OnePlus 13s is the compact powerhouse you didn’t know you needed

In a market obsessed with ‘bigger is better’, OnePlus has slipped something oddly refreshing into the flagship bloodstream – the compact OnePlus 13s. Don’t let the size fool you though; this thing comes loaded like a tech enthusiast’s dream checklist, minus the bloat (and surprisingly, the ultra-wide camera).

Launching at Rs 54,999, the 13s isn’t trying to redefine smartphones. But it’s clearly trying to refine what a flagship can feel like in 2025. It’s lighter, leaner, and a touch more intentional. Here’s everything you need to know.

OnePlus 13s: Everything you need to know

The OnePlus 13s is packed with flagship-level specs and minimal compromises. The 6.32-inch LTPO AMOLED display hits a rare, sweet spot. It’s compact enough to be one of the most pocket-friendly flagships on the market, but it’s not so small that it sours the phone’s content viewing experience.

The display is sharp with a 1.5K resolution, adaptive with 1–120Hz refresh rate support, and punchy with Dolby Vision and up to 1,600 nits peak brightness. And bezels? Well, they’re almost nonexistent.

Running the show is the 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, paired with 12GB RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. So, performance is as expected – buttery smooth, with headroom for gaming, multitasking, and AI tricks galore. Heat management is handled by a vapour chamber and graphite sheet combo.

Design-wise, it feels… holistic. Not too showy, not too minimalist. The balanced 185g weight, curved 2.5D glass, and 8.15mm thickness should make one-handed use a breeze. There’s a trio of finishes too – Black Velvet, Pink Satin, and a Green Silk edition just for India, which actually leans more towards the earthy tones rather than flashy.

Camera-wise, OnePlus makes a bold move. Instead of a triple setup, you get two solid 50MP sensors – one wide, one 2x telephoto, and, of course, a capable 32MP selfie cam. No ultra-wide, which might be a dealbreaker for some, but the main shooters should punch above their weight thanks to the quality of lenses used. And yes, 4K video across the board.

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The phone also has a new Plus Key, which is the company’s replacement for the beloved Alert Slider. The Plus Key is customisable and trigger everything from DND Mode to Gemini tools. Speaking of Gemini, the OnePlus 13s is actually the first phone to feature a lockscreen Gemini shortcut, beating even Google’s Pixel phones to it.

A 5,850mAh battery keeps the lights on. It’s massive for this form factor, and paired with 80W SuperVOOC charging, your phone should be juiced up in no time. Android 15 comes pre-installed, along with a generous promise of four years of OS updates and six years of security patches.

OnePlus 13s: Pricing and availability

The OnePlus 13s prices start at Rs 54,999 for the 12GB + 256GB model, with the top 12GB + 512GB variant priced at Rs 59,999. Price-wise, it straddles the sweet spot between the OnePlus 13R and OnePlus 13. As aforementioned, it’s available in three finishes – Black Velvet, Pink Satin, and the India-first Green Silk.

Sales go live on June 12 across online and offline retail platforms. Pre-bookings are now open at Rs 1,999.

There are also an array of launch sweeteners including Rs 5,000 off with SBI cards or exchange bonus, up to 15 months no-cost EMI, a free pair of OnePlus Nord Buds 3 (worth Rs 2,099), 180-day phone replacement plan, and a whopping three-year battery protection plan.

In a world full of flashy excess, the OnePlus 13s quietly nails the essentials, and then some. It’s a flagship for people who want the performance and polish, minus the unwieldy size. Is it on your wishlist? Drop a comment to let us know and stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma for the latest tech updates.