OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 11: Should you upgrade?

The OnePlus 13 is finally available to buy in the UK following a late 2024 release in China – but how does it compare to the OnePlus 11? Owners of the two-year-old phone might be considering an upgrade, after all.

We gave the OnePlus 13 four-stars while the OnePlus 11 earned a near-perfect 4.5-star rating. With this in mind, is it worth upgrading to the new OnePlus 13 if you’re still sporting 2023’s OnePlus 11? 

Whether you’re debating an upgrade or just curious to know what’s new with the flagship Android smartphone, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve compared the specs and our experiences of the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus 11 below to help you decide which is best for your needs.

Pricing and availability

The OnePlus 13 has a starting RRP of £899/$899.99 for the 12GB + 256GB model, which then rises to £999/$999.99 for the 16GB + 512GB handset. 

Buy the OnePlus 13

Order the OnePlus 13 from the official store

Having launched back in January 2023, the OnePlus 11 is no longer available to purchase via the OnePlus official website, however you can still find the device from other retailers such as Amazon. As it’s an older phone, you’re more likely to find a deal on the handset, although its official RRP is £729.

Design

• OnePlus 13 has both an IP68 and IP69 rating
• Both have a large, circular camera island at their rear 
• OnePlus 13 has a vegan leather finish option

OnePlus has retained the design of the 11 with the 13, as both handsets have a circular camera island that’s slightly off-centre at the back. The two also have the signature OnePlus alert slider which allows you to move seamlessly between ring, silent and vibrate modes, which we hailed as one of the most convenient features of its kind on any smartphone.

There are however some notable changes with the OnePlus 13. While both phones come in a choice of colours, the OnePlus 13 has a vegan leather option that’s soft to the touch and helps the phone to feel “wonderful” in hand. The OnePlus 11 is a combination of aluminium and glass instead.

The OnePlus 11 also has a much lower IP rating to its predecessor. While the OnePlus 13 boasts both IP68 and IP69 ratings, which means the handset is dust-tight and can survive submission in water and high pressure and temperature water jets, the OnePlus 11 is a meagre IP64. This means the handset can withstand splashes but anything heavier could pose a risk to the device.

Winner: OnePlus 13

Screen

• The OnePlus 13 has a larger screen at 6.82-inches
• At 4500 nits, the OnePlus 13 is brighter
• Both have a 120Hz variable refresh rate, however the OnePlus 13 boasts LTPO 4.1 technology

The screens of the two OnePlus handsets are packed with features to make them look vibrant and feel smooth. The OnePlus 13’s 6.82-inch LTPO 4.1 panel sports a peak resolution of 1440 x 3168 which offers high brightness and detail. 

It’s worth noting that, to conserve battery life, the OnePlus 13 is set to 1080p resolution when shipped. Even so, we still found the display appeared sharp without any immediate concern. 

Like its successor, the OnePlus 11’s slightly smaller 6.7-inch AMOLED LTPO 3.0 display also has a variable refresh rate of 120Hz. Despite being slightly smaller, we were impressed with how content and games appeared on the OnePlus 11, with picture quality being vibrant.

Winner: OnePlus 13

Cameras

• We found some inconsistencies when shooting with the OnePlus 13
• Both handsets have three rear cameras, however the OnePlus 13’s are all 50MP while the OnePlus 11 cameras vary
• Colour processing is neutral with the two phones but can be warmed or cooled with a simple edit

Although the OnePlus 13 has a higher resolution camera set-up to the OnePlus 11, we noted more inconsistencies during our time with the newer handset.

While it is certainly possible to take great shots with the OnePlus 13, and overall its performance was solid, we found that when zooming or using the macro feature, we struggled to focus the image which resulted in a blurry frame. 

Having said that, we still found that the OnePlus 13 was able to capture sharp, detailed shots otherwise, even in low-lit conditions. 

The OnePlus 11 impressed us with its photography performance, especially as we didn’t note any of the same inconsistencies in shooting found in the OnePlus 13. We were especially blown away with the main camera’s ability, which was able to capture images with plenty of detail and light, even in low light conditions. 

The 48MP ultrawide and 32MP 2x telephoto lenses are both not to be sniffed at either, as the two deliver “great performance” as a “true alternative to the main lens”.

However, while that was true in 2023, camera tech has come along leaps and bounds in the last few years, so it doesn’t quite achieve the same results as the OnePlus 13.

By default, the colour processing on both OnePlus handsets are neutral, which means you don’t get the saturated colours of a Samsung device, nor do you get a warm tone of an iPhone. However, using a filter can quickly add tone if you so wish.

Winner: OnePlus 13

Performance

• OnePlus 13 runs on Snapdragon 8 Elite while the OnePlus 11 runs on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• The OnePlus 13 offers serious power and performance without becoming too warm
• Although the OnePlus 11 is snappy for everyday use, it did heat up considerably when gaming

We were seriously blown away with the raw power and performance of the OnePlus 13, with our reviewer concluding “you’re not likely going to find a more powerful phone than the OnePlus 13 for another 12 months”. 

Running on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, we found the OnePlus 13 didn’t struggle with any tasks even when gaming. In fact, the handset remained cool and kept frame rates running smoothly which is more than we could say about the OnePlus 11 which had a tendency to heat up significantly when gaming.

The OnePlus 11 instead runs on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which still offers a snappy performance with apps loading instantly and running without lag or stutter. 

While the OnePlus 11 scored admirably in our benchmark testing, scoring 1165 and 4856 for Geekbench 5 single and multi core respectively, the OnePlus 13 seriously outperformed its younger sibling. With Geekbench 6, the 2025 handset received 3123 for single core and a jaw-dropping 9494 multi-core score, which trounces even the iPhone 16 Pro Max. 

Winner: OnePlus 13

Software

• Both handsets run on OxygenOS
• Unlike other handsets, AI doesn’t have a starring role
• The OnePlus 13 is promised OS upgrades up to 2029 whereas OnePlus 11 is only until 2027

Both handsets run on OxygenOS and, while the OnePlus 13 comes shipped with Android 15, the OnePlus 11 also supports the upgrade too. Here at Trusted, we love OxygenOS with our Mobile Editor even hailing it as “one of the best Android skins around”.

We particularly appreciate how easy it is to customise OxygenOS as it allows users to change wallpapers, themes, icon shapes and sizes and more with just a few taps in the Home Screen. 

Both smartphones come with AI smarts, but it’s the OnePlus 13 that really takes that to the next level with exclusive features like semantic search functionality and on-device translation capabilities. Users of the OnePlus 13 can also utilise Google’s AI toolkit with Gemini and Circle to Search. 

Both handsets offer a promise of four-years OS upgrades, which will take the OnePlus 13 up to 2029 whereas the OnePlus 11 will only be protected until 2027. If you plan on making a long-term investment with your smartphone, then it’s advisable to opt for the OnePlus 13 to ensure you’re covered for longer.

Winner: OnePlus 13

Battery

• The OnePlus 13 sports a 6000mAh battery while the OnePlus 11’s is 5000mAh
• Both support 100W fast charge but only the OnePlus 11 comes with a charger
• A full OnePlus 11 recharge took just under 28 minutes while the OnePlus 13 takes around 36 minutes

Both the smartphones seriously impressed us with their battery life. In fact, we struggled to even drain half the battery of the OnePlus 13 with typical, everyday use, which is predominantly thanks to its mighty 6000mAh cell. 

Although the OnePlus 11’s battery is smaller at 5000mAh, we were still able to comfortably get to the end of the day with at least 30% of battery remaining after everyday use. 

Both also have 100W fast charge support and found that while the OnePlus 13 takes around 36 minutes to recharge, the OnePlus 11 was even faster at just under 28 minutes. This is seriously impressive and means you won’t have to keep your phone plugged in overnight, thus better protecting your battery.

Finally, while the OnePlus 11 comes equipped with a 100W charger, you’ll need to buy one yourself to support the OnePlus 13 and it doesn’t come in the box.

Winner: OnePlus 11

Verdict

Even two years after its launch, the OnePlus 11 remains a great choice of Android smartphone as it offers a solid everyday performance and, in our experience, a faster charging experience with a compatible charger in the box. 

Having said that, the OnePlus 13 offers a solid all-round upgrade on the OnePlus 11, boasting a larger, more advanced screen, a way more powerful processor, smarter AI capabilities, better camera tech and a larger battery, making it both a great choice for a 2025 smartphone and a meaningful update for existing OnePlus 11 owners.