OnePlus 13 Review Philippines: It’s lucky number 13 for OnePlus. The OnePlus 13 is the best smartphone they’ve made to date, and with Digital Walker fixing the pricing debacle for the phone from last year’s horrible (and some would call tone-deaf) pricing, Philippine fans of the brand finally have a phone worth bragging about. 

Pros:

• Great-looking display
• Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 performance
• Fairly good camera system
• Fast charging
• OxygenOS 14 is clear and intuitive

Cons:

• No significant design changes from last year
• The competition offers longer software support

When we used to talk about OnePlus flagships, we always tacked in a “but” at the end. As great as they were, there was always a feature missing that held them back as true flagships like their peers made by competing companies like Samsung, Apple, Huawei, and others. 

That’s no longer the case with the OnePlus 13. It’s the best phone they’ve made so far, blending a great aesthetic with a fantastic display, incredibly capable camera, flagship processor, and a battery that seemingly won’t quit. 

OnePlus 13 Review Philippines: Design

The OnePlus 13 retains the brand’s signature minimalist design but adds a few refinements that elevate its aesthetic appeal. The phone features a sleek aluminum frame and a matte glass back that feels premium and resists fingerprints. The camera module has been redesigned to blend more seamlessly into the rear panel, giving the device a more cohesive look.

At 6.7 inches, the OnePlus 13 is a large phone, but its slim bezels and ergonomic curvature make it comfortable to hold. The weight distribution is well-balanced, ensuring it doesn’t feel unwieldy during prolonged use. OnePlus has also kept the beloved alert slider, which remains a convenient tool for quickly switching between sound profiles. The device is available in two classic color options: Stellar Black and Lunar Silver, though we’re more partial with the vegan leather Midnight Ocean colorway.

OnePlus 13 Review Philippines Display

The OnePlus 13 features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR Vivid – the works. It’s not surprising that the display looks great – the colors are vibrant, the contrast is excellent, and the brightness levels are impressive, even in direct sunlight.

Whether you’re scrolling through social media, watching HDR content, or gaming, the display delivers an immersive experience. The inclusion of Dolby Vision support further enhances the visual appeal, making this one of the best displays in its class. The Always-On Display feature is also a nice touch, offering customizable options to keep you informed at a glance.

OnePlus 13 Review Philippines: Cameras

The camera system on the OnePlus 13 is one of its standout features. In collaboration with Hasselblad, OnePlus has refined the camera setup to deliver stunning photos and videos. All three cameras are 50 megapixels in size, with the main camera sporting a 1/1.4″ Sony LYT-808 with a f/1.6 aperture lens. The telephoto is a 3x Sony LYT-600 sensor with a f/2.65 aperture, and the ultra-wide is a 50-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL JN5 with a f/2.0 aperture. 

In well-lit conditions, the OnePlus 13 excels. Photos are sharp, with accurate colors and plenty of detail. The Hasselblad color science ensures that images look natural, avoiding the oversaturation often seen in other smartphones. The ultra-wide lens performs admirably, maintaining consistency with the main sensor in terms of color and exposure.

Low-light photography has seen significant improvements on the OnePlus 13. The larger sensor and enhanced Night Mode allow the phone to capture good images in challenging lighting conditions, but work is still needed. Details are a little smudged, especially in some of the photos we took of the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona. 

The telephoto lens shines in portrait mode, offering excellent edge detection and natural bokeh. The Hasselblad tuning ensures that skin tones look realistic, making it a great tool for capturing professional-looking portraits.

OnePlus 13 Review Philippines: Performance, software, battery

As is tradition, the OnePlus 13 uses a top-end Qualcomm processor – the Snapdragon 8 Elite – which is in line with most of the top-tier offerings of many smartphone manufacturers right now. That’s paired with either 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage or 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage in the Philippines. 

We’ve reviewed enough Snapdragon 8 Elite-equipped phones to know how they perform by now. Essentially you’re getting top-tier performance, zero slowdowns, and the best results in terms of gaming and app use. You’re future-proofed in the world of Android with this processor. 

The OnePlus 13 runs on OxygenOS 15 that’s based on Android 15, and it’s one of the cleanest and most intuitive Android skins out there. The interface is snappy, bloatware is minimal, and customization options are plentiful. Features like Always-On Display, Zen Mode, and Work-Life Balance add to the overall user experience.

OnePlus has also committed to providing four years of major Android updates and six years of security patches, which is a welcome move for long-term users.

The OnePlus 13 has a 6000mAh battery, along with 100W fast charging and 50W fast wireless charging – the latter being a feature that’s usually omitted by the brand to keep prices low. In any case, with that massive battery plus the relatively efficient processor, the phone managed to get an insane screen on time. 

OnePlus 13 Review Philippines: Wrap-up and Conclusions

The OnePlus 13 is a great follow-up and apology of sorts from the relatively horrible outing of the OnePlus 12 here in the Philippines. With its stunning display, top-tier performance, versatile camera system, and blazing-fast charging, it’s a flagship that ticks all the right boxes.

What’s even better is the price is now more palatable. It’s a little higher than what we’ve seen, BUT with all the additions and the upgrades, it’s a proper flagship now, commanding flagship prices. If you want the same OnePlus experience but with a lower price range, that’s what the OnePlus 13R is for.

OnePlus 13 Review Philippines: Price

The OnePlus 13 is now available via Digital Walker for Php 54,990 for the 256GB variant, and Php 59,990 for the 512GB variant.