Abstract
- Rumors suggest that the OnePlus 13 could swap wireless charging for a massive 6,000mAh battery.
- The company just brought back wireless charging to its phones with the OnePlus 12, after missing it for nearly two years with new hardware.
- The OnePlus 13 could feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip, 100W wired charging and a 2K LTPO display, but could ditch the curved panels for a flat display.
OnePlus couldn’t decide on wireless charging. From being one of the best features of the OnePlus 8 Pro to being completely missing from phones like the OnePlus 11 and OnePlus Open, it never seems to be a high priority for the brand. With this year’s OnePlus 12, fast wireless charging is back in full force, surpassing even the wired charging speeds of its closest competitors. Next year’s expected OnePlus 13, however, could once again miss out on wireless charging, all because of one of the largest batteries ever placed in a mainstream smartphone.
Should you buy the OnePlus 12 or wait for the OnePlus 13?
You probably shouldn’t wait for the next generation unless you have to
This rumor comes from well-known tipster Digital Chat Station (via Android Authority ), suggesting that OnePlus wants to ditch its wireless charging capabilities instead of offering a massive 6,000mAh battery. That’s bigger than the 5,400mAh battery found in the OnePlus 12 and much bigger than the 5,000mAh battery you’ll find in the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Considering OnePlus devices are already battery champs, this could be a big enough capacity to stretch to three days without breaking a sweat – but it could come at the cost of wireless charging.
Source: Weibo
Along with that battery, we’re looking at Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, 100W wired charging speeds — though those will likely drop to around 80W in the US — and a 2K LTPO display that Digital Chat Station, in translation, calls «real» with «micro-curved glass cover». That sounds like OnePlus might finally ditch its curved panels for a flat display with 2.5D glass bezels, though we’ll have to wait for more design information to leak out to know for sure. All that, plus the same triple camera setup as the OnePlus 12, with minor changes to the device’s periscope lens.
OnePlus can’t opt for wireless charging
From the OnePlus 8 Pro onward, the company’s flagship devices have had ultra-fast wireless charging for several years, outperforming virtually every other company sold in the US. But since the launch of the OnePlus 10T, it’s clear that OnePlus has deprioritized the feature internally, instead opting to lower the price of its hardware while missing out on what many consider a must-have feature. Wireless charging only returned on this year’s OnePlus 12, and we hoped it would expand to future flagships and foldable devices.
While the OnePlus 13’s larger battery and 100W fast wired charging can satisfy the needs of most users, there are plenty of buyers who appreciate the freedom to choose between a wired and wireless charger. And given that no other company — including Samsung and Google — comes close to offering the wireless charging speeds that OnePlus uses on its phones, it will be pretty disheartening if it disappears from the device once again. If you want wireless charging, it might be worth picking up this year’s phone instead of waiting for next year’s flagship.
OnePlus 12
The OnePlus 12 builds on the OnePlus 11 in all key areas. While the design remains unchanged, the phone has a larger 6.82-inch display with an incredible 4500 nits peak brightness. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip inside the phone is more powerful and at the same time 10% more energy efficient. This is supported by a larger 5400mAh battery with 100W fast charging.