summary
- Rumors suggest that the OnePlus 13 may swap wireless charging for a massive 6,000mAh battery.
- The company has just brought back wireless charging to its phones with the OnePlus 12, after missing the new hardware for nearly two years.
- The OnePlus 13 may feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip, 100W wired charging and a 2K LTPO display, but it could ditch the curved panels for a flat screen.
OnePlus failed to decide on wireless charging. From being one of the best features of the OnePlus 8 Pro to being completely absent from phones like the OnePlus 11 and OnePlus Open, it never seems to be a big priority for the brand. With this year’s OnePlus 12, fast wireless charging is back in full force, even surpassing the wired charging speeds of its closest competitors. However, next year’s expected OnePlus 13 could once again miss out on wireless charging, all because of one of the biggest batteries ever to be housed 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 ), which suggests that OnePlus is looking to ditch its wireless charging capabilities in lieu of offering a massive 6,000mAh battery. That’s bigger than the 5,400mAh cell found in the OnePlus 12, and much bigger than the 5,000mAh battery found in the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Given that OnePlus devices are already battery champs, this might be a big enough capacity to last three days without breaking a sweat – but it could come at the cost of wireless charging.
Source: Weibo
Alongside that battery, we’re looking at a 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 translates as “straight” with a “micro-curved glass cover” . It sounds like OnePlus might finally ditch its curved panels for a flat screen with 2.5D glass bezels, though we’ll have to wait for more design leaks to know for sure. All this plus the same triple camera setup as the OnePlus 12, with minor changes to the device’s periscopic lens.
OnePlus can’t opt ​​for wireless charging
Starting with the OnePlus 8 Pro, the company’s flagships have featured ultra-fast wireless charging for several years, outperforming virtually every other company selling in the US. But since the launch of the OnePlus 10T, it’s clear that OnePlus prioritized this feature internally, instead opting to lower the price of its hardware while missing out on what many consider a must-have feature. It wasn’t until this year’s OnePlus 12 that we saw the return of wireless charging, and we hoped it would extend to future flagships and foldable devices.
While the OnePlus 13’s larger battery and fast 100W wired charging may satisfy the needs of most users, there are plenty of shoppers who appreciate the freedom to choose between a cable and a 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 devices again. If you want wireless charging, it might be worth picking up this year’s phone rather than waiting for next year’s flagship.
OnePlus 12
The OnePlus 12 builds on the OnePlus 11 in all key areas. While the design hasn’t changed, the phone has a larger 6.82-inch display with an insane peak brightness of 4,500 nits. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip inside the phone is more powerful and at the same time 10% more economical. This is helped by a larger 5,400mAh battery with 100W fast charging.