5 reasons why the OnePlus 13T should be your next phone

Summary

OnePlus has confirmed the existence of the OnePlus 13T (aka the OnePlus 13 mini), and it’s set to launch this April in China. Hopefully a global release will follow soon after.
The OnePlus 13T is rumored to have a 6.3-inch display, smaller than the OnePlus 13’s 6.82-inch display, and have bezels as slim as the iPhone 16 Pro.
The OnePlus 13T will have a new customizable side button that replaces the alert slider, similar to the iPhone’s Action Button.

OnePlus launched the OnePlus 13 in China last year and globally at the beginning of this year. Since then, it has received widespread acclaim from the Android community. The phone is arguably one of the best Android flagships available right now and offers significant value considering its $900 price tag, including the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a 6.82-inch AMOLED display.

While the OnePlus 13 is a strong all-around package, for those of us who prefer smaller handsets, the 6.82-inch display feels a bit too large. It would have been fantastic to see a smaller display option offered. OnePlus appears to have listened to concerns like mine, as well as those of many others, with the introduction of the OnePlus 13T (commonly known as the OnePlus 13 mini).

OnePlus confirmed the existence of the OnePlus 13T on April 1 (thankfully, it was not a joke), and since then, it has been teasing information about its upcoming flagship phone, rumored to be a smaller version of the OnePlus 13. Unlike the OnePlus 13R, which is a slightly smaller mid-range version of the OnePlus 13, the 13T is expected to retain more premium features. With the launch of the phone imminent, here are five exciting reasons why the OnePlus 13T should be your next smartphone.

OnePlus 13

The latest and greatest flagship handset from OnePlus, featuring the all-new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and IP69 water and dust resistance.

Brand: OnePlus
SoC: Snapdragon 8 Elite
Display: 6.82-inch, 3168 × 1440 pixel resolution (510ppi) 120Hz adaptive refresh
RAM: 12GB, 16GB
Storage: 256GB, 512GB
Battery: 6,000mAh

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5 A 6.3-inch display

Slim bezels like the iPhone 16 Pro

OnePlus / Unsplash / Pocket-lint

The most significant rumored difference between the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus 13T is the size of the display. While the OnePlus 13 features a 6.82-inch display, the OnePlus 13T is anticipated to have a 6.31-inch panel. Even with a reduced display size, the 13T is expected to maintain the same quality as the OnePlus 13’s screen, sporting an OLED panel, a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

For the 13T, it appears that OnePlus is taking a cue from Apple’s approach, given that it offers a 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro and a 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max, which are nearly identical to the sizes of the OnePlus 13T and OnePlus 13.

Li Jie, the president of OnePlus China, recently shared an image of the 13T on Weibo (as seen above), showcasing its display with slim bezels next to what appears to be the iPhone 16 Pro, all but confirming that its display will likely be the same 6.3-inch size. Jie referred to the OnePlus 13T as the “small screen king” (translated via Google Translate).

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4 Goodbye alert slider, hello Quick Key

Just like the iPhone’s Action Button

OnePlus / Unsplash / Pocket-lint

Jie wasn’t just teasing the size of the 13T’s bezels recently. He posted another image on Weibo, teasing the phone’s new customizable shortcut button (seen above). This button will essentially be similar to the iPhone’s Action Button and could be called “Quick Key” (via Android Headlines).

The Quick Key button will be located on the upper portion of the left-hand side of the phone, replacing the old alert slider. The button has significantly more functionality than the alert slider, enabling users to switch between various modes, such as mute, vibration, and ring. Alert sliders are becoming obsolete, and I’m glad to see OnePlus incorporating a button that users can customize to their liking instead.

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3 A larger battery

Smaller phone, larger battery

OnePlus / Unsplash / Pocket-lint

One of the most interesting rumors circulating about the OnePlus 13T is the size of its battery. The OnePlus 13 packs a 6,000mAh battery, whereas the OnePlus 13T is rumored to feature a larger 6,200mAh battery. The president of OnePlus China confirmed that the phone’s battery will start with a “6,” but didn’t spill the details on the exact number (via GSMArena).

Typically, when a company releases a smaller variant of its phone, it reduces the battery size. For instance, Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro has a smaller battery than the 16 Pro Max. Similarly, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 has a smaller battery than the S25+. It seems OnePlus is debunking the notion that a smaller phone necessitates a smaller battery. Google recently did the same thing with the Pixel 9a, providing a 5,100mAh battery for its mid-range phone, slightly larger than the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s 5,060mAh battery.

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2 A new color option

The OnePlus 13T will be available in pink

OnePlus / Unsplash / Pocket-lint

In the past, OnePlus hasn’t offered the brightest colors for its phones, but that will change for the OnePlus 13T. Once again drawing comparisons to the iPhone, Li Jie, president of OnePlus China, posted a teaser picture of the OnePlus 13T on Weibo, showcasing the phone’s light pink color scheme alongside the iPhone 16’s pink hue.

OnePlus has never really aimed for eye-popping colors like the iPhone, so it’s refreshing to see it mix things up for the OnePlus 13T. It seems that OnePlus wants people who gravitate toward the base model iPhone to give the 13T a shot, and offering a variety of striking color options could do the trick. It’s unclear what all the colors for the OnePlus 13T will be yet. Jie described the 13T as having “an unprecedented wonderful feel, which is very good and you can’t put it down” (translated via Google Translate).

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1 A powerful chipset

Hopefully, the phone releases outside of China

OnePlus / Unsplash / Pocket-lint

When it comes to power, the OnePlus 13T isn’t likely to compromise like the OnePlus 13R. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the exact same one found in the OnePlus 13, is expected to power the OnePlus 13T. So, if you were worried about performance due to its smaller size, you have nothing to worry about; leaked benchmarks indicate it is just as powerful.

The president of OnePlus China has announced that the OnePlus 13T is launching this April, but that’s likely just in China. Its global release is a bit uncertain at the moment, especially amidst the ongoing trade war between the US and China. Despite everything happening in the world right now, I really hope that OnePlus can release the phone in the US and other markets eventually. This is a compact flagship handset many OnePlus fans have been waiting for, and it would be a shame if it didn’t release outside of China. The cost of the phone hasn’t been revealed yet, but it will likely be lower than the $900 OnePlus 13.