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OnePlus 13R after 6 months – Amazon Prime Day Sale: Yes or No?

OnePlus 13R after 6 months – Amazon Prime Day Sale: Yes or No?
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Six months later, the OnePlus 13R still hits hard—flagship vibes, killer battery, smooth AF performance. And now with a ₹3K drop + free Buds 3 for Prime Day? This one’s a steal.
Impressive
Key Specifications
₹39,999.00
Category Key Specifications
Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM + Storage Up to 16 GB RAM + 512 GB Storage
Display 6.78-inch 120Hz AMOLED
Camera 50MP + 50MP 2X Tele + 8MP UW
Front Camera 16MP
Battery + Charging 6000mAh + 80W
IP Rating IP 65

Reviews
Design
8/10
Display
9/10
Performance
9/10
Cameras
8/10
Software
9/10
Battery
8/10
Pros
  • Excellent display quality
  • Flagship-grade performance
  • Great build quality
  • Solid battery life
  • Clean smooth OS
Cons
  • No wireless charging
  • Rivals offer better update cycle
  • Ultrawide camera could do with some work

We gave the OnePlus 13R a glowing review when it first launched back in January. And honestly, that didn’t come as a surprise.

OnePlus has been refining this formula for years now — packing last year’s flagship hardware into a more affordable package and selling it under the “R” lineup.

But here’s the real question: six months in, after using it as my daily driver, has the experience held up? Or have the cracks started to show?

And with Amazon Prime Day, there’s a new reason to pay attention. The 13R is dropping ₹3,000 during the sale, bringing it down from ₹42,999 to ₹39,999. Plus, OnePlus is tossing in a free pair of OnePlus Buds 3 — which, by the way, are excellent earbuds.

So, let’s talk about what the OnePlus 13R is like to live with after half a year.

Design

The design of the 13R isn’t revolutionary, but it still feels premium. Flat aluminum sides, rounded corners, and Gorilla Glass 7i on both the front and back make this thing durable. I’ve dropped it a couple of times — with and without a case — and there’s not a scratch in sight.
That said, the flat edges can dig into your hand during long gaming or scrolling sessions. The included case helps, but without it, the sharp edges are noticeable.

And while OnePlus has saved some of its hardware experiments for newer models — like the so-called OnePlus Key — I’m glad the iconic alert slider is still here. It’s one of those small, thoughtful touches I end up using every single day. Not everything needs to be reimagined.

Display

Now, the display on the 13R is where this phone punches far above its weight. It’s a flat, 6.78-inch AMOLED LTPO panel with super-thin, uniform bezels. Colors pop, HDR content looks fantastic thanks to Dolby Vision support, and it gets bright enough to handle direct sunlight.

I’ve tested plenty of midrange phones this year, but the 13R’s screen still feels like one of the best in its class. My only nitpick is that the fingerprint sensor sits a little too low for my liking.

The display is backed by a stereo speaker setup that gets impressively loud, and even without Dolby Atmos support, there’s little to complain about.

Performance & Software

Under the hood, the 13R is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB UFS 4.0 storage on the base model.

And honestly? It’s overkill in the best possible way.

Six months in, this phone hasn’t slowed down once. Games like BGMI and Genshin Impact run flawlessly at high settings, and multitasking is effortless.

Just to back up what we’re saying about performance, take a look at the AnTuTu scores. We ran the test when we first reviewed the phone and again recently after the latest update. And as you can see there is a significant jump in the overall score — and the CPU score is now nearly double what it was before.

In real-world use — even during gaming — it mostly stays under 40 degrees Celsius and never feels uncomfortably warm in the hand.

OnePlus is also promising four years of Android updates and six years of security patches. That’s solid, but it’s worth mentioning that Google and Samsung are now pushing seven years of updates on their flagships.

What makes the software experience great, though, is OxygenOS 15. It’s lightweight, smooth, and packed with thoughtful features. The ability to swap icon packs without switching launchers, and swiping with three fingers or dragging apps from the Smart Sidebar are things I miss on a lot of other phones.

By the way, this is the most recent update we’ve received on the phone, and it’s genuinely made a noticeable difference to network quality. Earlier, I was experiencing random dropped calls far more often than I’d like, but that issue seems to be resolved now.

I wouldn’t say the 13R is completely free of third-party apps, but the good news is that pretty much anything preloaded can be uninstalled without hassle.

As for the haptics? Perfect. Sharp, precise, and deeply satisfying. Nothing more to add—some things don’t need paragraphs of praise.

There’s also a lot of AI baked in. Some features are forgettable, but tools like AI Eraser and Circle to Search have actually been useful in my daily routine.

Battery

The battery on the 13R is a beast. At 6,000mAh, it’s a good sized brick, and it shows. Even on heavy-use days — think hours of video calls, gaming, and scrolling — I still end with around 20 per cent left. On lighter days, I can unplug at 7AM and not even think about charging until midnight, with nearly half the battery still in the tank.

The one miss here is wireless charging. You’ll have to plug in the old-fashioned way. But with OnePlus’ 80W fast charger included in the box, that’s hardly a deal-breaker. A full top-up takes under an hour.

Cameras

Finally, let's talk about cameras. The 13R gets a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP 2x telephoto, and an 8MP ultrawide. After a couple of system updates, I haven’t noticed any big changes to photo processing — which means the experience is still consistent.

The main camera produces sharp, vibrant shots with slightly warmer tones and good dynamic range. The telephoto lens is excellent for portraits, with natural-looking background blur and plenty of detail.

The ultrawide is the weakest link here. It’s fine for casual shots but lacks the color accuracy and sharpness of the main sensor.

For video, the 13R can shoot 4K at 60fps on the main lens, and stabilization is solid. The ultrawide video caps out at 1080p 30fps, which feels like an afterthought.

Selfies are reliable too, with decent detail and accurate skin tones as long as you’re in good light.

Verdict

So, six months in, the OnePlus 13R still feels like one of the best midrange Android phones you can buy. It nails the basics — performance, battery life, display quality, and software.

Sure, it’s not perfect. Wireless charging is missing, the ultrawide camera isn’t anything special, and the software update policy isn’t best-in-class. But for most people, these are mostly small issues for what you get overall.

At ₹39,999 during Prime Day, with a free pair of OnePlus Buds 3, this feels like a no-brainer for anyone looking for a phone that’ll stay fast for years without draining your wallet.

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