The OnePlus 13 caught me off-guard. I went into my time with the phone expecting it to be another also-ran — a good, not great option for enthusiasts to consider alongside the Pixel 9 Pro XL and, soon, the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Instead, I found an Android phone I really liked, with jaw-dropping battery life, a pretty excellent camera system, and some surprisingly useful software tweaks. Even the core design, a problem on past OnePlus smartphones, wasn’t an issue here.
No Thanks, Keep Reading
But just because a smartphone earns AP’s Editor’s Choice award doesn’t mean it’s perfect. There’s a handful of elements on the OnePlus 13 I’d love to tweak. From internal specs to some weird OS quirks, these are the five things I’d change on the OnePlus 13.
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5 Ditch this shiny, chrome-infused frame, OnePlus
Matte all the way
In my opinion, the OnePlus 13 is a big leap forward for the company’s design chops, leaving behind the curved display found on previous smartphones for something a little more modern. One thing I’m not a fan of, however, is the ultra-shiny chrome frame wrapped around the center of this phone. I get why it’s there — OnePlus, like many of the other smartphone makers out there, knows consumers associate shiny materials with premium offerings. But in my mind, a satin finish would make this device one of the best-looking on the market.
As it stands, the fingerprint-free faux-leather back on my unit is completely undone by the sweat, grime, and smudges that this chrome frame picks up any time it’s in your hand. It doesn’t ruin the in-hand experience — generally speaking, it’s a pleasant phone to hold — but I can’t help but feel like a matte finish would really put the OnePlus 13 over the top. It’s a lesson I’m hoping Google learns for its upcoming Pixel 10 Pro as well: Shiny finishes might look great out of the box, but it doesn’t take long before those aspects become the worst part of any given phone.
4 Qi2 support is technically here, but I was hoping for something more
Get those magnets inside the phone, please
OnePlus nailed practically every aspect of its latest flagship’s specs sheet. Snapdragon 8 Elite? Boatloads of RAM? A massive, 6,000mAh battery capable of outlasting practically every competitor? It’s all here. If there’s one space where OnePlus could improve in the future, though, it’s a simple one: Qi2. The latest wireless charging standard integrates the very same magnet layout that Apple introduced with MagSafe on the iPhone 12, giving users access to a mountain of established accessories, chargers, and much more.
The OnePlus 13 does support Qi2, but only on a technicality — you’ll need a first-party case to actually get those magnets. Like the chrome finish around the frame, I see the reasoning here. OnePlus knows that the vast majority of users slap cases on their devices, so why bother integrating those magnets into the phone itself when you’ll need them built into accessories anyway? But for those of us who forego protective shells altogether — like yours truly — it’s a completely missing feature this generation. Come on OnePlus, help us out.
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3 The OnePlus 13 is missing a camera sensor
Let’s go all-in on our Oppo inspiration
As has become tradition, the OnePlus 13 has plenty in common with its Oppo sibling, the Find X8 Pro. Similar design, near-identical software, and the same Hasselblad color science that makes for such a winning camera — it’s all there on both phones. However, encased within the Find X8 Pro’s circular camera module is an extra sensor: a 50MP f/4.3 6x periscope telephoto lens that is completely exclusive to Oppo’s device. To paraphrase Kevin Garnett in Uncut Gems, why would you show me something if I can’t have it?
Practically everyone in the industry I’ve talked to with both phones have confirmed that, yes, it’s hard to switch to the OnePlus 13 from the Find X8 Pro without that additional telephoto lens. And while a digital crop of the 3x zoom lens found on the OnePlus 13 can help make up for some of its shortcomings, it’s simply not a true replacement for dedicated hardware. I don’t think this lens is a make-or-break for this smartphone, but considering its sibling model has it, I’d like to see a little more parity between Oppo and OnePlus come 2026.
2 Size doesn’t matter — until it does
Maybe the OnePlus 14 could come in a couple of sizes?
I’ve been pretty taken aback by how little I’ve missed my Pixel 9 Pro since swapping to the OnePlus 13. It’s my favorite phone of last year, no doubt, but I really like where the Hasselblad color science has landed in recent years, and some of the tweaks included in OxygenOS’s default launcher experience are surprisingly solid — I love bulk deleting apps without requiring another app to do it. If there’s one thing I do miss about my Pixel 9 Pro as a daily driver though, it’s not AI tools or running Android 16’s developer builds. It’s the sheer size of it in my pocket.
The OnePlus 13 is a big phone, and while its curves help it feel a touch smaller than some of its other 6.8-inch rivals, it still takes up a lot of space in my pocket or backpack. Although the market has spoken, and I’m definitely in the minority on this, I’d still love to see OnePlus offer something just a little bit smaller. I’d take my wallet out right now for a 6.2-inch OnePlus 13 with fast-charging and a 5,000mAh battery, but alas, I doubt it’s meant to be. Still, a guy can dream, can’t he?
1 OxygenOS has found its groove, but I’m still finding some rough patches
Let’s get these bugs cleaned up
In my OnePlus 13 review, I wrote about how the current state of OxygenOS doesn’t bother me at all — in fact, I think I like using it more than the last couple releases of One UI. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, though. For every truly excellent quality-of-life improvement, I’ve stumbled on some odd bugs, quirks, or other issues that leave me scratching my head. From ghost notifications on the always-on display to telling me my phone is “ultra-fast charging” no matter the wattage it’s being served, it’s far from a perfect experience.
For OnePlus to be noticed by non-enthusiasts, a couple of things have to happen. While it’s impossible to beat getting this thing back into carrier stores, I also think ironing out some of the creases in current-day OxygenOS would go a really long way in making it feel like a mature, standalone platform. We’ve got plenty of bimonthly software patches to go, OnePlus — make it happen.
I might have nitpicks, but this is still a damn good phone
If you’re tired of the Google-Samsung-Apple homogeneity, the OnePlus 13 is a great jumping-in point. It’s a flagship through and through, with practically no compromises to speak of, while still managing to undercut the competition by a couple hundred bucks. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement though, and if OnePlus can take these notes into account ahead of its 2026 product lineup, we might be looking at an unbeatable contender for AP’s Phone of the Year.
OnePlus 13
The OnePlus 13 is a beast of a phone. With a refreshed design, a mostly curveless display, and a massive 6,000mAh battery capable of getting you through a day without breaking a sweat, this could be the Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered smartphone to beat in 2025. And hey, it’s got a pretty great camera system, too.
