The OnePlus 13T is set to be officially announced on April 24 in China. As is often the case with major smartphone releases, there’s not much mystery left. Between official teasers, benchmark listings, and the usual stream of tipster leaks, we already have a fairly complete picture of what the device will offer.
From the looks of it, it’s clear that 13T is a “compact flagship” from OnePlus. However, in 2025, the term “compact” is a bit more flexible.
With a 6.31-inch display and a 6,000mAh+ battery, this phone isn’t exactly pocket-sized. But it’s smaller than many ultra-large slab phones on the market. So, let’s see what this device has to offer.
1. A Redesigned Flagship
OnePlus has shared a few official images of the 13T, and if you’ve seen any recent renders or leaked videos, there are no major surprises. The device will come in three finishes—Morning Mist Grey, Heart Beating Pink, and Cloud Ink Black—each wrapped around a flat metal frame and a glass back.
The sides are squared off, and the camera bump has been reworked into a “squircle” shape that’s less protrusive than past designs. It is still prominent enough to be an identity of its own. But the new camera module design makes 13T look eerily similar to Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Lite from a few years ago rather than previous OnePlus flagships.
Anyway, the rear housing contains two main camera lenses and an LED flash, though there are chances we could see a third sensor in the mix.
It’s also worth noting that OnePlus’ signature alert slider will be replaced with a new customizable “smart button.” The company hasn’t gone into much detail about how it works, but a feature teased on Weibo suggests it may serve as a shortcut for gaming-related functions, such as live screenshot capture.
2. Compact, But Not Underpowered
Internally, the OnePlus 13T doesn’t appear to cut many corners. It’s said to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and either 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. On the software side, it will ship with Android 15 (under the ColorOS 15 skin in China),
The device recently showed up on AnTuTu with a score exceeding 3 million points. That’s a new high mark for compact flagships. So you can be sure that you will receive top-tier performance despite the device’s compact size.
Thermals are often a weak point in smaller devices, but OnePlus is set to introduce a new “Glacier Cooling System” on the 13T along with changes in internal layout to expand the heat dissipation area.
3. A Massive Battery in a Small Body
Possibly the most standout feature of the OnePlus 13T is the battery. The phone is said to house a 6,200mAh cell, which is significantly larger than what you get on a full-blown flagship like the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
And OnePlus China’s president, Louis Lee, also claims the battery’s high capacity doesn’t come at the cost of ergonomics. Lee even showed off the phone balancing on a pen to highlight its 50:50 weight distribution.
The large battery is all thanks to the silicon-carbon tech, which has higher energy density than traditional lithium-ion cells. The battery will support 80W of wired charging, while there’s no mention of wireless charging yet.
4. Display and Cameras
Up front, the 13T is expected to use a 6.31-inch flat OLED panel with a 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.
On the camera side, OnePlus has officially confirmed the use of two 50-megapixel sensors on the rear. The main sensor is a Sony IMX906 with optical image stabilization, while the second is a telephoto lens offering 2x optical and 4x lossless zoom.
There’s still no confirmed information about the front-facing camera’s specs, though leaks suggest it won’t be a major selling point.
5. A few extras
A few more features round out the known list. The OnePlus 13T is expected to debut a new gaming-focused Wi-Fi chip, labeled G1, which is supposed to improve connectivity for mobile titles. There’s also talk of enhanced haptics, more granular performance controls, and IP rating. However, these haven’t been confirmed by the company yet.
The phone weighs around 185 grams, which, for the size and battery capacity, is on the lighter side.
6. Verdict
The OnePlus 13T is the company’s first real attempt at a compact flagship. And it looks like OnePlus knows exactly what it’s getting into. Downsizing a high-end phone to a smaller size usually means trade-offs, but the 13T seems ready to tackle most of them head-on.
From its new cooling system to a more balanced design, OnePlus appears to be trying to solve the typical issues that plague smaller phones. But with no wireless charging, no ultrawide camera, and no global launch confirmed, the 13T also comes with caveats.
We’ll know more after April 24, when the device is officially unveiled in China. We will keep you in the loop on that.
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