OnePlus 13 Targets Passionate Photographers With Impressive Hasselblad Camera System

Jan 07, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A smartphone partially submerged in water, displaying its rear camera setup with four lenses and a branded logo. The background features rippling water with reflections of orange and yellow lights, creating a vibrant contrast.

After a series of teasers, OnePlus has officially unveiled not only the flagship OnePlus 13 smartphone but the OnePlus 13R, a budget-friendly alternative. Both models emphasize photography features and have been co-developed with legendary camera brand Hasselblad.

OnePlus 13: A Stylish Flagship With a Powerful Camera System

The OnePlus 13 features the swift Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile platform, the most powerful Snapdragon yet. With up to 16GB of RAM and OnePlus’ impressive Dual Cryo-Velocity vapor chambers, the OnePlus 13 promises class-leading speed, impressive efficiency, and reliable performance.

While all this power is great, mobile photographers want to know: What about the cameras? The OnePlus 13 features a fifth-generation Hasselblad for Mobile triple camera system, including a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-808 main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide imager, and a 50-megapixel 3x Triprism Telephoto camera that uses an AI Telephoto mode to extend the zoom out to 10 times.

A person with glasses is taking a photo with a smartphone of a smiling person in yellow, set against a backdrop of a clear blue sky and palm trees.

“This device has also been tuned to take excellent shots at high speed,with its Dual Exposure Algorithm, Clear Burst and Action Mode to help take perfect photos of fast moving cars, people or pets,” OnePlus promises.

Diving deeper, the main camera features a Type 1/1.4 sensor paired with an f/1.6 lens. When shooting in low light, the camera uses pixel binning to create larger 2.24μm photosites.

The ultra-wide camera uses a Samsung Isocell JN5 sensor and delivers a 120-degree field of view. It is a relatively small sensor — Type 1/2.75.

The telephoto camera — the primary differentiator between the OnePlus 13 and the 13R — uses Sony’s relatively new LYT-600 sensor, a Type 1/1.95 chip. When using the optical 3x zoom, photographers have a 73mm equivalent focal length in terms of field of view, which is a good choice for portraiture.

A blue smartphone with a metal camera housing and three lenses is wrapped in a matching blue fabric against a gradient blue and black background. The brand logo is visible on the back of the phone.

This is a significant area concerning Hasselblad’s involvement with OnePlus. The OnePlus 13 features an upgraded Hasselblad Portrait Mode, which, like prior iterations, can replicate the look and bokeh qualities of legendary Hasselblad lenses, like the XCD 30 and 65 primes and the 90V. There are three new filters, each designed to replicate classic film styles.

The telephoto camera is the star of the show in terms of technology. Traditional periscope lenses, while impressive, require a fair bit of space to operate. OnePlus calls its “Triprism” design groundbreaking, citing the design’s ability to bend light in a compact space. Light is reflected three times inside the module, and the telephoto lens is 24% smaller and 30% lighter than traditional periscope lenses. It still maintains a reasonably bright f/2.6 aperture and includes optical image stabilization.

Additionally, the OnePlus 13 features an array of new photo features including what OnePlus calls the “Dual Exposure Algorithm.” This promises to “revolutionize” burst photography and make capturing sharp images of fast action easier. To use this feature, photographers press and hold the phone’s dedicated shutter button, and that’s it. Compared to typical burst modes, which rely on single-frame image capture, the Clear Burst in the OnePlus 13 uses the Dual Exposure Algorithm to shoot two images simultaneously, ensuring that even frames from a fast sequence feature HDR.

A person holds a white smartphone with a multi-lens camera, surrounded by floating objects including keys, a comb, and coins. The scene appears dynamic, as if the items are suspended in mid-air.

When HDR is not required, an improved Action Mode promises even swifter shooting speeds — doubling the continuous capture from 30 to 60 frames per second.

OnePlus has long offered mobile photographers extensive control over their images, and the OnePlus 13 is no exception. Using the device’s Master Mode, users can adjust tint, contrast, saturation, sharpness, and vignetting while also maintaining control over exposure and camera settings.

As for video, the OnePlus 13 is quite impressive, too. The smartphone records 4K/60p video with Dolby Vision HDR. When shooting video, users can freely swap between all three of the device’s lenses, as they’re all capable of delivering the same video specs.

Close-up view of three OnePlus 13 Series smartphones in different colors. The back features a prominent camera module. The display on one phone shows the phrase "Never Settle." Co-developed with Hasselblad is mentioned above.

Rugged Design

Thanks to its triprism lens, the OnePlus 13 is very thin. The phone is just 8.5 millimeters thick and weighs a mere 210 grams. The device features quad-curved glass, meaning the edges are rounded and more comfortable to hold than the OnePlus 12.

The OnePlus 13 has a 6.8-inch QHD+ (3,168 by 1,440) display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The HDR display offers 1,600 nits of peak brightness during everyday use and up to 4,500 nits in limited scenarios. OnePlus has spent significant effort making the screen easier to see outdoors, including all-new RadiantView technology to improve readability under sunlight. Like some recent OnePlus devices, it also works when wet or when the user wears gloves.

Two smartphones, one blue and one white, are submerged underwater, showcasing their waterproof feature. Each phone has a quad-camera setup on the back, and bubbles are visible around them.

The smartphone is IP68 and IP69 rated. While IP68 is very practical, meaning the OnePlus 13 can survive 30 minutes of submersion at 1.5 meters of depth, the IP69 rating is quite unusual for a smartphone and overkill for most users. This high rating means the phone can withstand jets of water, including hot water. Users could theoretically put the phone in the average dishwasher, and it would be fine.

The OnePlus 13 comes in three colorways: Midnight Ocean, Arctic Dawn, and Black Eclipse. The Midnight Ocean option, a rich blue, features an industry-first microfiber vegan leather, which is exceptionally soft to the touch and resistant to fingerprints and abrasions. The Arctic Dawn is also notable thanks to its industry-first surface-based glass coating, which promises a shimmering appearance under sunlight.