OnePlus and Google have released brilliant premium smartphones in the form of the OnePlus 13 and Pixel 9 Pro XL. But how do their respective midrange alternatives compare?
While the OnePlus 13R received an admirable four-star rating from us, and was hailed as having the best screen on a mid-range phone, the Google Pixel 9a earned a near-perfect 4.5-star rating.
If you’re not sure how this translates to real-world use, we’ve compared our reviews of the two phones below to help you decide which is better suited for your needs. Keep reading to see who comes out on top in this battle of the mid-rangers.
If you want more inspiration, take a look at our hand-picked selection of the best mid-range smartphones that strike the balance between being functional and premium.
Price and Availability
The OnePlus 13R is the pricier of the two phones, with an RRP of £679 for its 12GB+256GB handset. However, it’s worth noting that we have already seen price drops and deals for the OnePlus 13R, so it is possible to pick it up for a cheaper price.
The Google Pixel 9a starts at £499 for its 128GB model and rises to £599 for double the storage at 256GB. Unlike the OnePlus 13R, which is only available in black or white, the Pixel 9a is available in four colours: Iris, Peony, Porcelain or Obsidian.
Design
- Both the OnePlus 13R and Pixel 9a have flat sides and edges
- The OnePlus 13R has the Alert Slider for quickly switching between silent, vibrate and loud
- Pixel 9a has an IP68 rating while OnePlus 13R only has a rating of IP65
The OnePlus 13R is the larger of the two, as it weighs 206g and sports a 6.78-inch screen, while the Pixel 9a weighs just 186g and has a 6.3-inch display. Otherwise, the two sport flat sides that make them both comfortable to hold.
Flip the phones over, and you’ll see a clear difference between them. While the OnePlus 13R sports a huge circular camera module that protrudes from its rear, the Pixel 9a’s dual camera housing sits near-flush on the back.
If you’re familiar with the Google Pixel series, from the Pixel 9 Pro XL way back to the Pixel 6, all have sported an iconic (or divisive) camera bar, so the omission here with the Pixel 9a marks a huge change.
Although both are mid-range phones, the Pixel 9a boasts flagship-level durability with an IP68 rating, which means it’s both dust-tight and water resistant. The OnePlus 13R, rather surprisingly, falls quite far behind in this regard. It comes with an IP65 rating, meaning it’s only protected from “water projecting in jets against the enclosure”.
Having said that, it’s worth mentioning that the OnePlus 13R boasts the stronger Gorilla Glass 7i, while the Pixel 9a relies on Gorilla Glass 3, which first launched in 2013.
Design: Google Pixel 9a
Screen
- OnePlus 13R offers a peak brightness of 4500 nits, ideal for HDR playback
- Display technologies like AquaTouch and RadiantView enhance the OnePlus 13R
- Pixel 9a has thick bezels surrounding the display
For a mid-ranger, the OnePlus 13R has a superb screen that we found looks brilliant across many environments. With a 2780×1264 resolution, pixel density of 450ppi and a peak brightness of 4,500 nits, the OnePlus 13R provides vibrant colours and detail, even when used outside.
It also sports features like RadiantView, which cleverly identifies the display’s greyscale value and boosts the brightness accordingly, and AquaTouch, which ensures the display responds to your touch even when it’s wet.
Comparatively, the Pixel 9a’s screen lets the phone down. Although it does have a solid 2,700nits peak brightness, and its pOLED display means colours look vibrant, the screen itself is surrounded by very thick bezels that seriously date the phone.
Not only that, but despite promising an adaptive refresh rate of 60-120Hz, we found it tends to stick towards the latter which felt frustrating at times.
Winner: OnePlus 13R
Cameras
- OnePlus 13R has three rear cameras, including a 50MP telephoto lens
- Google Pixel 9a has just a dual camera set-up
- OnePlus 13R has a higher resolution selfie lens at 16MP
Unlike the OnePlus 12R, you’ll be pleased to know the OnePlus 13R doesn’t feature a pointless macro camera. While it still has three rear lenses, the phone is now made up of a 50MP main, 50MP telephoto sensor with 2x optical zoom and an 8MP ultrawide.
Although you’ll miss out on the Hasselblad collaboration of the OnePlus 13, the trio does an excellent job of tuning and processing, resulting in generally consistent shots with plenty of detail and accurate colours.
Although the Pixel 9a may not be as strong as pricier alternatives like the Pixel 9 Pro XL, in true Google form, it’s still a brilliant snapper. While at 48MP, its main lens is smaller than its predecessor, the Pixel 8a, the size of the sensor has increased up to 1/2.0 inches. This offers a boost to light, detail and colour.
Its accompanying ultrawide lens is also brilliant at capturing vibrant shots, although it does tend to struggle in low-light conditions.
We do wish the Pixel 9a came with a zoom lens, especially as we’ve seen one on the cheaper Nothing Phone 3a. Even so, overall the Pixel 9a is undoubtedly an impressive camera phone for its price tag.
Otherwise, the OnePlus 13R has a 16MP selfie lens, while the Pixel 9a’s is slightly smaller at 13MP. We found that both are capable of taking the odd selfie and video call in good lighting conditions, but for the best photos, we’d recommend using the main lenses instead.
Winner: Google Pixel 9a
Performance
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs Tensor G4 chipset
- OnePlus 13R has a cooling system to monitor and reduce heat levels
- Pixel 9a tends to get hot during gaming
Unlike its pricier sibling, the OnePlus 13R doesn’t run on the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite, instead opting for last year’s Qualcomm flagship: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. While this means the OnePlus 13R can’t go toe to toe with the best flagships of 2025, like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, it’s still a powerful phone that saw decent benchmarking results.
The OnePlus 13R is also fitted with a Dual Cryo-Velocity Vapor Chamber system that’s 9% larger than the OnePlus 12R’s own. This system monitors and reduces heat during gaming and other intensive tasks. Plus, there’s the OnePlus CPU Scheduler, which helps to squeeze out extra performance when playing compatible games too.
While hardcore gamers will likely prefer one of the best gaming phones, if you’re more of a casual user and need a phone that can do it all, the OnePlus 13R is undoubtedly a good alternative.
While the Tensor G4 chip in the Pixel 9a, and the rest of the Pixel 9 series for that matter, favours AI smarts over performance, it’s still a pleasure to use in everyday use. Even when gaming, we found minimal lag or stutter, although we did note that the phone tends to get hot after a while.
Winner: OnePlus 13R
Software and AI
- Pixel 9a is promised up to seven years of OS upgrades, while the OnePlus 13R is only promised four
- Both handsets run on Android 15
- Both are fitted with AI tools
Both the OnePlus 13R and Pixel 9a run Android 15 and are packed with numerous AI tools. With the OnePlus 13R, most AI features are built into the operating system and apps; Gemini sits on the lock screen, while the AI photo editing tools are found in the camera edit settings.
Like the Pixel 9a, you’ll also have access to Circle To Search and PassScan on the OnePlus 13R, alongside an AI Notes app for summarising and formatting text.
The Pixel 9a, on the other hand, boasts most of the AI tools found across the entire Pixel 9 series. This includes tried-and-tested photo editing tools like Magic Editor, Call Screening and Circle To Search, alongside the Pixel 9 Add Me tool and built-in Gemini.
Plus, the Pixel 9a benefits from up to seven years of OS upgrades, among the best in the market. The OnePlus 13R, on the other hand, offers only up to four years of software updates and six years of security patches.
Winner: Pixel 9a
Battery life
With a massive 6,000mAh battery capacity, the OnePlus 13R could easily work as a two-day phone, depending on your usage. In fact, we found that during busy days, the handset still had around 40% of battery remaining at the end of the day.
Although the Pixel 9a’s battery is smaller, at 5,100mAh, we found it to be one of the most long-lasting Pixels we’ve ever tested, which is surprising considering it’s a mid-ranger.
Whether the Pixel 9a lets itself down is its charging support. The OnePlus 13R has support for 80W SuperVOCC, although you will need a compatible OnePlus or Oppo adaptor to really benefit from these speeds. The Pixel 9a only supports a measly 23W.
However, it’s worth noting that without a SuperVOOC charger, there isn’t a huge discrepancy between the two, as the OnePlus 13R took an hour and 30 minutes to reach 100% while the Pixel 9a took an hour and 48 minutes.
Finally, while the OnePlus 13R doesn’t have wireless charging support, the Pixel 9a has support for 7.5W Qi charging.
Winner: Pixel 9a
Verdict
It’s fair to say that both the OnePlus 13R and Pixel 9a are brilliant mid-range Android phones. However, with stronger cameras, impressive AI capabilities and up to seven years of OS upgrades, the Pixel 9a is a brilliant choice for anyone who wants a phone that lasts.
Having said that, the OnePlus 13R has the edge when it comes to gaming, thanks to its cooling chamber, and boasts one of the best screens we’ve seen in a mid-ranger. The Pixel 9a does tend to heat up, and really lets itself down with its thick bezels.
If you still aren’t convinced by the two, then make sure you visit our best mid-range smartphones and best smartphones guides to see your alternative options.
