OnePlus 13s review: Small frame, big game

OnePlus 13s

Smartphones keep getting bigger, but your pockets? Not so much. Enter the OnePlus 13s—a rare breed of Android flagship that remembers what “handheld” actually means. With a fine 6.32-inch display and a light 185g build, it’s compact without cutting corners.

Under the hood, it’s all business: the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, a generous 5850mAh battery, dual 50MP rear cameras, and just the right dose of AI smarts to feel futuristic without being annoying or gimmicky.

Toss in an IP65 rating, stereo speakers, and a slick AMOLED panel, and the 13s starts to feel less like a compromise and more like a statement. With a starting price of Rs 54,999, it wants to be your go-to pocket rocket. So the real question is: can the OnePlus 13s squeeze flagship performance into a palm-friendly package? Or is it just playing small? Let’s find out.

OnePlus 13s review: Design, build, and display

At 150.8mm tall and just 8.2mm thick, the OnePlus 13s is one of the slimmest flagships around. The aluminum alloy frame gives it a robust feel, and the Velvet Glass finish —especially the Green Silk variant — offers a tactile experience that’s rare in phones this thin. The IP65 rating provides solid dust and splash resistance, making it fairly durable even without a case.

Despite its smaller size, the 13s doesn’t sacrifice ergonomics. The flat sides and subtle curves offer excellent grip. The under-display optical fingerprint sensor is quick and reliable, and stereo speakers produce surprisingly loud and balanced audio. It’s a phone that actually feels good in the hand and not too beefy.

The new Plus Key replaces the classic Alert Slider and is entirely customizable. Whether you want to summon the camera, toggle sound profiles, or launch AI tools, it’s just a click away.

OnePlus has borrowed the Plus Key idea straight out of the iPhone’s Action button. Nothing wrong in that as long as the execution is done well. And OnePlus has managed to do that.

The 6.32-inch LTPO AMOLED panel supports 1 billion colors, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HDR Vivid. With a peak brightness of 1600 nits and 120Hz refresh rate, it delivers a visual experience that punches far above its size class. Scrolling feels smooth, and content— whether you’re binge-watching on Prime Video or browsing HDR photos — pops with vivid contrast and excellent colour reproduction.The 19.54:9 aspect ratio keeps the phone narrow and easy to hold, and the 460ppi pixel density means text and icons are pin-sharp. This is easily one of the better displays you’ll find in a phone this size.

OnePlus 13s review: Performance, software

The OnePlus 13s is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite (SM8750-AB), Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile SoC to date. With a CPU clocked at up to 4.32GHz and the new Adreno 830 GPU, this chip is a monster—and it shows. Whether you’re gaming, editing 4K videos, or running multiple apps side by side, the 13s stays fast and fluid.

With gaming titles like Shadow Fight:4 and Genshin Impact, the frame rates held steady for, thanks to the massive 4400mm² Cryo-Velocity Vapor Chamber and back-cover cooling layer. Thermal throttling is minimal, and the phone remains cool to the touch even under pressure.

With 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB UFS 4.0 storage, there’s ample room for apps, media, and games. Multitasking is snappy, and app reloads are nearly non-existent. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is an elite (pun intended) chip and it shows.

Running Android 15 out of the box, layered with OxygenOS 15, the OnePlus 13s offers a clean, responsive user experience. But the real story here is AI.

The OnePlus 13s doesn’t cut corners on connectivity. You get full 5G support, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX HD and LHDC 5, NFC, and even an infrared port. For power users, the G1 Wi-Fi chip ensures solid performance in dense networks like metros or elevators.

The 360° antenna setup includes 11 modules, which reduces interference and improves signal strength—especially for gaming and streaming. It’s the kind of under-the-hood engineering most phones don’t bother with anymore.

OnePlus 13s review: AI features

The OnePlus 13s introduces a suite of AI-powered features, but the standout is AI Plus Mind — a genuinely practical tool that turns ordinary screenshots into smart, searchable data. By default, it’s linked to the new Plus Key, though you can also trigger it with a three-finger swipe up.

Once activated, it captures a screenshot and instantly analyses its contents. The AI identifies and tags useful elements like phone numbers, addresses, dates, and more — making it easy to add appointments to your calendar, save contacts, or pull up locations in Maps. It can also summarise long blocks of text, and later this year, it’ll gain the ability to automatically categorise saved content for even easier retrieval. It won’t be inaccurate to say that the AI Plus Mind is one of the better use of AI in modern-day smartphones — it is smart, helpful and available at your fingertips.

Other new AI features continue this focus on productivity. AI VoiceScribe can record, summarise, and translate conversations in apps like WhatsApp, Google Meet, and Zoom. Meanwhile, AI Call Assistant, built into the new India-exclusive OnePlus Dialer, brings live call translation and auto-generated call summaries to regular phone calls. There’s also an AI Search tool to quickly surface content on your device, and AI Reframe for intelligently tweaking your photo composition. Coming soon is AI Best Face 2.0, which aims to fix closed eyes or awkward expressions in group shots.

Another standout is the new AI Translation app, which can not only translate text but also overlay live translations over running apps—whether it’s translating on-screen text or real-time audio.

OnePlus has also improved integration with Google Gemini, allowing the assistant to work inside native apps like Notes and Clock.

While these features aren’t as flashy as generative AI chatbots or image creators, they serve practical purposes. AI Plus Mind was particularly useful — it’s essentially a supercharged screenshot tool that adds real-world utility without asking for extra effort. If OnePlus stays the course and keeps prioritising function over hype, its AI future could be surprisingly useful.

OnePlus 13s review: Cameras

Unlike the typical triple-lens setup seen in most flagships, the OnePlus 13s keeps things tight with two 50MP rear cameras: a wide-angle main and a telephoto with 2x optical zoom.

The main sensor (1/1.56”) captures detailed, color-accurate images in daylight and holds up well in low light thanks to multi-directional PDAF and OIS. The HDR processing has improved significantly over previous models, with better handling of shadows and highlights.

The telephoto lens is sharp and great for portraits and mid-range shots, though we wish it offered more than 2x optical zoom.

Video capture is impressive, with 4K at 60fps, OIS and Dolby Vision support making footage smooth and cinematic. The front 32MP selfie camera delivers crisp shots and can record 4K@30fps.

OnePlus 13s review: Battery life

Despite its compact frame, the OnePlus 13s houses a generous 5,850mAh battery. That’s more than many larger phones, and it pays off—screen-on time consistently pushes 7–8 hours. Whether you’re gaming, streaming, or doomscrolling, this phone easily lasts a full day and then some.

Charging is fast too. With 80W wired charging, it goes from 0 to 100% in under 40 minutes. There’s also support for 33W PPS, 18W PD/QC, and even 5W reverse wired charging, making it handy in a pinch for accessories.

Should you buy it?

The OnePlus 13s is a fine blend of good design, smart engineering, and actual self-control. While most phones these days are busy growing bigger and louder, this one quietly trims the fat. And then throws in top-tier specs, killer battery life, and real-world utility for good measure. With a starting price of Rs 54,999 the OnePlus does encroach the premium segment but offers a lot of value.

It’s not trying to dazzle you with flashy tricks or a big display. It’s just built to slip into your pocket, your palm, and your daily routine without a fuss. Whether you’re juggling apps, navigating a commute, or just done with phones that feel like a heavyweight, the One Plus 13s makes a strong case for keeping things compact, and more importantly, it does that while being consistently capable.