Never one to (only) follow the trends, OnePlus is evidently looking to bring compact Android flagships back in style, at least in markets like China and India.
Unfortunately, the newly unveiled OnePlus 13s appears to be exclusively available in the world’s most populous nation, looking extremely similar (but not completely identical) to the China-only OnePlus 13T that was released just a little over a month ago.
Here’s what the OnePlus 13s is all about
- 6.32-inch AMOLED display with 2640 x 1216 pixel resolution and 120Hz refresh rate capabilities;
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor;
- 256 and 512GB storage variants;
- 12GB RAM;
- Android 15 with OxygenOS 15.0;
- 50MP primary rear-facing camera with Sony LYTIA 700 sensor;
- 50MP secondary telephoto lens with f/2.0 aperture, OIS, and 2X optical zoom;
- 32MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture;
- 5,850mAh battery;
- 80W SuperVOOC charging support;
- Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, USB Type-C connectivity;
- Plus Key;
- AI Plus Mind, AI Search, AI VoiceScribe, AI Translation, AI Call Assistant, Google Gemini, AI Reframe, AI Detail Boost, AI Unblur, AI Reflection Eraser, AI Notes;
- 150.8 x 71.7 x 8.2mm dimensions;
- 185 grams weight;
- Green Silk, Black Velvet, and Pink Satin color options.
Is that a spectacular spec sheet or what? Spectacular by any standards, mind you, and not just for a diminutive high-end handset with very few direct competitors on the market right now.
The OnePlus 13s packs the same state-of-the-art SoC as the best Android phones around, and despite being 12 millimeters shorter and a whopping 33 grams lighter than Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, it somehow squeezes a (considerably) larger battery into a decidedly premium body made from aluminum and glass.
The 13s fits perfectly in the hand despite packing a gigantic battery. | Image Credit — OnePlus
Believe it or not, that huge 5,850mAh cell actually represents a downgrade over the simply mind-blowing 6,260mAh battery capacity of the China-exclusive OnePlus 13T. Disappointingly, that doesn’t make the 13s any smaller or lighter than its brother from a different mother in a different region, although on the bright side, the Indian compact powerhouse does come with an improved front-facing camera.
The dual rear-facing camera system, meanwhile, is obviously not as sophisticated and as versatile as the triple snapper setup found on the back of the “regular” OnePlus 13, but for the new phone’s prices, it’s definitely advanced enough, especially when you consider all the other top-notch characteristics listed above.
So many AI skills for such a low price
Up for pre-order already, the OnePlus 13s starts at the rough equivalent of $640 in India. That’s 54,999 rupees, and incredibly enough, it even includes a complimentary pair of OnePlus Nord Buds 3 for a limited time.
Not exactly affordable enough to go up against the likes of Google’s Pixel 9a or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered OnePlus 13R in the budget 5G phone category, the 13s is certainly reasonably priced for that Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the blazing fast 80W charging, the gorgeous screen, and especially its impressive AI arsenal.
AI is clearly more than an empty buzzword for this bad boy, which seems to support a slew of ultra-advanced and actually potentially useful tools that only Google can currently rival. Maybe Samsung.
But not even Google’s upcoming Pixel 10 devices will feature a physical button as handy and as flexible as the Plus Key, which you can use to quickly silence your phone, as well as access its camera, recorder, flashlight, translate, screenshot, and of course, central AI functionality.
It’s truly hard to understand why the OnePlus 13s is not being released in the US or Europe, although if it makes you feel any better, I’m ready to bet that next year’s global OnePlus 14 family will rock a “Plus Key” and offer support for “AI Plus Mind” technology (possibly, in a more mature and refined second iteration). The name of the game is patience, I’m afraid.
