2025 is rapidly approaching, and that can only mean one thing for a tech nerd like me: It’s time to start looking forward to another year of smartphones. All signs are pointing to an interesting year for Apple with the iPhone 17, and I’m eager to see what comes of it.
But what about what’s happening in the Android smartphone space? The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is just on the horizon, but I’ve yet to see anything that’s made me really ecstatic about it. The Google Pixel 10 series should be a good one, but we’ve not heard enough about it yet.
As we head into 2025, the Android phone I’m most looking forward to is from OnePlus — and not the flagship OnePlus 13, but the more affordable OnePlus 13R. Have I lost my marbles? No, and I’ll tell you why.
The OnePlus 12R was a standout phone this year
2024 saw the release of many excellent smartphones. With the OnePlus 12R being one of the first to launch in February and countless other phones having launched since then, it can be easy to forget just how special it is.
The OnePlus 12R was one of the first phones I reviewed this year, and all these months later, it still stands out as one of my favorites. It could have very easily been a fine $500 phone, but OnePlus made the 12R the best $500 phone I’ve ever used.
For me, it all starts with the design. Even today, the OnePlus 12R does not look like a $500 smartphone. It looks and feels much more premium, thanks to the rounded aluminum frame, smooth glass back, and the intricate notches around the camera bump. It’s not the most visually striking phone released in 2024, but it’s a damn well-built one, and that means a lot.
Other key aspects of a smartphone — such as the display, performance, and battery life — are all exceptional on the OnePlus 12R. The AMOLED panel is sharp and vibrant, the 120Hz refresh rate is smooth, and the maximum brightness of 4,500 nits remains a ridiculously overkill spec.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip inside the OnePlus 12R was already a year old at the phone’s release, but that never mattered. Paired with 8GB or 16GB of RAM, the OnePlus 12R proved an exceptionally fast smartphone, and even with fairly heavy use, the 5,500mAh battery was enough for two (if not two and a half) days of use on a single charge. The 80W wired charging speeds are a real treat, too, getting the phone from a nearly dead battery to 100% in just 30 minutes.
Is there anything the OnePlus 12R doesn’t do well? Its 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro cameras are pretty forgettable, and there’s no wireless charging. But that’s where the complaints begin and end. Using the OnePlus 12R earlier this year, I frequently thought I was using a flagship and had to remind myself that it only cost $500. It was an unbelievable value at the beginning of the year, and nearly a year since its release, it remains every bit as impressive.
What we know about the OnePlus 13R
OnePlus confirmed the OnePlus 13R’s existence last week and, in doing so, also shared a first look at the phone’s design and a key spec. Compared to the rounded frame of the 12R, the 13R is shifting to flat sides, which I don’t mind one bit. The white/silver color in the render also has a subtle wave pattern throughout, which looks really good. It looks like the 13R will continue the 12R’s theme of well-executed hardware with pleasing but not over-the-top aesthetics, and that’s fine by me.
It’s also confirmed that the OnePlus 13R will have a 6,000mAh battery — a not insignificant increase from the 5,500mmAh battery in the OnePlus 12R. If the 12R is already capable of two-day battery life, that’s bound to continue with the OnePlus 13R, if not get even better.
While OnePlus hasn’t said much else about the OnePlus 13R, leaks and rumors paint a more complete picture of the phone. According to a particularly meaty leak at the beginning of the month, the 13R will have all of the following:
- 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip
- 12GB RAM
- 256GB storage
- 50MP primary camera
- 50MP 2x or 3x telephoto camera
- 8MP ultrawide camera
- 80W wired charging
That’s a wildly impressive spec sheet, and assuming OnePlus retains affordable pricing for another year, it should make the OnePlus 13R another unbeatable value — even if the MSRP increases to $550 or $600.
Keep your eye on this one
All signs are pointing to 2025 being another busy year for smartphones. Between Google, Samsung, Apple, Motorola, Xiaomi, Honor, and OnePlus, there’s an incredible amount of new phones to look forward to in the coming year.
Even if some of those other phones are flashier or more technically capable than what we expect from the OnePlus 13R, don’t let this one slip by on your radar. I can’t remember the last time I used an affordable phone anywhere near as impressive as the OnePlus 12R, and with the OnePlus 13R taking shape to be just as good — and better — you better believe this is a 2025 phone I’m keeping a close eye on.
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