OnePlus 13s: The latest OxygenOS update finally hit my OnePlus 13s last weekend, after weeks of checking for updates like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Was it worth the wait? Kinda. The new “Fluid Space” design language looks gorgeous, especially those bouncy animations when opening apps. But dig deeper and you’ll find the same old ColorOS DNA lurking beneath the surface. Some settings are still buried six menus deep, and the bloatware situation hasn’t improved – I counted 8 pre-installed apps I’ll never use. Battery optimization remains aggressive to the point of annoyance, killing my fitness tracker mid-workout three times last week despite being whitelisted. Performance feels snappier though, especially when juggling multiple heavy apps. Two steps forward, one frustrating step back – the OnePlus software story continues.
That Camera Bump – Love It or Hate It?
Let’s address the elephant in the room – that massive circular camera island dominating the back panel. It’s polarizing, to put it mildly. My wife thinks it looks like “an alien spaceship landed on your phone,” while my tech buddies are split 50/50 between “bold design statement” and “ugly as sin.” Personally, I’ve grown to appreciate its distinctiveness in a sea of same-looking slabs. It catches on my pocket sometimes, and collects dust around the edges that’s annoying to clean, but at least nobody mistakes my phone for an iPhone anymore. The forest green finish on my unit has developed a subtle patina after three weeks of caseless use – some might call it micro-scratches, I prefer “character building.”
Battery Life: The Endurance Athlete With Occasional Cramps
The 6,000mAh battery consistently delivers all-day power, even with my heavy usage patterns. I’m talking 8+ hours of screen time with mixed use – social media doom-scrolling, photography, YouTube binges, and occasional gaming sessions. Most days I go to bed with 30-40% remaining, which feels luxurious coming from my battery-anxious past. But there’s a weird quirk – using the camera heavily drains battery disproportionately fast. A 30-minute photo session at my nephew’s baseball game chewed through 22% battery. The 100W charging is properly quick though, delivering 0-70% in roughly 18 minutes (not quite the advertised 15, but close enough). Wireless charging tops out at 50W, which feels glacial after experiencing wired speeds, but it’s perfectly adequate for overnight top-ups.
Performance: Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 Shows Its Muscles, Mostly
Day-to-day performance is predictably stellar. Apps launch instantly, switching between a dozen open apps feels seamless, and even demanding games run buttery smooth – initially. The asterisk here is thermal management. After about 25 minutes of Genshin Impact at max settings, frame rates start dipping noticeably as the phone heats up. Not uncomfortably hot, but warm enough to impact performance. Less demanding titles like PUBG Mobile run flawlessly for hours. Benchmark scores are predictably impressive, though I’ve never understood people who judge phones by synthetic tests rather than actual usage. For 99% of tasks, this thing is absolute overkill in the best possible way.
Display: Finally Bright Enough for Actual Sunlight
OnePlus claims 3,000 nits peak brightness for the 13s’s LTPO4 AMOLED display, and for once, the marketing hype seems justified. I can actually read messages in direct Florida sunlight without squinting or seeking shade – a first for any phone I’ve owned. The 1-120Hz variable refresh rate adjusts seamlessly depending on content, preserving battery life while maintaining fluidity when needed. HDR content on Netflix and YouTube looks genuinely spectacular, with highlights that pop without crushing blacks. My only gripe is the curved edges occasionally registering phantom touches when I’m lying in bed, a perennial issue with waterfall displays that manufacturers stubbornly refuse to acknowledge.
Alert Slider: The Comeback Nobody Expected
After disappearing from several recent models, the beloved alert slider makes a triumphant return on the 13s. It’s slightly redesigned – shorter and with more tactile feedback between positions. The satisfying “click” when switching to silent mode remains one of those small pleasures that brightens my day. I’ve used it countless times in meetings, movie theaters, and when my mother-in-law calls (don’t tell her I said that). Why other Android manufacturers haven’t copied this feature remains one of life’s great mysteries. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference in daily usability.
OnePlus 13s Price Creep: Flagship Killer No More?
At $899 for the base model, OnePlus has completed its transformation from “flagship killer” to simply “flagship.” That’s a tough pill to swallow for long-time fans who remember when OnePlus devices cost half what comparable Samsung phones did. The price-to-performance ratio still beats Apple and Samsung, but the gap has narrowed considerably. The included charging brick and decent case somewhat soften the financial blow, but there’s no escaping that smartphone pricing across the board has become increasingly disconnected from manufacturing costs. For photography enthusiasts and power users, the 13s makes a compelling case. For everyone else, waiting three months for the inevitable price drop might be the smarter play.