As OnePlus 13s goes on sale, here are 13 reasons why this is a phone worth buying

India Today

12-06-2025

The OnePlus 13s is a small phone with big potential. This is thanks to its exquisite hardware. The phone packs Qualcomm's fastest chip, aka Snapdragon 8 Elite, and a massive 5,850mAh battery inside a super-thin and light chassis – not Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge thin and light, but formidable regardless. We have reviewed the 13s at length, so be sure to check the full write-up here. The long-story-short take is, we were absolutely blown away by this new OnePlus 13 series phone.advertisementIn this piece, we will give you a quick and rough idea about why the OnePlus 13s turned out to be a pleasant surprise, something which is frankly missing in today's highly commoditised smartphone space. The S25 Edge may be a peak into the future – or rather, one of the probable futures we might have – but the 13s is the first to bring at least some of those capabilities to the mass-market, so more people can access them today rather than wait for tomorrow. It is a big deal.This is because the 13s is more than the sum of its compact size, flagship chip and big battery capacity. It offers, or at least it tries to offer, the complete smartphone experience, which is to say that it takes all that powerful hardware and puts it to good, nay great use, so the overall experience is – as we call it with full conviction – a chef's kiss and a true masterclass in compact flagship phone design. It is the right phone at the right time and one can only hope that other brands will follow, but we'll see.As the OnePlus 13s goes on sale in India today, here are 13 reasons why this is a phone worth buying:advertisement
1. Ultimate compact flagship phone: The 13s delivers a high-end phone experience with all the bells and whistles you'd normally associate with a flagship phone in 2025 without being too big or cumbersome for daily use.2. Ultra-phone without the ultra-size: It packs flagship capabilities into a form factor that challenges the conventional wisdom that only large phones can have big features. It measures just 8.2 mm and weighs only 185 grams. What's more impressive – and a rare feat of engineering, might we add – is that OnePlus put a 6.32-inch display in a chassis which is roughly equivalent to a 6.1-inch phone.3. Large battery in a compact body: The 13s boasts a large 5,850mAh battery within this chassis, breaking the stereotype that small phones must compromise on battery capacity. There is a version of this phone in China which has an even more insane 6,260mAh battery thanks to Silicon-Carbon technology.4. Exceptional battery longevity: But that is okay. The 13s still has phenomenal battery life, consistently lasting more than a day, even under heavy use.5. Fast charging: The phone also supports 80W quick top-ups, with a full charge taking just under one hour and fifteen minutes.6. Very fast performance: Equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, the 13s maintains sustained performance consistently, even outperforming competitors (like the Samsung Galaxy S25, another compact flagship phone) in benchmarks.advertisement7. Efficient heat management: It can do that because of some clever under-the-hood engineering that has allowed OnePlus to put a large 3D Cryo-Velocity vapour chamber inside it so it cools down quickly even after extended periods of peak load.8. Bypass charging technology: OnePlus also allows you to directly charge the phone (bypassing the battery) during gaming, enhancing usability.9. OnePlus AI suite: The OnePlus 13s is the first phone to launch with OnePlus AI, a suite of AI applications with notable real-world use cases from search, call/meeting/video summarisation, to quick translations within third-party apps.10. The Plus Key: OnePlus has replaced the alert slider with a customisable button for shortcuts, including the 'Plus Mind' sandbox which lets you store screenshots and find information you're looking for through prompts and text.11. Stunning display: The 13s has a flat-out 6.32-inch LTPO OLED screen with super-slim bezels, offering an immersive visual experience.12. Thoughtful design and ergonomics: Finally – and most importantly – OnePlus has nailed the ergonomics on this phone. There is meticulous attention to detail, from the choice of colours, texture, to how the frame aligns with the front and the back, ensuring everything works together in perfect harmony with no loose ends or jagged edges. The OnePlus 13s is a 'feel good' phone, one that is hard to overlook and put down.13. Competitive pricing with strong software support: Despite the flagship specs, the phone is priced like a flagship killer. The base variant has 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. It is priced at Rs 54,999. For Rs 5,000 more, you can also double the storage to 512GB. OnePlus is committing to four years of major Android OS updates and six years of security patches. The software at large on this phone is clean and free of any dubious third-party bloatware.