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As we all know, over the past three years, the OnePlus brand has merged under the Oppo brand. Since then, we can see that Oppo has become the main focus while OnePlus has become an alternative choice compared to before being two entities competing with each other. 2025, we are rumored to be a new year for OnePlus as they will rework their marketing strategy.
Starting with the OnePlus 13, OnePlus is trying to regain their identity. This device will once again focus on community feedback, there will be more events with the community and ensure that Oxygen OS continues to bring its own uniqueness. After more than a week of being my daily device, I dare say – OnePlus is breathing with its own oxygen again.
SPECIFICATION AND DESIGN
ONEPLUS 13 SPECIFICATIONS
SCREEN 6.82” LTPO 4.1, OLED, 120Hz ProXDR,
3168 x 1440 QHD+, 4500 nits
HDR10+, Dolby Vision,
Ceramic Guard
CPU Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm)
2x 4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L
6x 3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M
Adreno 830 GPU
MEMORY Cannot be revealed yet
STORAGE 512GB UFS 4.0
REAR CAMERA 50MP Sony LYT-808 (Wide Angle), f/1.6, OIS
50MP Sony LYT-600 (Telephoto), f/2.65, OIS, 3x Optical Zoom. 120x Digital Zoom
50MP S5KJN5 (Ultra Wide Angle), f/2.05, EIS
Hasselblad
FRONT CAMERA 32MP Sony IMX615, f/2.5
AUDIO Stereo, Dolby Atmos
OReality Audio
BIOMETRY Under-screen fingerprint scanner
Ultrasonic
OTHER Oxygen OS 15, Android 15
4+5 Years
Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth 5.4 (LDAC, LHDC5.0)
IP68 & IP69 PROTECTION
BATTERY 6,000mAh (2x 3K mAh)
100W Wired
50W Wireless
PRICE Midnight Ocean (Leather, 210g)
Arctic Dawn/Black Eclipse (Glass, 213g)
RMB 4,899 (~RM2,999) 16/512 GB
RMB 5,299 (~RM3,243) 16/512 GB
RMB 5,999 (~RM3,673) 24/1000 GB
The OnePlus 13 finally follows the current flagship device design trend, which is flat all around and the screen is flat but has a micro-curved finish. The screen will appear to float on the aluminum frame of the device. Due to this design change, the giant Hasselblad camera bump will no longer bend into the side frame of the device.
This flat design has already been shown on the Nord 4 before and it is a design that is nice to hold, comfortable to use for long periods of time and the premium value can be enjoyed. The power button and volume rocker are on the left side, while the notification slider is on the right. The OnePlus 13 now comes in three color options, namely Midnight Ocean with a leather back panel and a lighter version. Then there are two glass versions, Arctic Dawn and Black Eclipse which are slightly heavier.
There is no doubt that the Oppo Find X7-like design is clearly visible. The OnePlus 13 is also indirectly the fourth device in Malaysia with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip after the Realme GT7 Pro, iQOO 13 and ASUS ROG Phone 9. It also retains the 50MP Hasselblad tri-camera system, 120Hz LTPO screen, Dolby Vision display support and a dual-cell 6000mAh battery.
USER EXPERIENCE
OnePlus' main focus this time is on their brand new Oxygen OS 15. Why? This is because since 2021 after Oppo merged OnePlus under one company, Oxygen OS and ColorOS were supposed to be merged into one. Instead, what happened was that the development codes that made Oxygen OS unique were absorbed into the ColorOS and Realme UI codes.
This indirectly made ColorOS and Realme UI on Oppo and Realme devices more famous and people continued to see OnePlus as a marginalized brand. This time in Oxygen OS 15 based on Android 15, OnePlus tried again to be unique. The new Oxygen OS is like a stock or vanilla version of ColorOS 15.
The icon design on the application tray is different, there are no excessive fat applications such as untrusted launchers, holiday applications and brand applications. In Oxygen OS 15, there are only OnePlus Community and OnePlus Store, both of which can be removed.
Oxygen OS 15 is undoubtedly still similar to Oppo, but the slight differences brought give some satisfaction. Animation transitions also remain fast like iOS which is always consistent and there is no time lag. Every OnePlus easter egg is still maintained, the very smooth and fast interface elements can still be felt.
The OnePlus 13 screen is also now at the level of premium flagship devices. Actually, it has been since OnePlus 11, but by now using a flat screen with micro-curved finishes on each side and corner – it makes OnePlus 13 more premium. Adaptive refresh rate support of 1Hz to 120Hz via LTPO 4.1 can be used, Dolby Vision display support, 4500 nits brightness, adaptive high screen resolution and now also supports more useful features like Dynamic Island.
The increasingly robust software with a great screen, must contribute to the device's amazing performance. The OnePlus 13 is the third Snapdragon 8 Elite chip device in Malaysia. We can't reveal which memory and storage our unit uses, but with a combination of LPDDR5X memory with UFS 4.1 storage that also has virtual memory of up to 12GB of RAM – the benchmark scores of this device do not disappoint.
For the first time, the Snapdragon 8 Elite has a tough competitor, the Dimensity 9400 used in the vivo X200 and Oppo Find X8. In the AnTuTU Benchmark, Geekbench 6, Geekbench AI and 3DMark Wild Life Extreme tests, the OnePlus 13 showed quite impressive scores.
Although the OnePlus 13 is labeled as an alternative device to the Oppo Find X8 that focuses on performance, the scores displayed are not high enough compared to other flagship devices. As usual, numbers are just numbers and real-world usage experience is more important. In my use, there were no heating and lag issues at all. The low benchmark numbers may be because the software is not the final version.
The 50MP Hasselblad tri-camera that OnePlus uses still remains focused on software optimization and color science only. There is no advanced innovation compared to what Zeiss and vivo do or Leica and Xiaomi. The Hasselblad camera on OnePlus is beautiful, at the cutting edge, but the poor portrait quality because it is not a 1-inch sensor and the quality of the night mode that is still more or less the same as the previous generation may be difficult to convince OnePlus fans.
Later in the in-depth review, I will share the image quality after the device is updated with the latest system. In terms of video recording, it can be seen that OnePlus is serious about becoming a real competitor in the flagship device market.
ONEPLUS' FUTURE AI
Like Oppo, OnePlus also uses the AndesGPT language model for most of their generative AI features. AndesGPT is used in many of its own features such as the magic eraser in the gallery, the reflection removal feature, the text generation feature and the voice recording synthesis feature. OnePlus also uses Gemini on the OnePlus Shelf for AI search with integration across the entire system.
OnePlus also stated that they will try to use their own language model entirely for generative AI features. This is the same as Samsung which uses a lot of Gemini models, but in the Galaxy S25 they want to use their own model for processing inside the device.
In 2025, OnePlus 13 will also be a new starting point for OnePlus which wants to try to win back the hearts of old fans who have fled to other brands. For example, the device started using BOE screen panels to avoid the screen issue with green lines. Then, OnePlus Malaysia will also try to listen more to the comments of Malaysian users to continue to improve the product in the future.
For those who are still confused about OnePlus' position under Oppo, OnePlus is a sub-brand of Oppo just like Poco is under Xiaomi. So for all issues and problems, OnePlus users can refer to the official Oppo help center located throughout Malaysia. Who knows, if Malaysian users' support for the OnePlus 13 official set will make OnePlus establish their Red Club here too?
CONCLUSION AND LAUNCH IN MALAYSIA
OnePlus 13 will be the fourth device in Malaysia with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. It will be an alternative to the Oppo Find X8 Pro and vivo X200 Pro which focus more on performance balance. With a premium design and body, specifications comparable to top-of-the-line devices, running the all-new Oxygen OS 15 and confident that the green screen problem on the screen will not occur – the OnePlus 13 is probably the best value flagship device you can get in early 2025.
Officially, the OnePlus 13 will be launched globally on the night of January 7, 2025. In Malaysia, it is expected to go on sale on January 8, 2025. Specifically for that, OnePlus Malaysia has partnered with DirectD for a Blind Order that entitles the earliest OnePlus 13 buyers to take home;
3D2N hotel voucher – Worth RM500
Gaabor Vacuum GVCW-M15A – Worth RM109
Trend Micro Mobile Securit – Worth RM79
And various additional gifts that make the free gifts worth RM1,185.
The selling price in Malaysia and the variants that will be sold are still unknown. From what we understand, all three colors Midnight Ocean, Arctic Dawn and Black Eclipse will be offered.
PROS and ADVANTAGES
A fresher design with an almost flat screen.
Using the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.
A Hasselblad camera that is still reliable.
A solid performance and daily use that does not disappoint.
A slightly different Oxygen OS 15 from ColorOS and Realme UI.
More useful generative AI features.
A more durable IP69.