OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12: What’s changed

OnePlus recently launched the OnePlus 13 in India. The smartphone comes with a new design, powerful hardware, and the latest software. But what are the exact changes it brings over its predecessor, the OnePlus 12?

Well, in this OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12 showdown, let’s compare the specifications of both phones and find out the answer to that question.

OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12: Design and Display

Starting with the design, the new OnePlus 13 has a cleaner look compared to the OnePlus 12. It’s less curvy, the camera island isn’t too protruded, and the overall colour scheme is minimal. The OnePlus 13 is also 10 grams lighter at 210 grams compared to the 220 grams weight of the OnePlus 12.

Notably, the Midnight Ocean colour of the OnePlus 13 has micro-fiber vegan leather back, whereas, the OnePlus 12 gets a patterned back for the Flowy Emerald shade.

The OnePlus 13 has an improved dust and water-resistant design, thanks to its IP68 + IP69 certifications. The predecessor has an IP65 certification for dust and splash resistance.

Both phones feature a 6.82-inch display, but the OnePlus 13’s screen isn’t as curvy as the OnePlus 12. Also, it has a Ceramic Guard protection as opposed to the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 screen protection on the OnePlus 12.

The OnePlus 13’s screen has added features like Intelligent Eye Care 4.0 and Aqua Touch 2.0, ensuring that every swipe registers even with oily or wet fingers. Both phones have 1-120Hz dynamic refresh rate support and QHD+ resolution. Brightness also stays the same, which peaks at 4,500 nits.

OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12: Cameras

While the camera setup on both models is the same, i.e., a triple rear camera setup, the sensors differ which should result in a different camera experience. The OnePlus 13 has a 50MP Sony LYT-808 main sensor, a 50MP LYT-600 telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP S5KJN5 ultra-wide sensor.

The OnePlus 12 gets a 50MP Sony LYT-808 main sensor, a 64MP OmniVision OV64B 3x telephoto sensor, and a 48MP Sony IMX581 ultra-wide unit. Both phones are capable of recording up to 8K videos, but the OnePlus 13 can shoot it at 30fps, whereas, the OnePlus 12 is limited to 4K at 24fps.

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Both phones have a 32MP Sony IMX615 sensor on the front for clicking selfies, but the OnePlus 13 supports up to 4K video recording at 60fps. The 12’s front camera can shoot up to 4K videos at 30fps.

OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12: Performance and battery

Coming to the performance, the OnePlus 13 is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, which is the latest and the most powerful mobile chipset from Qualcomm. The OnePlus 12 is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, which is Qualcomm’s last year’s flagship chipset. Since there’s a new chipset, expect an improved performance, especially for gaming. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is an already powerful chipset so you may not notice any day-to-day differences.

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Coming to the battery, there’s a massive upgrade here. The OnePlus 13 houses a 6,000mAh (Dual-cell 3,000mAh) battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless fast charging. The OnePlus 12 has a smaller 5,400mAh (Dual-cell 2,700mAh) battery with the same wired and wireless fast charging speeds.

OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12: Software, AI features, and more

Since the OnePlus 13 is a newer device, it boots on the latest Android 15-based OxygenOS 15, whereas, the OnePlus 12 runs on Android 14 out of the box. However, it has already received the Android 15- based OxygenOS 15 update.

Support-wise, the OnePlus 12 has four years of OS updates and five years of security updates. The OnePlus 13 gets four years of OS updates and six years of security updates. The OnePlus 13 also comes with extra AI features like Intelligent Search and Google’s Circle to Search. There are also features like AI Unblur, AI Reflection Eraser, AI Notes, which are available on both the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus 12.

As for connectivity, the OnePlus 13 gets 5.5G support with select networks, alongside standard 5G connectivity. The OnePlus 12 lacks 5.5G support, but it does have standard 5G connectivity. For those wondering, 5.5G(or 3CC-compliant network) is an advanced version of 5G that’s said to offer broader coverage and faster speeds of up to 1Gbps. Apart from 5G, there’s Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and dual-band GPS on both models.

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To sum up the OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12 showdown, the OnePlus 13, since it’s new, obviously has an even powerful chipset, new software, and a larger battery. However, the OnePlus 12 is still strong with some flagship-grade hardware from last year, and may be the better choice for anyone who is not looking for the added perks of the OnePlus 13, and would save some money instead.