The OnePlus 13R is a classic OnePlus that prioritizes performance over anything else. It’s the kind of phone you get for flagship-level power without the expensive price tag. The Galaxy A56, on the other hand, is Samsung doing what Samsung does best.
It’s also combining premium features into a more affordable package that works with its whole ecosystem. If you’re considering buying one but struggling to choose, let’s compare them to make the decision easier.
Specs overview: OnePlus 13R Vs Galaxy A56
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| Components | OnePlus 13R | Samsung Galaxy A56 |
| Display | 6.78″ LTPO 4.1 AMOLED, 120Hz, 1264 x 2780 pixels, HDR10+, Dolby Vision | 6.7″ Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 1080 x 2340 pixels |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm) | Exynos 1580 (4 nm) |
| RAM & Storage | 12GB or 16GB RAM; 256GB or 512GB storage (UFS 4.0) | 6GB, 8GB, 12GB RAM; 128GB, 256GB storage (UFS 3.1) |
| Main Camera | Triple: 50MP (wide, OIS) + 50MP (telephoto, 2x zoom) + 8MP (ultrawide) | Triple: 50MP (wide, OIS) + 12MP (ultrawide) + 5MP (macro) |
| Front Camera | 16MP | 12MP |
| Battery | 6000mAh; 80W wired charging, 50% in 20 minutes, 100% in 52/54 minutes | 5000mAh; 45W wired charging |
| Software | Android 15 with OxygenOS 15, up to 4 major Android upgrades | Android 15 with One UI 7, up to 6 major Android upgrades |
| Build & Extras | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 7i), aluminum frame, glass back, IP65 | Glass front and back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), IP67 water resistance |
| Price | Starting from $600 | Starting from $500 |
Design
The OnePlus 13R has a matte glass finish on the rear side, with the brand’s logo sitting in the center. It’s subtle and understated, without any unnecessary embellishments. It’s a minimalist design that still feels intentional and polished.
The standout feature on the back is the camera module, which has a large circular array positioned in the top left corner. It carries a triple-camera system with an LED flash, and they all have a symmetrical appearance.
The camera bump is pronounced, which may bother you if you’re particular about your phone being flat. But it’s not so excessive that it feels out of place. If you’re familiar with OnePlus devices, you’ll know that this circular design is consistent with their recent flagships.
The aluminum frame surrounding it has a slightly rounded profile. There are no sharp edges or unnecessary curves—only a straightforward and well-executed shape with all the necessary buttons on either side. On the front is a glass display made from Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i and a punch-hole camera cut out.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A56 follows Samsung’s typical modern aesthetic. The front is nearly all screen and has a centered hole-punch camera. It is protected from Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus+ material. But if you compare it with the Glass 7i on the OnePlus phone, Victus+ is stronger since it’s made from high-end aluminosilicate glass designed for flagship devices. The 7i glass is a lithium-aluminosilicate glass meant for budget and mid-range phones.
On the back of the Galaxy A56 is the same Victus+ finish and a triple-camera setup that’s vertically aligned on the left side. Unlike the regular design where the lenses blend into the back, Samsung has gone for a more pronounced look where the lenses are housed in a black bar that protrudes slightly. The LED flash sits to the right of the camera module outside the bar. The frame is also aluminum with buttons sitting on either side.
Beside each other, the Galaxy A56 is taller, wider, and lighter than the OnePlus 13R, with dimensions of 162.2 x 77.5 x 7.4 mm and a weight of 198g. The OP13R is more compact, with a dimension of 161.7 x 75.8 x 8 mm, and heavier, with a weight of 206g.
Related: OnePlus 13R Vs Galaxy S25 comparison
Display
The OnePlus 13R and the A56 both have AMOLED panels, but the OP13R uses LTPO 4.1 technology. This technology allows the phone to dynamically adjust the refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz. In simpler words, unlike the A56, it lowers refresh rates when displaying static content.
Samsung’s phone gives you the same smooth 120Hz experience but does not have the same level of adaptability. Scrolling on both will feel fluid, but the OP13R will conserve more battery when viewing still images.
It also pushes a peak brightness of 4500 nits, while the Galaxy A56 maxes out at 1900 nits. Yet again, it has a sharper 1264 x 2780 resolution and a pixel density of around 450 PPI, while the A56 has a 1080 x 2340 resolution with a 385 PPI color density.
Both phones will give you HDR10+, but you’ll get an addition of Dolby Vision, HDR Vivid, and Ultra HDR support. Dolby Vision is what adjusts color, brightness, and other factors on a per-scene basis, while all the HDR features basically make everything on screen look vibrant. The main area where the A56 is better equipped is in the screen. As mentioned before, its display is stronger.
Related: OnePlus 13 vs Galaxy S25+ comparison
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on the OP13R was basically the fastest chip you could get in an Android phone before the 8 Elite version. It may not be anymore, but it’s among the fastest. It has a Cortex-X4 prime core clocked at 3.3GHz and is backed up by three more performance cores at 3.2GHz, two at 3.0GHz, and then a couple of efficiency cores at 2.3GHz. That’s a setup designed to fly through any task you throw at it.
Samsung’s phone, on the other hand, uses the Exynos 1580 chip, which has a Cortex-A720 prime core at 2.9GHz, three more performance cores at 2.6GHz, and four efficiency cores at 1.9GHz. It’s missing the ultra-high-performance Cortex-X4 core, and the clock speeds across the board are lower.
In general use, both phones are going to feel fast. But because the Snapdragon has more muscle, you will notice a difference in heavy tasks, particularly in mobile gaming. If you also love taking pictures, it ties into the camera processing. Historically, Snapdragon chips are better at computational photography, and that’s showing up when processing high-res images, HDR, or even night shots.
Then, there’s the Adreno 750 GPU on the OP13R to discuss. It supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, handles high frame rates in demanding games, and generally delivers top-tier performance. The A56’s Xclipse 540 GPU is based on AMD’s Radeon DNA architecture, which is interesting because it also supports ray tracing. But it’s not as powerful or well-optimized in practice as the Adreno 750.
To make a long story short, the OnePlus 13R’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is built with power, while the A56’s Exynos 1580 is more of a balanced upper-midrange chip.
Related: Magic 7 Pro v Galaxy S25+ comparison
Memory and battery
Storage hoggers should go for the OP13R, where UFS 4.0 makes a real difference. With its speed, you’ll experience faster app launches and snappy overall system performance. Space starts at 256GB with 12GB RAM and maxes out at 512GB with 16GB RAM.
The Galaxy A56 sticks with UFS 3.1, which is a step behind. It’s fine for everyday use, but loading times, app installations, and file transfers won’t be as quick as they are on the OP13. The highest model offers 256GB with 12GB RAM, but it doesn’t go beyond that.
More storage configurations exist, starting at 128GB with 6GB RAM. But the top end is what matters most, and it still falls short of the OP13R. Neither has expandable storage, so what you buy is what you get.
As for the battery, the OP13R has 6,000mAh battery and automatically became a personal choice. That’s an all-day kind of battery and means more screen-on time for you. It also delivers 80W wired charging that supposedly reaches 50% in 20 minutes. A full charge should take around 54 minutes. Plug in while grabbing a snack, and you’re good for hours.
The A56 has a 5000mAh battery. It’s not small, but it’s a full 1,000mAh less than the other phone. It supports 45W wired, which is slower, and hits 65% in 30 minutes. It takes roughly 68 minutes to reach 100%. Neither phones have wireless charging.
Cameras
Camera specs can be misleading, especially when people always see high megapixels. If that’s what you’re after, then the OP13R will definitely catch your eye with its 50MP main camera and the 50MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. It sounds like a great deal on paper, but it can’t be overstated that megapixels aren’t everything. It’s not necessarily about how many pixels are crammed into the sensor, but how well those pixels capture light and detail.
The OP13R has a bigger sensor and OIS (optical image stabilization) and handles low-light shots better with more stable videos. The A56 has a 50MP main camera too, but it doesn’t feature the same telephoto lens or the zoom functionality the OnePlus does. It sacrifices that for a 5MP macro lens, which is nice for close-ups, but it won’t match the telephoto detail you’d get with the OnePlus.
The A56 has an extra 12MP ultrawide, which, despite the lower resolution, might actually give you a wider field of view. On OP13R, you’ll find an 8MP ultrawide camera and the lower resolution means less detail in wide shots. Also, it has a 16MP selfie camera, but it’s locked at 1080p video. There’s no support for 4K selfie recording. The A56 counters that with a 12MP front camera that can shoot in 4K.
In practical use, OP13R processes images with a more noticeable HDR and contrast where pictures look sharp right out of the camera. It tends to brighten shadows and enhance details without you needing to do much editing afterward. Clearly, it has a better camera.
But one thing you should know is that the A56 has a more natural representation of images that are closer to what your eyes actually see. Samsung’s color science has always leaned towards natural tones, and produced great portraits. Make of that statement what you will.
Software and features
OnePlus has always marketed OxygenOS as the fastest and smoothest Android skin. For the most part, that claim holds up. OxygenOS 15 is so clean and lightweight that it has a near-stock experience. There’s little to no bloatware, although software support lasts for four major Android upgrades. If you buy this phone running Android 15, you’ll get updates up to Android 19.
Not that it’s not a respectable number. Samsung also offers the same duration of support for some of its midrange A series phones. However, they’ve raised the standards on the A56 phone as it now has six years of OS support. It’s just one year less than the Galaxy S25 series will receive. One UI 7 is loosely based on Android 15 and presents an opportunity to overhaul the stock Android experience. Although it doesn’t come without the pain of bloatware, it’s worth it in most cases.
The verdict
The OnePlus 13R is the clear winner in this comparison, and it’s not hard to see why. For the price it’s selling, you’re getting a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a 6000mAh battery with 80W wired charging, LTPO 4.1 technology and a peak brightness of 4500 nits, among other features. However, if you’re planning on holding onto your phone for a long time, the A56 edges out here for longevity.
Six years is a long time and a lot can happen, given the global state of things. That extended software support from Samsung could make all the difference when you’re trying to stretch the life of your device during financial uncertainty or shifts in the tech industry.
