding fans, to which end the OnePlus 13 promises to ship with the "latest Snapdragon flagship chip."
Qualcomm, for its part, appears to be changing up the Snapdragon naming scheme somewhat. Instead of iterating the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it appears that the newly named Snapdragon 8 Elite will take over top smartphone duties.
We'll have to wait for the Snapdragon Summit starting on October 21 for official details, but leaks suggest the new 8 Elite will bridge the gap between its predecessor and the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus system-on-a-chip designed to power ARM laptops. Instead of an assortment of relatively dated Kryo cores, it leverages the newer Oryon architecture that allows for single-core speeds in excess of 4.0 GHz. Estimates put the increase over the 8 Gen 3 somewhere between 20% and 50% in both power and efficiency.
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There are plenty of other rumored upgrades, not least of which is potential built-in magnetic Qi2 support — although the leaks indicating that rumor may have simply been referring to first-party cases that add the requisite magnetic ring to the back. We know the battery and charging will be at least as good, and likely better. A mostly flattened screen, redesigned camera array, and slimmed-down bezels could also accompany the new flagship.
Indications are that OnePlus' newest barn-burner might not be as affordable as the previous model. Considering the OnePlus 12 is still readily available (for now) from the manufacturer and third parties, that's probably not the end of the world. Cost-conscious consumers can always opt for the highly capable 12, while demanding enthusiasts will undoubtedly flock to buy what should be the fastest phone yet released.
The October announcement will be followed at first by the China launch, which will likely ship in time for the country's November 11 shopping holiday. Other regions will likely need to wait patiently for at least a month for the global version to drop.
OnePlus 12
9 / 10
$650 $800 Save $150
The OnePlus 12 features the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, ensuring it can easily handle any graphics-intensive tasks. Its excellent triple Hasselblad camera setup on the back takes beautiful photos in all environments, and its battery life can last a full day on a single charge, with support for fast wired charging. It's an excellent all-rounder with very few sacrifices, which makes it a great pick for the years.