Hi there!
I’m looking for people’s experiences using a OnePlus 13 or 13R. I’m particularly interested in how it compares to recent Samsung devices, because I think Samsung One UI currently offers the best UX on Android. To a lesser degree, I’m also interested in how it compares to an iPhone.
I’m not interested in games performance. I care about reliability first and foremost, then about battery life. Camera performance and smoothness come later.
If you’ve used a OnePlus 13/13R and a recent Samsung or iPhone, please leave me your comments. I’m interested to know your experience, no matter which of these phones you prefer at the end of the day.
Thanks a lot!
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Having used a S series Samsung recently, I don’t particularly like their software. It is also heavy on telemetry tracking.
Have you also used a recent OnePlus? Do you know how the two would compare?
Sorry last time I’ve used oneplus was about 4-5 years ago.
Coming from a Galaxy S21 (because of the green line problem/bug they have on their screens these days) and now using a OnePlus 13, I can say that there are definitely benefits to the OnePlus 13, some that override what was available in the Galaxy version. But to be totally honest, I think the Samsung Galaxy has a more robust operating system, fleshed out camera app, and of course a more populated ecosystem, accessories etc. You can find more things available for the Samsung phone.
Now that I’m using a OnePlus 13, I’m really enjoying the battery life, although I limit the charging to 80%, it’s pretty insane. It is a much slimmer phone and lighter, The screen seems to be slightly better, although coming from the original Samsung S9 (I Have had Samsung’s since the S7), I always thought that the s9 screen was in some way better than the S21.
I can’t rave about the sound or speakers. It is snappy and fast to use and not glitchy, which is great. I’m not particularly excited about the AI compression and algorithms it uses with the photos, I’ve honestly been looking at the G-camera app to try to get a better option for taking pics.
One huge bonus over the Samsung is that it has the IP69 dust and water-resistant rating. I got really sick of plugging in my Samsung Galaxy and having it refused to charge because of moisture in the port.
Finally, after shutting down a lot of the bloatware, it’s not as bloated as the Samsung ecosystem, and it’s incredibly good value for money. I’d say I’m happy with the OnePlus 13.
That’s very informative! Thanks a lot for your input.
What is it about Samsung software that you find more robust? Have you ever felt like the OnePlus was unreliable when you needed it?
When I mentioned that the Samsung operating system was more robust, I was just referring to the last four phones that were Samsung for me and, like you mentioned in another comment, rock solid. Right now my OnePlus 13 is the first OnePlus phone I’ve owned.
Having said that, I’ve had way more glitches on a Samsung phone. Obviously I’ve owned Samsung phones for the last 10 years.
Yesterday the only glitch that I’ve ever seen happened on my OP, but it wasn’t big. I just couldn’t get on the internet because my VPN wasn’t recognized. It did require me to restart my phone; the settings weren’t recognized for some reason, but everything was up and working perfectly afterward.
The Samsung Galaxy has a very fleshed-out operating system with a lot of proprietary apps and add-ons that can be quite overwhelming.
My OnePlus is fairly bare-bones, to be honest, and I have it configured this way. I like the operating system, although I have modified some settings to have it perform much like I remember my Galaxy, just because of what I’m used to.
I’m going to start looking for a new phone soon to replace my OnePlus 6T, and the 13 looks so good, except for the fact it’s absurdly huge. I wish the 13T was released globally!
I think the only other option is the pixel 9, but not sure about battery life and slower charging.
I wish the 13T was released globally!
Same here. It seems to be such a cool phone
I’ve seen anecdotes from people saying they prefer 13R over Pixel 9. What worries me the most is the quality of the software: I keep seeing screenshots of UI glitches, and I don’t know if that suggests reliability is mediocre.
Samsung’s software has been rock solid for me. This is the biggest plus for Samsung in my book.
I moved from a Samsung Galaxy S20+ to OnePlus 13. I grew frustrated with the short battery life: I had it changed by Samsung about a year prior and it was draining very fast.
I’ve had the OnePlus 13 for three months and for the moment I’m very pleased with it, especially the battery life: two days on average, with 30-35% remaining at the end of the second day. I must mention that I’m a moderate user: doing the usual Whatsapp, some lemmy and mastodon browsing, email, listening to music on Tidal, but not much youtube/video playing. Also, photos are great, maybe a bit more toward warm colors than I’d like, but I got used to it.
Thanks for your comments!
Have you experienced any bugs or reliability issues with the OnePlus phone? This is my biggest concern with it compared to Samsung.
Not yet. Works without issues. And I already got two system updates - mainly security patches. I’m waiting patiently for Android 16.
