TheSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultrais blend in to be my main smartphone for at least the next few weeks , and I ’m come to it from theOnePlus 13 . I first put my SIM add-in in the OnePlus 13 three month ago , and no one has been able to twist it from my hands since . For me , this is an surprisingly prospicient time to use an Android phone , and it speaks volumes about what a superb phone it is .
I ’ll be using the Galaxy S25 Ultra for the next few weeks , but I ’m going to miss the OnePlus 13 . Here ’s why .
Why so long?
Twelve calendar week of use may not vocalize like much to you , but it ’s probably the longest uninterrupted point of time I ’ve used a single Android phone for in quite some clock time . My occupation involves me swapping Android telephone set very on a regular basis , but various thing aligned to imply I didn’tneedto swap over the gay period . Often , when these situations have arisen in the past , I ’ve put my SIM into another speech sound just to revisit it , or because I really liked it .
It did n’t even cross my intellect this time . I even remember saying , during a planning session for future articles , that I was n’t done with the OnePlus 13 , even though my revaluation and other reporting was complete . For me towantto remain using the OnePlus 13 , even though various other phones I ’ve really like were await for me , intend it was n’t doing anything badly at all , and perhaps best of all , it was n’t doing anything to annoy me .
I ’ve hada love / detest affairwith OxygenOS since much of what I did n’t care about Oppo ’s ColorOS begin to creep into the design and interface . These aspects — the on the face of it dateless system notifications , poor notification documentation , and overly complex menus , for example — would have seen me arrive at for theGoogle Pixel 9 Pro Fold(my otherfavorite Android speech sound of last year ) in days gone past , butwith OxygenOS 15 , OnePlus has take back control and the software is all the just for it . I ’m not simply stand it . I wish it .
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Fantastic hardware
I ’ve had the OnePlus 13 inside the official Sandstone type since it get . Apart from the odd demand to put a shaving of charge card inside to ensure you get thefastest wireless charging speeds , it ’s a very pleasant summation to the telephone . The grippy grain is n’t too grippy , so it go in and out of my pocket without a fight , and it does n’t add too much majority to the phone .
When I take the case off , I do feel silly for using it all the time though . The soft , tactile texture of the microfiber vegan leather back panel on my Midnight Ocean model is far more sumptuous than the raspy , sandpaper - like eccentric . The phone ’s design is spot - on , and a considerable advance over theOnePlus 12 . pocket-sized changes like moving Hasselblad ’s “ H ” logotype to the side of the television camera faculty , and adding a dressed line beneath it , make it heart - catching and distinctive .
The battery life story continued to impress , and with my two - to - three hours of use each day it last well into a third day before I really needed to reload it . TheQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elitehasn’t madethe phone too hot , and I ’ve loved using the television camera too . Hasselblad ’s work behind the scene must be pay off off , as the tone and colouration produce in pic are really attractive , and give the OnePlus 13 ’s tv camera an identity of its own . I ’ve even discovereda dear for the XPan camera mode , which has improved enough for me to no longer consider it a whatchamacallit .
Wide-angleAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
It’s a hard act to follow
The Galaxy S25 Ultra has to follow what I think is one of the very expert Android smartphones you may buy . For it to win me over , and boost me toat the very leastwant to use it for 12 consecutive workweek , it has to be easy to bear around , look good , have excellent battery living , reliable software system , and a tv camera I screw using .
The OnePlus 13 does all this with ease , and I ca n’t ignore that the 12GB/256 GB version be $ 400 less than the sleazy Galaxy S25 Ultra model , which actually has the same canonical stipulation . Even if you ’ve got $ 1,299 to pass on a raw smartphone , bring through that amount of money is the difference between beget a new phoneanda smartwatch or overbold ring , or just getting a newfangled phone on its own .
Samsung ’s belated phones are n’t the OnePlus 13 ’s only contest , and theGoogle Pixel 9 Propresents a strong challenge too , but that brings me on to another OnePlus 13 strong point . It has AI feature of speech , but they are n’t being pushed as monumentally transformative or as a reason to buy . I get it on this , as I do n’t feel like I ’m paying for feature I do n’t expend , as few so far have been all regularly helpful .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Perhaps that ’s also a cause why I ’ve loved using the OnePlus 13 for the last 84 solar day or so : it ’s a smartphone , and it absolutely excels atdoing smartphone things . I do n’t really need much more , and if you ’ve been conceive about buying a OnePlus 13 , take it from me , someone who is usually well-chosen to trade to a different phone every couple of weeks , you wo n’t regret getting one .
3x zoomAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
