In a smartphone world dominated by Apple and Samsung, OnePlus has always been a breath of fresh air. The next big thing coming from the company is already here and ready to take on the big guys. The OnePlus 13 debuted on January 7, 2025, but before it can take on the iPhones and Galaxies, this flagship has to prove itself against its own kind.Today we’re going to pit the recently announced OnePlus 13 against the hugely successful OnePlus 11. This might seem like a strange comparison, but it makes a lot of sense, especially for OnePlus 11 owners looking to upgrade.
OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 11 differences:
OnePlus 13
OnePlus 11
Shorter but wider phone, not much heavier
Taller and narrower mainly due to the curved screen, slightly lighter as well
Larger and brighter 6.82-inch display
A smaller 6.7-inch screen with the same 120Hz refresh rate
Triple camera system with three 50MP Sony sensors, periscope telephoto
Triple camera but the sensors are 50, 32, 48MP, 2x telephoto
More memory in the base version (12GB)
Less base RAM (8GB)
More native storage (256GB) and no microSD card slot
128GB of storage in here
A newer and faster Snapdragon 8 Elite processor
Older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (two generations back)
Larger 6,000 mAh battery that will potentially deliver better battery life
A smaller 5,000 mAh battery
Fast 80W wired charging, 50W wireless charging
100W wired charging, wireless charging
Table of Contents:
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Design and Display Quality
Flatter screen is king
The era of curved smartphone displays seems to be coming to an end, and the OnePlus 13 is the latest phone to drive that point home. Compared to the OnePlus 11, it’s a slightly shorter but wider device, a difference largely due to the flat screen. The display is a 6.82-inch panel, compared to the 6.7-inch screen on the OnePlus 11, and the curvature is almost non-existent on the new model resulting in a wider device.
The design of the OnePlus 13 isn’t groundbreaking, following the footsteps of the previous couple of generations. It retains the same circular camera module, offset to the left and proudly displaying the Hasselblad logo.
The back is also slightly curved on both phones, and in terms of materials, there’s little to surprise. Well, almost. The OnePlus 13 introduces a faux leather option in blue (made from a polymer material), which looks fantastic. The other two variants feature frosted glass. Similarly, the OnePlus 11 is built with the same glass-metal sandwich design, but it has a much more pronounced curvature on both the screen and the back.
OnePlus 11 available colors:
Titan Black
Eternal Green
Jupiter Rock
OnePlus 13 available colors:
Arctic Dawn
Black Eclipse
Midnight Ocean (vegan leather)
Moving to the displays of both devices, the OnePlus 13 comes equipped with a 6.82-inch OLED LTPO display with a resolution of 3168 x 1440 pixels made by BOE. In comparison, the OnePlus 11 has a 6.7-inch screen with a very similar resolution of 1440 x 3216 pixels. Both of these are LTPO and can go up to 120Hz refresh rate, but the OnePlus 13 boasts an A++ rating by DisplayMate, 21 records, and some clever eye protection tech.
In our display test, the OnePlus 11 managed to achieve 796 nits of brightness, which, by 2024 standards, is not particularly impressive. The OnePlus 13, on the other hand, boasts a cited peak brightness of 4,500 nits. However, it’s worth noting that companies often measure these high numbers with only a small fraction of the display lit. We measure brightness at 20% APL (Average Picture Level), which is more close to real-life conditions.
That said, even at 20% APL, the OnePlus 13 impresses with an incredible 2,326 nits of brightness streaming from its screen. Other metrics in our display test also favor the OnePlus 13. The phone is capable of achieving a minimum brightness of just 1.8 nits, and its color accuracy is noticeably better than what the OnePlus 11 can achieve.
Lastly, the OnePlus 13 features an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, similar to the one used in recent Galaxy S-series devices. This is a significant upgrade over the regular optical fingerprint sensor found in the OnePlus 11.
Performance and Software
Elite Snapdragon affair
In terms of hardware, there aren’t any surprises. The OnePlus 13 comes with the latest and greatest Qualcomm silicon, namely the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The OnePlus 11, on the other hand, features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is now two generations old compared to the silicon on the new flagship.
Synthetic benchmarks paint an expected picture, showcasing a huge advantage for the new chipset. When the Snapdragon 8 Elite first launched and benchmarks began to surface, the chip created quite a stir in the industry, scoring close to Apple’s A18 and even outperforming the previous champion in some tests.
However, as always, benchmarks are not fully representative of real-life performance. Even though the OnePlus 11 is two years older, you’re unlikely to notice any lag or stutter in normal day-to-day use.
The RAM and storage situation is in favor of the OnePlus 13, the phone starts at 12GB or RAM paired with 256GB of storage in its base configuration, while the OnePlus 11 base memory option is 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
When it comes to software, there’s a significant difference, and it has everything to do with AI. We’re living in the era of large language models, and companies are quick to slap the AI label on just about anything. The OnePlus 13 features its own OnePlus AI system, offering tools like AI Unblur, AI Reflections Eraser, Circle to Search, AI Notes, and more.
Most of these functions mirror what other AI systems, such as Galaxy AI and Gemini, already provide—helping you proofread text, create memos, translate and transcribe, as well as fix and edit your photos.Speaking of Gemini, the OnePlus 13 also has Google’s AI platform onboard, allowing you to use that particular LLM if you prefer it over OnePlus’ native AI. For those who appreciate these kinds of machine-learning-based software tools, the new flagship definitely has an edge over the OnePlus 11.
Camera
Sony prowess with Hasselblad treatment
There’s a brand-new camera system on the OnePlus 13. The phone features a triple setup consisting of a 1/1.4″ 50MP Sony LYT-808 primary sensor with OIS support, a 23mm focal length, and an f/1.6 aperture.The ultrawide camera is a 50MP Samsung JN5 sensor with 15mm focal length equivalent and an aperture of f/2.0 and there’s a 1/1.95″ 50MP Sony LYT-600 telephoto-periscope camera system with OIS, an f/2.6 aperture, and 3x optical zoom or 73mm focal length equivalent.
The OnePlus 11 also comes with an ample camera system; the phone features a 50MP main camera sensor, a Sony IMX890 sensor. The ultra-wide camera sensor is a 48MP with macro capabilities, and the third rear camera is a 2X zoom lens—no periscope magic, but still great for portrait shots.
Main Camera
Surprisingly, the IMX890 performs quite similarly to the newer LYT-808. Both sensors capture a lot of detail and deliver a wide dynamic range. However, there’s a slight difference in color tone: the OnePlus 11 produces softer, warmer photos, while the OnePlus 13 tends to go a bit overboard with contrast and saturation.
Night shots highlight these differences. The OnePlus 11 tends to create a slight halo around some light sources and even in darker areas. In contrast, the OnePlus 13 takes a more aggressive HDR approach, producing very dark patches of sky against extremely bright sections of lit areas in the photo, such as the pavement. Overall, the newer sensor holds a slight advantage, as it’s larger with bigger pixels, enabling it to capture more light and deliver better detail in low-light conditions.
Zoom Quality
The OnePlus 13 introduces a new periscope zoom system featuring a special prism that OnePlus calls “Triprism” (sounds familiar?). The native optical zoom is set at 3x, while the OnePlus 11 has a more modest 2x telephoto lens. These days, most modern flagships can achieve 2x zoom by cropping from the main sensor, making the need for a dedicated 2x telephoto camera largely obsolete.
Ultra-wide Camera
Images from the ultrawide cameras of both phones look very similar, with little to no differences, aside from the same algorithms that saturate photos from the main camera, making them appear more dramatic on the OnePlus 13. Other factors such as dynamic range, white balance, exposure, and level of detail are all quite similar between the two.
Selfies
Selfie shots are nearly identical, despite the hardware behind them being quite different. The new OnePlus 13 features a 32MP front camera with an f/2.4 aperture and a 0.8µm pixel size (binned to 1.6µm), while the OnePlus 11 has a 16MP selfie camera with a 1.0µm pixel size and a slightly larger focal length (25mm vs 21mm). The end results are, as we’ve already mentioned, very similar, and we had to double-check the hardware to confirm the difference.
Video Quality
Here’s a short video sample comparison between the OnePlus 13 and the iPhone 16 Pro Max (OnePlus 11 sample is coming shortly)
Battery Life and Charging
New silicon-carbon tech is starting to go mainstream
The OnePlus 13 is the latest flagship phone from China to adopt silicon-carbon battery technology. This hybrid approach enhances the anode of a lithium-ion battery with silicon material, increasing capacity (pure silicon has up to 5,000% more potential capacity compared to lithium—emphasis on potential). This advancement allowed OnePlus to fit a 6,000mAh battery into the OnePlus 13 while keeping its size roughly the same as, say, the OnePlus 11 we’re comparing it to.
The OnePlus 11, by contrast, comes with a 5,000mAh battery, and this 1,000mAh difference clearly translates into better battery life. In browsing tests, the OnePlus 13 outlasted its predecessor by an impressive eight hours! However, the difference is less pronounced in YouTube streaming, where the gap is under an hour. Interestingly, in our gaming test, the OnePlus 11 managed to outlast the OnePlus 13 by two hours.
PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results:
The charging situation is virtually identical: both phones support 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging via magnetic induction. However, due to its smaller battery, the OnePlus 11 can charge to full in just 32 minutes. In comparison, the 6,000mAh battery inside the OnePlus 13 takes 43 minutes to charge from 0 to 100%.
Specs Comparison
Specs
OnePlus 13
OnePlus 11
Dimensions
162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5 mm
163.1 x 74.1 x 8.5 mm
Weight
210 g
205 g
Screen
6.82-inch OLED 1-120Hz
6.7-inch OLED 1-120Hz
Processor
Snapdragon 8 Elite
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM, Storage and Price
12/256GB for $899
8/128GB for $550
Cameras
50MP main 50MP ultra-wide 50MP telephoto
32MP front
50MP main 48MP ultra-wide 32MP 2X zoom
16MP front
Battery Size
6,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
Charging Speeds
100W wired 50W wireless
100W wired 50W wireless
Which one should you buy?
This one is pretty straightforward if we don’t factor in the price. The OnePlus 13 offers significant improvements across the board compared to the OnePlus 11. The display is much brighter and now flat, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite is not only faster than the 8 Gen 2 but also one of the fastest smartphone chips currently available.
The camera system has also seen an upgrade, and there’s now a touch of AI integrated into OxygenOS. Last but not least, the battery is massive at 6,000mAh, while maintaining the fast-charging speeds OnePlus is known for. There’s little reason to choose the OnePlus 11 here, aside from the price. The older flagship launched at $599 and can now be found for much less—if you can still find one.
Even for those who already own the OnePlus 11, the OnePlus 13 is a worthy upgrade. It’s right up there with the big players like the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Pixel 9 Pro XL, while still being significantly more affordable.
