The OnePlus 13 is confirmed to be on the way, with one major upgrade

OnePlus 12 from the back in Flowy Emerald color
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

A high-ranking OnePlus executive has confirmed that the OnePlus 13 is on the way, with some major upgrades over the company’s previous OnePlus 12 flagship.

Head of OnePlus China Louis Lee (also known as Li Jie Louis) took to Weibo to deliver an update on the long-rumored phone, saying that the OnePlus 13 will come equipped with the “latest Snapdragon flagship chip”.

Android Authority speculates that this chip will likely be the rumored Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, though there’s a smaller chance that the post refers to the currently available Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Lee’s Wiebo post also notes that the OnePlus 13 will run ColorOS15, the Android wrapper used by Oppo and OnePlus phones in China. OnePlus phones use the similar OxygenOS wrapper in the rest of the world.

The post seems to confirm that the OnePlus 13 will launch “this month”, but because of the mention of ColorOS we think this refers to a China-only release date.

This tracks with OnePlus’ previous launch strategy: the OnePlus 12 was released in China in December 2023, with a global launch following in January of this year.

OnePlus 13 display rumors

Lee’s announcement follows months of rumors and leaks pertaining to the OnePlus 13, and one of the latest appears to list the display specs of the upcoming flagship.

Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station claims the OnePlus 13 will ship with an LTPO OLED display at a 2K resolution, with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The leaker also says the display's brightness will be “greatly improved”, and that the display will cover an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.

Digital Chat Station adds that OnePlus may have redesigned the internal circuitry of the screen, though we don’t know what effect this will have yet.

This latest leak builds on a prior announcement from Lee, confirming that the OnePlus 13 will use the BOE X2 micro-curved display, slightly curved on all sides to provide better comfort in the hand.

In our OnePlus 12 review we called the company’s most recent flagship “the coolest phone you can buy”. It tops our list of the best OnePlus phones, and anticipation for its follow-up is high.

For now, though, the above is based on semi-official announcements and unofficial rumors, so be sure to keep up with our phones coverage for the latest updates.

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Jamie Richards
Mobile Computing Staff Writer

Jamie is a Mobile Computing Staff Writer for TechRadar, responsible for covering phones and tablets. He’s been tech-obsessed from a young age and has written for various news and culture publications. Jamie graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Since starting out as a music blogger in 2020, he’s worked on local news stories, finance trade magazines, and multimedia political features. He brings a love for digital journalism and consumer technology to TechRadar. Outside of the TechRadar office, Jamie can be found binge-watching tech reviews, DJing in local venues around London, or challenging friends to a game of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.