It may be less than six months ago that we were introduced to the OnePlus 12, but attention is quickly switching to the potential release of the OnePlus 13.
The Chinese tech giant arguably released its best smartphone yet when the OnePlus 12 hit the shelves back in February of this year, but rumors are already pointing to significant upgrades for the 13th edition of its smartphone range.
A few things have already started flowing through the grapevine. From a slight redesign to minor camera improvements and a battery upgrade, the early signs of what the OnePlus 13 might be like are beginning to surface.
So here’s what we know so far…
Currently, there aren’t many expectations that OnePlus plans to make drastic design changes to the OnePlus 13, but drawings released by tipster Yogesh Brar on X suggest the circular camera array could be moved to the center of the smartphone’s rear. It was located slightly to the left of the OnePlus 12.
It also shows a rectangular camera array for the OnePlus 13R, presumably as a way of setting apart both OnePlus’ mid-range and budget handsets.
Beyond that, we’re so far in the dark about any more potential OnePlus 13 design changes.
Tipster Brar has also said that he expects the OnePlus 13 to boast a micro-quad curved display, with the top and bottom of the display curving like the left and right edges. Curved edges on smartphones normally just curve on the sides, so this would certainly be a stand out feature for OnePlus.
However, Android Authority have reported a leak on Weibo that the OnePlus 13 might go with a flat display with a four-sided curved display covering it to create a bezel-free look. The same leaker also suggests the OnePlus 13 will have a 2k OLED panel.
These are all just rumors at the moment, though.
To accompany the potential camera array change, OnePlus is believed to be considering a few minor tweaks to the OnePlus 12’s camera set-up.
It was widely suggested that the OnePlus 12’s camera was the company’s best yet, with a 50MP main camera, 48MP ultrawide shooter and 64MP telephoto lens that supports 3x zoom.
At the moment, only slight improvements are rumored to be in the pipeline for OnePlus 13’s periscope-style telephoto lens.
OnePlus’ recent major improvements in the camera department came following their partnership with lens specialist Hasselbad. We’ll have to wait a little longer to find out if both companies have any further camera upgrades lined up.
There are some initially worrying claims from Digital Chat Station on Weibo that OnePlus plans to drop wireless charging from the OnePlus 13, which does seem like an odd decision given it was restored to the OnePlus 12 after being dropped for the OnePlus 11.
That said, the OnePlus 12 had one of the best batteries on the market for lifespan, with Tom’s Guide reporting it lasting for 17 hours and 41 minutes in testing.
That means we should expect to see that at the very least on the OnePlus 13, while Digital Chat Station also believes the OnePlus 13 will enjoy a battery upgrade to 6,000 mAh from the OnePlus 12’s 5,400 mAh.
It is expected that OnePlus will use Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip, which is due to debut in October.
It wouldn’t be a surprise, given OnePlus uses the leading Qualcomm chip in all its flagship phones, with the OnePlus 13 being powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which allowed it to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S24 series.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will deliver big performance gains for Android devices once it debuts.
The only other major improvement that could be in line for the OnePlus 13 is its water resistance rating, reported via GSMArena, which may be upgraded from IP65 to either IP68 or IP69.
That means the OnePlus 13 will be able to survive more than just a few sprays of water, which is all the OnePlus 12 is capable of now.
The OnePlus 12 was released in China in December 2023 before hitting the shelves globally a month later.
Therefore, there is the expectation that OnePlus won’t deviate from that schedule with the OnePlus 13, meaning a December 2024 release in China before going global in January 2025.
We’re not expecting to know more for a few more months yet, but the consensus is that this is the timeline we should expect right now.
It’s too early to deliver anything other than speculation surrounding the OnePlus 13’s potential price.
The OnePlus 12 started at $799 so we should expect the OnePlus 13 to be in a similar ballpark, especially given the potential of a new chipset and a handful of different upgrades throughout.
As more rumors and leaks begin to surface, we’ll have a better idea of what to expect but, for now, at least $799 is the guide price.
Featured Image: OnePlus 12 via OnePlus
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