Test | OnePlus 13R phone – A competent combination of performance and features at a more moderate price than flagships

OnePlus 13R is the more affordable and slightly slimmer little brother of the recent flagship OnePlus 13. With small sacrifices, the price has been clearly lowered, but it is still a high-quality phone.

The OnePlus 13R smartphone includes a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 system chip, 12 gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes of UFS 4.0 storage. The device’s 6.78-inch LTPO OLED ProXDR screen optimizes its refresh rate between 1 and 120 hertz according to usage needs.

The camera system consists of an optically stabilized 50-megapixel main camera (Sony LYT-700), a 50-megapixel portrait/telephoto camera (2x optical zoom) and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. According to the manufacturer, the new double exposure algorithm improves image quality in moving subjects.

Like its big brother, the OnePlus 13R contains a large 6,000 mAh battery and a slightly more moderate but still fast 80 W fast charge than the OnePlus 13’s 100 W fast charge. The device has a Gorilla Glass 7i glass surface, IP65 protection rating against water and dust, and MIL-STD-810H tested durability.

The phone is available in black and white and costs 749 euros. Official sales of the device start on January 14. The version of the OnePlus 13 equipped with the same memory as the OnePlus can be had for 999 euros. The most significant differences between the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus 13R are:

• OnePlus 13 includes a more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset (vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3)
• OnePlus 13’s curved screen is larger (6.82 inches) and protected by Ceramic Guard glass
• OnePlus 13 offers a better camera set (50MP Sony LYT-808 main camera, 50MP LYT-600 3x telephoto camera, 50MP S5KJN5 ultra-wide-angle camera)
• The OnePlus 13 charges faster (100 W vs. 80 W) and supports wireless charging
• OnePlus 13 is protected according to the IP68/69K standard (vs. IP65)

Other competitors are, for example, the 749-euro Google Pixel 9 and Galaxy S24/S24+, as well as Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 models arriving later this month. From the Apple camp, you can get last year’s iPhone 15 for the same price tag, and the iPhone 16 by investing a little more.

The reduced sales packaging of the OnePlus 13R contains the phone, the familiar red charging cable and a bunch of instruction booklets. The charging adapter is not included, nor is the protective cover.