OnePlus has made a name for itself in recent years thanks to some best android phones which exist. His last attempt OnePlus 12This is a fantastic flagship for anyone who wants something more than just another Samsung Galaxy or Apple iPhone.
But if you have a little patience, next year’s OnePlus 13 could bring big changes that are worth the wait. Here’s why you might want to wait for the OnePlus 12 and wait for the OnePlus 13 instead.
Brand new design
Like Samsung, Google and Apple, OnePlus has stuck to a certain design aesthetic in its latest smartphone releases.
Take a look at the OnePlus 10, 10T, 10R, 11, 11R, 12 and 12R: they all look the same. a lot of each other. It has a large, off-center camera module aligned to the left edge. metal so that it appears to be attached to the frame of the device. Before OnePlus 11, it was a square camera module. OnePlus later switched to a round protrusion, but it is still in the same position.
The same aesthetic has been maintained for three years now. It’s time for change and that’s what we can see with OnePlus 13. A Weibo post claims that the OnePlus 13 has a new design that lacks the “familiar hinge.” Since this isn’t a foldable phone, the “family hinge” most likely refers to the camera module and the way it attaches to the frame.
There’s no indication what the design changes will entail, but I’m guessing that since the “hinge” is gone, the camera position will change. It may be in a more centered position since it won’t be connected to the frame. I doubt OnePlus will reduce the camera module since one of its distinguishing features comes from its partnership with Hasselblad. OnePlus will take every opportunity to highlight its camera skills.
Of course, we won’t know what the OnePlus 13 will look like any time soon: either late this year or early 2025. But if you’re not a big fan of the way the OnePlus 12 looks, then it might be worth the wait. to see what changes.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 4th generation
OnePlus 12 currently uses this chip. Snapdragon 8 3rd generation from Qualcomm. The OnePlus 13 is expected to use the next iteration of Qualcomm’s flagship chipset: the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.
Qualcomm has already confirmed that Snapdragon 8 4th generation will be released in October. This is the chip that will power most Android flagships in 2025, including the OnePlus 13. There aren’t many details about the chip’s capabilities, but some leaks suggest the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 could even outperform Apple’s A18. what we expect in iPhone 16 pro.
Currently, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 works very well on our OnePlus 12 and Samsung Galaxy S24 devices. Will Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 deliver even better performance? And Even higher energy efficiency is an exciting offer worth waiting for.
Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor
A special feature of Android phones is the in-display fingerprint sensor. It gives you a secure way to unlock your phone and apps while hiding the technology behind the screen.
OnePlus is no stranger to using under-display fingerprint sensors. Over the past few years, the company has continued to use in-display optical fingerprint sensors, which have generally proven to be fast and reliable. However, one of the problems with optical sensors is that they emit a bright light when scanning your finger, which can be annoying when used in the dark.
There are rumors that OnePlus 13 will move to ultrasonic technology for the in-display fingerprint sensor. Instead of using a bright light to scan, an ultrasonic sensor sends out pulses of ultrasonic sound waves and captures your fingerprint using the reflected echoes of those emitted sound waves.
Ultrasonic fingerprint sensors are not new; They have been around for several years. The latest smartphones equipped with an ultrasonic sensor make up the Samsung S24 family. Thanks to ultrasonic technology, Samsung claims fingerprint scanning is 77% larger and 50% faster than previous generation devices.
It will be interesting to see the OnePlus 13 feature an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. It could potentially be even faster than the current optical sensor, possibly safer and less harmful to the eyes. In my opinion, this is a win-win.
A more advanced telephoto lens.
OnePlus has made some nice improvements to the OnePlus 12’s camera system compared to its predecessor, the OnePlus 11.
The OnePlus 12 features an impressive 50MP main camera, a 64MP periscope telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, a 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 32MP selfie camera. OnePlus also has a partnership with Hasselblad, making it a great phone for photographers.
While the telephoto lens’s resolution is impressive, it’s a little disappointing that it only offers 3x optical zoom. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features a quad-camera system with a 10MP telephoto lens and a 50MP periscope telephoto lens that offer 3x and 5x optical zoom respectively. The Honor Magic 6 Pro also does interesting things in the telephoto department, offering a 180MP periscope telephoto lens with 2.5x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom.
OnePlus still has a lot of room to grow in the camera department. Considering that a new design (and possibly a new camera module) may be in the works, hopefully this will lead to a more powerful telephoto camera on the OnePlus 13 as well.
Higher IP rating
The OnePlus 12 is IP65 rated for dust and water resistance. This rating means that the case is dust-resistant and the phone’s body can withstand splashes of water without damage. This is a good level of protection, but not the best you can get.
There are many other smartphones on the market with even higher ratings. For example, he iPhone 15He Google Pixel 8 And Samsung Galaxy S24 They are rated IP68, which means they are more resistant to liquids. In particular, they can be immersed in fresh water to a depth of six meters for a maximum of 30 minutes.
Again, given the inevitable design changes for the OnePlus 13, this means a higher IP rating for better dust and water resistance. There’s no reason why OnePlus shouldn’t offer IP68 these days, and the OnePlus 13 could be the phone that fixes that.
Longer software updates
For now, OnePlus is promising up to four years of major Android operating system updates and five years of security patches.
While that’s pretty decent, Google and Samsung have upped the ante by promising OS updates for seven years. Apple has never guaranteed a set number of years of iOS updates, but the average iPhone will last about five years or more.
Taking all this into account, it is possible that OnePlus will be able to support its future flagships so that they can match the competition. And what better way to kick off a seven-year upgrade plan than the OnePlus 13?
It’s time to play the waiting game
OnePlus 12 initially debuted in China on December 5, 2023, and will launch globally in January this year. Unless something drastic happens, we can expect similar timing for the OnePlus 13.
If any of the features mentioned above are really important to you, it might be worth waiting for the OnePlus 13. But if you need a new phone now and/or aren’t interested in the upgrades mentioned above, the OnePlus 12 is still one of the best smartphones that you can buy today.
Source: Digital Trends
