Compact smartphones used to be a really big thing. Samsung had Mini devices in its S series, and Sony had the Compact phones as part of its Z flagship range. While I’ve always been a “the bigger, the better” type of guy when it comes to my choice in phones, I’ve known a lot of people who like their devices smaller.
These days, the smallest devices still have pretty big screens, but that 6.2/6.3-inch mark has become the new small. We’ve seen brands like Oppo and Vivo jump into that category recently, and it seems OnePlus doesn’t want to be left out of all the fun. The OnePlus 13 Mini, as it might be called, now has a prospective launch window.
The OnePlus 13 Mini Is Rumored to Launch in May
OnePlus typically sticks to two flagship smartphones every year. One will be the full-blown device with all the bells and whistles. The other one will typically maintain most of that high-end performance but will cut off some aspects of the spec sheet in order to hit a much lower sales price. For instance, this year, we saw the OnePlus 13 and the slightly inferior OnePlus 13R as the brand’s entrants for the year.
However, rumor has it that the OEM plans to add a third flagship device to its lineup for the year. Even though the phone isn’t coming at the same time as the rest (similar to what Samsung is doing with the Galaxy S25 Edge), it is still coming and is going to be included as part of the OnePlus 13 family. The one thing that is going to make this device different, though, is that it’ll be much smaller.
We expect the device to be called the OnePlus 13 Mini or the OnePlus 13T. I think the latter is a better choice since it is more descriptive. Another letter-branded OnePlus smartphone might not make it obvious enough to consumers that its whole selling point is flagship power in a smaller frame. According to Smart Pikachu, a tipster on Weibo, the device could be arriving “around May”, which isn’t a very long time to have to wait.
The OnePlus 13 Mini Seems Set to Take Its Flagship Status Very Seriously
The OnePlus 13 Mini isn’t just there to provide a smaller screen. It’s there to provide a smaller screen for power users who don’t want a 6.8-inch display to be the only way that they can get their hands on the highest-end specs. From initial rumors—also from Smart Pikachu—it seems like the device will not mess up in that regard.
It is going to come with a Snapdragon 8 Elite as the chip in the driver’s seat, and considering that’s as good as it gets for any smartphone that you can get right now, there’s no complaining whatsoever. Despite its smaller build, new battery tech will make it possible to fit in a large 6,000mAh battery. The screen is also essentially confirmed to have a 6.3-inch diagonal.
Expect two cameras on the rear instead of three. Both will be 50MP units. There’s no word on the front camera, though. I’d expect it to mimic the 32MP sensor in the OnePlus 13. Overall, it isn’t going to be the kind of phone to play around, and compact device lovers should be happy about this renaissance.
