The OnePlus 12 series launched earlier this year in the U.S. — and yet, we're already hearing rumors about the upcoming OnePlus 13 series, hopefully set to debut in the U.S. early next year after its typical December launch in China.
Our hands-on review of the OnePlus 12 was very positive, thanks to the phone's powerful specs, excellent battery life, and improved cameras. The brand impressed us even more with the budget-friendly OnePlus 12R, which earned 4.5 out of 5 stars in our review.
With such high marks for the OnePlus 12 series, how will the next-gen OnePlus flagship improve? The rumors have been relatively light so far, but with the iPhone 16 and Google Pixel 9 launches behind us now, the rumor mill will start churning harder on the OnePlus 13. Here's everything we know right now about the OnePlus 13, from its price and possible release date to its specs and features.
OnePlus 13: Potential release date
We haven't heard anything definitively yet on when the OnePlus 13 will officially launch, but we can look to the previous two phone launches to spot a pattern:
- OnePlus 12/12R: launched in China on December 6, 2023; launched globally on January 23, 2024
- OnePlus 11/11R: launched in China on January 9, 2023; launched globally on February 7, 2023
If OnePlus follows suit with the OnePlus 13 launch, we can expect the phone to launch in China sometime around early December 2024 or, at the latest, early January 2025. Then, it should hopefully launch globally a month later, either in January 2025 or February 2025.
OnePlus 13: Pricing
OnePlus is known as the budget-friendly Android phone choice, but with rising prices for phone components, will the company be able to stick to an affordable price?
The starting price of the OnePlus 11 and the OnePlus 12 is $699 and $799, respectively. Since OnePlus has already bumped the price by $100 between its 11 and 12 models, it seems unlikely that we'll see another price hike between its 12 and 13 models. Until we hear differently, we're hoping the OnePlus 13 will start at $799.
There have always been decent trade-in offers through OnePlus as well, so if these stick around for the OnePlus 13 launch, trading in your phone could knock hundreds more off the price.
OnePlus 13: Specs
The most suspected spec upgrade for the OnePlus 13 is a new processor. Qualcomm's CMO recently confirmed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip would debut in October at the Snapdragon Summit, making it the perfect upgrade contender for the OnePlus 13.
We haven't heard anything specific about RAM and storage amounts, but the OnePlus 13 will likely have at least 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage to match the minimum specs of the OnePlus 12.
It's also possible the OnePlus 13 could feature a more robust water-resistance rating and a bigger battery.
Leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo (via Tom's Guide) suggested that the OnePlus 13 could feature an IP68 or IP69 rating, a significant upgrade over its existing IP65 rating. With an IP68 or IP69 rating, the OnePlus 13 could be submerged for up to 30 minutes with no ill effects.
In a different Weibo post, the same leaker said the OnePlus 13 may be equipped with a larger 6,000 mAh battery, up from the OnePlus 12's 5,400 mAh battery. Unfortunately, that good news came with the potential bad news that the OnePlus 13 could drop wireless charging.
That said, the OnePlus 12 gained wireless charging after the company dropped it on the OnePlus 11, this would be an odd move.
OnePlus 13: Design
The OnePlus 13 will largely keep a similar design to the OnePlus 12, aside from possibly the position of the camera array.
Currently, the OnePlus 12 features a large, circular camera array positioned towards the left side of the phone's back. In an outline provided by tipster Yogesh Brar on X, it looks like the camera array could be centered on the OnePlus 13.
The same outline suggests that the OnePlus 13R could be getting a wildly different rectangular camera array, which could help clearly differentiate it from the OnePlus 13.
As for the OnePlus 13 display, there are a few possibilities right now.
We haven't heard anything about a change to the 6.8-inch display size, but Yogesh Brar on X says OnePlus will be using a micro-quad curved display panel, which would mean curved edges on all four display edges.
Alternatively, a post from Digital Chat Station on Weibo suggests a flat 2.8K 8T LTPO display with a "micro-curved glass cover design" instead, which would create a more symmetrical, bezel-less look.
OnePlus 13: Cameras
After teaming up with lens specialist Hasselblad, OnePlus has created mobile camera arrays that rival that of Google, Samsung, and Apple. For reference, the OnePlus 12 features a 50MP main camera with a 48MP ultrawide lens and a 64MP telephoto lens that supports up to 3x zoom.
One rumor from Digital Chat Station on Weibo (via PhoneArena) said the OnePlus 13 camera array would include three 50MP sensors and an upgrade to its periscope-style telephoto lens, but the leaker has also claimed nothing will change about the camera setup.
A downgrade from the OnePlus 12's 64MP telephoto lens doesn't seem likely, so for now, our best guess is that the OnePlus 13's camera array won't stray too far from what currently exists on the OnePlus 12.
OnePlus 13: Outlook
The OnePlus 13 is still months away from release, and while we've accumulated an impressive number of rumors thus far, we're bound to have more to add as we get closer to the end of the year.
With the information we have right now, the upcoming OnePlus 13 boasts a lot to be excited about. If the next OnePlus flagship has Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip, an impressive 6,000 mAh battery, and a micro-curved display, it could even prove to be a proper competitor for Google and Samsung.
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