Joe Maring / Android Authority
When the rumor mill first suggested that Google Pixel 9 Pro May be a relatively compact flagship complete with a periscope telecom camera, I was immediately hooked. An Android phone that stuffs almost all the features one expects from a modern flagship to a small body is exactly what I have always wanted. I ordered mine on the launch day and have loved it every day since.
However, I can objectively see that my love for Pixel 9 Pro is obsessed with the fact that it is the only game in the city. If I wanted a phone with similar caliber and size, the best option would be a iphone 16 pro – And I have zero desire to adopt iOS. Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Is very compact, but the camera system is nowhere near the same level as Pixel 9 Pro, so it’s not an option either. Really, if you want Best Android phone In the smallest size possible in 2025, your only option right now is Pixel 9 Pro.
Fortunately, rumors suggest that a new challenger is on the horizon: a compact flagship that can compete with Pixel 9 Pro. Of course, I’m talking about OnePlus 13T.
OnePlus 13T: What we know so far
At the time I write this, we only know two things about OnePlus 13T: the name and launch window in April 2015 in China. We have many rumors about specifications, designs and features, with a heartfelt hope that it will eventually be launched outside China. But everything I say in the future is based on rumors, not facts.
The rumor mill suggests that OnePlus 13T can initially be a OnePlus 13 But in a 6.3-inch body. OnePlus 13 is undoubtedly one of the best Android phones you can buy right now, but it is also one of the largest. It is a 6.82-inch unit, which is only massive massive enough that it does not make me want to use it as a daily driver, even though it is so incredible. A 6.3-inch counterpart would be perfect for me.
Rumors suggest that the OnePlus 13T may be a much smaller OnePlus 13, which sounds perfect to me.
I have no idea what specifications from OnePlus 13 will transfer to OnePlus 13T, but rumors suggest that the same chipset will be on board. The Snapdragon 8 elite Is a monster, so having it will make OnePlus 13T very convincing, especially for Pixel 9 Pro users like myself, who are stuck with the subordinate (but still fully capable) Tensor g4.
Other rumored specifications include 80W wired charging (which can be expected to be given this is the speed of all other recent flagships from OnePlus) and a huge 6,200 mAh battery. That battery’s reputation is really surprising, considering that even the much larger OnePlus 13 has a 6,000 mAh battery. How will OnePlus will stuff a larger battery in a smaller phone without being included for many other compromises? I’m not sure. Of course, this can be a wrong reputation. Time will tell about it.
In summary, OnePlus 13T is expected to be a very skilled Android flagship inside a much smaller body than we usually see. That makes it the first significant competitor of Pixel 9 Pro.
OnePlus 13 is astonishing, making 13T very exciting
Joe Maring / Android Authority
I can’t exaggerate how much I want OnePlus 13 if it wasn’t for the huge size. I used to be a oneplus fanboyBut I would easily admit that I stopped being excited about the company’s products when Ho-Hum OnePlus 8 fell. However, OnePlus 13 reminds me of what OnePlus used to be. It is a powerful, forward-looking, ultra-refined flagship phone with a jaw-dropping reasonable price. It may not have the tension of something that OnePlus One or the continued Amazing OnePlus 7 Pro, but it is the best company has made in many years.
If OnePlus can bring even part of that success to a 6.3-inch phone, it would be more than enough to make me consider dropping Pixel 9 Pro. I still need to correct how much better Pixel Ui is compared to Oxygen osBut it would not be impossible to get over.
If the OnePlus 13T really is a 6.3-inch flagship, it will be the first OnePlus phone in many years that I seriously consider buying.
OnePlus has played it safely for the last five years, and released units with significant compromises designed for a customer base that I don’t even know actually exists. From how the OnePlus 13T shapes, it sounds like the company finally has a specific goal in mind and shoots for it with Gusto, which is very exciting.
Of course, we do not know enough about OnePlus 13T to come up with some final conclusions. We do not even know if I have the opportunity to buy the phone, as it is quite possible it will be a China-exclusive. I hope that’s what the rumor mill suggests it will be, and I hope I can use it. There is no other phone launched this year that I am more excited about – and it includes the inevitable Pixel 10 pro.