OnePlus 13R

At Rs. 149,999, the OnePlus 13R is good value if performance, display quality and battery life matter most. It pairs a previous-generation flagship chip with 12GB RAM, UFS 4.0 storage, a bright LTPO AMOLED screen and a 6000mAh battery, a combination that is hard to find at this price.

• Strengths: smooth high-frame-rate gaming, excellent display, all-day battery, fast 80W charging, aluminium frame and glass back
• Weaknesses: inconsistent main camera, weak 8MP ultrawide, 1080p-only selfie video, splash-level water protection, low fingerprint position

The Realme GT 7 costs Rs. 199,999 and mainly adds a bigger battery, faster charging and stronger water and dust protection, not better cameras or a big jump in speed.

Verdict: a strong buy for gamers and heavy users. Buyers who put photography first should look at camera-focused phones instead.

The 13R has a 6.78-inch LTPO 4.1 AMOLED panel with 1264 x 2780 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It is very bright, with a 4500 nits peak rating, so it stays easy to read outdoors. Colours are well calibrated out of the box, and 10-bit colour keeps gradients smooth.

• HDR10+ and Dolby Vision work on streaming apps, which makes it a very good screen for films and series
• The LTPO panel changes its refresh rate automatically and handles this well, keeping scrolling smooth without wasting battery
• Touch response is excellent, which helps in fast games
• 2160Hz PWM dimming is meant to reduce flicker at low brightness
• The stereo speakers are very loud with plenty of bass, though treble is less polished

The glass is Gorilla Glass 7i, a step down from the Victus 2 on the older OnePlus 12R. The in-display fingerprint sensor sits low on the screen, which some people find a stretch to reach.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is last year's flagship chip, but it still feels very fast. Apps open quickly, animations are smooth and 12GB RAM handles multitasking with ease. Storage is UFS 4.0, although its random read and write speeds trail the OnePlus 13, which mainly shows when installing and opening apps.

• PUBG runs at 120fps with almost no lag
• Genshin Impact runs at a smooth 60fps on the highest settings with excellent stability
• Against the OnePlus 13, the 13R runs a few degrees warmer in PUBG and is slightly slower in busy multiplayer scenes, a gap mostly competitive players will notice

With this chip, the 13R should stay quick for the next three to four years. The vibration motor is less refined than on the OnePlus 13, so typing feedback feels less premium.

The camera is the 13R's biggest compromise. The 50MP main camera can take sharp, detailed photos with wide dynamic range, but results are inconsistent: whites and exposure are often off, and bright highlights are not always held back.

• Ultrawide: the 8MP ultrawide gives soft photos with limited detail and dynamic range
• 2x telephoto: useful for portraits, with sharp subjects and good background blur, though many would prefer a 3x lens for portraits
• Colour consistency: the three cameras use different sensors, so colours change noticeably when you switch lenses
• Video: the main camera records up to 4K at 60fps with good colour, contrast and highlight control, but the ultrawide cannot record 4K, so you cannot switch lenses during 4K recording
• Selfies: the 16MP front camera takes vibrant photos with good dynamic range, but video is limited to 1080p

The cameras are fine for casual use, but they are closer to a cheaper mid-range phone than to a flagship.

The OnePlus 13R has a 6000mAh battery, and endurance is one of its best points. With about an hour of gaming, plenty of camera use and video streaming, it gives a screen-on time of 8 to 9 hours, enough for a full day of heavy use.

It supports 80W wired charging, reaching 50% in 20 minutes and a full charge in under an hour. Wireless charging is not part of its specs.

Charger availability depends on the market. Indian units include an 80W charger, but OnePlus's global box list shows only a cable, so confirm with the seller what comes in the box before you buy.

The phone runs OxygenOS 15 on Android 15, and OnePlus promises 4 major Android upgrades, which takes it up to Android 19. That long update promise matters for buyers who keep a phone for several years.

• The software feels fast and smooth in daily use
• Some preinstalled apps come with the phone, but they can be disabled in a couple of taps
• Make sure you buy the global OnePlus 13R running OxygenOS so that updates arrive normally