OnePlus 13R review

120Hz LTPO OLED display

The OnePlus 13R adopts an LTPO4.1 AMOLED display with 1,264 x 2,780px resolution in a 6.78-inch diagonal. It also supports 10-bit color depth, up to 120Hz refresh rate and the highest HDR certifications for a smartphone - HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. This means it can play nicely with YouTube and other streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Judging by the results we got from our brightness tests as well as the specs, we suspect the device uses the same exact panel as the OnePlus 13 and the Oppo Find X8 Pro. And even though we find the maximum brightness in auto mode sufficient for comfortable outdoor use on a bright sunny day, it falls a bit behind the competition.

In manual mode, the display reached 820 nits. In auto mode, it could only boost up to 1,223 nits.

Refresh rate

The handset offers three refresh rate modes - Auto, Standard and High. The Standard one limits the refresh rate to 60Hz, while the High one forces high-refresh rate in apps that are usually limited to 60 or 90Hz. Like Chrome, for example, where in Auto the app would run in 90fps, but in High mode, it will reach 120Hz.

Whichever mode you choose, the system will dial down to 1Hz and in certain videos, it would refresh at 30Hz. Unfortunately, the system can't match the appropriate video frame rate when you play 24fps videos.

Battery life

The OnePlus 13R has a single-cell battery with a Si/C anode and 6,000 mAh capacity. The device scored higher than its predecessor, but only slightly so, mostly due to the longer web browsing and gaming runtimes.

Compared to its competitors, the 13R sits above most unless they are also ColorOS/OxygenOS/Realme UI phones. This Android overlay seems to always score high in our battery endurance tests.

Charging speed

This year's OnePlus 13R dials back on charging rate, compared to its predecessor, and offers 80W over its proprietary SuperVOOC protocol and appropriate charger. Keep in mind that the 13R doesn't come with a charger in Europe, so you'd have to buy one separately.

Even though the OnePlus 13R is no slouch, completing a full charging cycle in 48 minutes, it's still behind the competition and its predecessor. We suspect the new, larger Si/C 6,000 mAh battery is to blame here, as this tech has some charging rate limitations.

But in case you are not a fan of fast charging, you can enable Smart rapid charging, which will boost the charging rate only when needed. Smart charging, on the other hand, looks to optimize battery health, and you can also set a charging limit to 80%.

Speakers

The OnePlus 13R features a standard hybrid speaker setup - one full-fledged speaker at the bottom and one that doubles as an earpiece. Naturally, the latter is quieter than the other.

Speaking of loudness, this year, the 13R is equipped with exceptionally loud speakers. In our tests, the device earned an "Excellent" -23.4 LUFS score. But when it comes to quality, it leaves a bit more to be desired. Tracks sound full with plenty of bass, but the vocals and highs start to "ring". You would have to keep the volume a few clicks lower than the maximum for better-sounding music.

Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.