OnePlus 13 and 13R are coming in January to steal Samsungs thunder

Written on 12/20/2024

OnePlus is launching its new flagships two weeks ahead of Samsung this year.OnePlus 13

OnePlus is looking to upstage Samsung's big announcements this year.

The company is preparing to launch its new flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 13, on January 7 - about two weeks ahead of the (leaked) launch date for Samsung's Galaxy S25 flagships.

The OnePlus 13 already launched in China in October, so it's not that big of a surprise. It's a 6.82-inch smartphone, powered by Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, with a triple 50-megapixel camera, a humongous, 6,000mAh battery, 12/24GB of RAM, and 256/512/1,024GB of storage.

Yeah, the international version might not be specced exactly the same, but the differences will likely be minor, so the biggest reveal on January 7 will be the phone's price.

OnePlus does have one surprise up its sleeve, however. The company is also launching the OnePlus 13R, a slightly more affordable and less powerful phone. We know a few things about it: For example, it'll be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and it's going to come with (big surprise) a bunch of AI features.

OnePlus 13R
OnePlus 13R - three cameras on the back, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip inside. Credit: OnePlus

The best thing about the OnePlus 13R could be its battery, as OnePlus confirms that it'll also pack a 6,000mAh battery.

We also have a few images of the phone which, frankly, looks very similar as the OnePlus 13. It will come in two colors: Nebula Noir, and Astral Trail (see image above).

OnePlus also plans to launch a new color for its earbuds during the event, the new OnePlus Buds Pro 3. They will now be available in Sapphire Blue.

The launch event kicks off at 10:30 a.m. ET on January 7, so stay tuned for more info.