It seems like only yesterday that I joined the waiting list for the OnePlus One, desperately desiring to have that smartphone in my hands. It never happened, but I’m glad to see that the company has survived all this time, releasing the OnePlus 13 in China last month. The OnePlus 13R was nowhere to be seen though.
That doesn’t mean that the lower-end model won’t be making an appearance. In fact, we might have gotten our first look at it, thanks to a leak of the China-only OnePlus Ace 5, on which the Chinese manufacturer is extremely likely to base the 13R. Let’s talk about the things that we know at this point.
The Likely Design Of The OnePlus 13R Has Been Leaked And There Is One Big Change
The OnePlus 13R is going to be the lower-end companion device to OnePlus’s flagship 13. However, while it won’t be as powerful, it’d be a bit unfair to say it isn’t a flagship device because it certainly is. In global markets, it will launch right alongside the 13, though in China, the OnePlus 13 has launched already. The “OnePlus 13R” will likely launch as the OnePlus Ace 5 in that region, and before the end of the year.
The OnePlus Ace 5 is what we’re going to be focusing on though, as an image of it has just leaked over on Weibo, and from the reputable Digital Chat Station. There are a few changes, but the most notable of which has to be the fact that the device will be moving to a flat screen. That’s good news to people like me, who fell out of love with curved displays. Generally, a lot of manufacturers seem to be moving away from them.
However, that’s not the entire thing, as the back panel also loses any curvature towards the sides, for a device that’s flat on the front, flat on the back, and has a flat frame too.
The OnePlus 13R Might Also Mark A Mainstream Return To Ceramic
According to the same post from Digital Chat Station, it seems that the OnePlus 13R will have a glass front and a metal frame, as expected, but the back panel will be made of ceramic—a material that we very rarely see on smartphones these days. Plus, it is expected for the standard model too.
It is not the first time that OnePlus has played around with ceramic, as the OnePlus X, if you remember that device, had a limited-edition ceramic version.
The OnePlus Ace 5 Will Be Coming With Last Year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
We expect new flagships to come with whichever chip is considered to be the latest flagship option for that year, whether the OEM opts for MediaTek or Qualcomm. However, in the case of the OnePlus Ace 5, it seems the manufacturer will settle with last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
It’s hardly a shabby chip, so there shouldn’t be much to complain about, but it is bound to be an unpopular choice. We’re also expecting a 6,000mAh battery, which would make sense, considering current battery trends.
