Though we don’t have a date yet, we know that the OnePlus 13 is expected to release at some point later this month. We’ve been served up with a lot of leaks regarding the upcoming flagship, showing us that it is about to be a pretty killer option for anyone looking for a solid spec sheet.
One leak that we saw a lot of was that the smartphone was going to shake up its design, which is certainly something I was looking forward to. However, at this point, it seems that was simply a misguided rumor if a recent leak is to be believed. The OnePlus 13 might look a lot like the last two flagships from the Chinese OEM.
The OnePlus 13 Looks Like Its Design Will Be Only Minimally Different From The OnePlus 12
We’ve been waiting for our first glimpse at the design of the OnePlus 13. It’d be really nice to have a face to put to all the insane leaks that have been tied to the upcoming smartphone. It is expected to have a massive battery, a ridiculous amount of RAM, and the very best water resistance certification. Not bad. The only thing that hadn’t leaked to a satisfying extent was the design of the device, beyond a 2D schematic.
Well, we’ve finally gotten a look at what is allegedly the OnePlus 13, thanks to a leaker on Weibo, and I have to say… I’m disappointed. Perhaps it is my fault for being disappointed since I placed too much credence in what the leaks were saying would happen (by virtue, you should always take leaks with a pinch of salt, even from reliable sources). But yeah, the OnePlus 13 looks a lot like the OnePlus 12, and by extension, the OnePlus 11.
The general shape remains the same—can’t say that the corners become any rounder or more angular. The camera module also stays in the same offset spot but loses the metallic accent next to it on the back panel. That’s not surprising as it looks like the back panel has a wood finish this time. Instead, we get a metallic horizontal line cutting through the wood and running from the camera module to the device’s frame.
Expectations Aside, It Looks Good; Only Slightly Different From The Oppo Find X8
Here’s the thing, I expected different, but I think the device looks nice, at least in that black variant. I was hoping that OnePlus would choose this year for a more drastic switch-up, but it seems they have no such intentions for that yet.
As you might know, Oppo and OnePlus are very tightly related in the smartphone world. Above, you can see the Oppo Find X8 doesn’t look exactly like the OnePlus 13 (the white colorway looks a lot less exciting, at least in this low-res image) but they are pretty similar with large round camera modules and Hasselblad branding. If the OnePlus had a centered camera module, it might have been possible to mistake one for the other.
Considering this is showing an actual image of a device toted to be the OnePlus 13 and its launch is in at most, a matter of weeks, I’m going to assume this is the phone to expect. I’ll still be keeping my pinch of salt nearby though.
