I’ve at all times been a fan of big-screen telephones. If it’s a selection between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional Max, I’m going for the Professional Max.
I really like the additional display actual property after I’m enjoying video games, the improved cooling on provide, and I significantly benefit from the extra capacious battery {that a} bigger chassis can present.
However I’ve been wavering lately – and it began with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
The Galaxy S25 Edge made the S25 Extremely really feel too cumbersome
I reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge a couple of weeks in the past and, to say that it’s skinny and lightweight is an understatement. It measures in at simply 5.8mm thick and 163g.
In comparison with the 8.2mm-thick, 218g Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely that has change into my ‘foremost’ telephone over the previous few months, the S25 Edge wasn’t only a pleasure to carry and use; it was transformational.
The mix of a skinny chassis and light-weight design made for an exceptionally snug in-hand really feel, with out feeling just like the telephone was digging into the palm of my hand. It made me realise simply how thick and heavy trendy flagship telephones are – particularly these with large screens.
With minor modifications in weight and thickness of big-screen flagships onerous to trace between generations, evaluating the 2 facet by facet actually opened my eyes.
That was superb after I was utilizing the S25 Edge, however as soon as I handed it over to my colleague Cam for its YouTube showcase, I put my SIM again into the S25 Extremely – and it simply felt totally different.
I now not had the identical feeling in regards to the telephone that I had months prior; it now feels too large and too cumbersome, a mixture of that exceptionally giant 6.9-inch display and its general weight and dimensions.
As such, I haven’t actually loved my time with the S25 Extremely over the previous few weeks as I might’ve just some months in the past.
However that’s the place the OnePlus 13s is available in.
The OnePlus 13s is the proper treatment
The brand new OnePlus 13s is, primarily, a extra compact model of the flagship OnePlus 13, sporting a 6.3-inch AMOLED display rather than the flagship’s 6.8-inch different. Mixed with its flat edges and 185g weight, that’s 33g lighter than the S25 Extremely, it appeared like the proper treatment to my large telephone fatigue.
Nevertheless, the OnePlus 13s is an India-exclusive telephone, with no plans to come back to the UK. That mentioned, I nonetheless managed to get my fingers on a pattern to see what all of the fuss was about – and I’ve been very impressed with it thus far.
And sure, it primarily boils all the way down to the extra compact dimension and the way far more snug it feels to make use of than my S25 Extremely. The 6.3-inch display could also be extra compact, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a stable dimension for scrolling by apps and enjoying video games, with the additional benefit of not having to over-reach to faucet the highest of the display.
Regardless of its compact dimensions, it’s really the identical thickness because the S25 Extremely at 8.2mm, however I don’t actually discover that right here – seemingly aided partly by an ever-so-slight chamfer to these flat edges.
Am I a compact telephone convert? I can’t consider I’m saying this, however I may nicely be. Greater doesn’t essentially imply higher – particularly in relation to the OnePlus 13s.
Small dimension with out compromise
The issue with most small-screen telephones is the compromise; a smaller chassis often interprets to a smaller battery, slower charging and typically even much less spectacular show tech. Evaluate the Galaxy S25 to the Galaxy S25 Extremely, and even the S25 Plus, and also you’ll see what I imply.
However that’s what makes the OnePlus 13s so particular; there isn’t actually a lot of a compromise on provide right here. It’s each bit a flagship expertise, simply in a barely smaller-than-usual bundle.
That begins with the top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite, mixed with 12GB of RAM and 256- or 512GB of storage. As you may count on, that interprets to spectacular day-to-day efficiency with the telephone in a position to deal with no matter I threw at it, together with a couple of stable periods in Crashlands 2.
That top-end expertise extends to display tech; regardless of the compact 6.3-inch dimension, the display comes full of a lot of the identical tech because the flagship OnePlus 13 together with an LTPO-enabled 120Hz refresh charge, PWM dimming tech, assist for Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10+ and HDR Vivid and a pixel-packed decision that interprets to a powerful 460ppi pixel density.
There’s additionally a twin mixture of 50MP cameras on the rear; a 50MP foremost digital camera with an f/1.8 aperture and OIS, and a 50MP 2x telephoto lens to get you slightly nearer to the motion. Granted, it will probably’t maintain a candle to the S25 Extremely and even the OnePlus 13 when it comes to versatility, however the outcomes I’ve achieved thus far are, typically talking, adequate for my wants.
It’s the battery life that actually makes this compact telephone stand out although; whereas different small-screen telephones provide matching small batteries, the OnePlus 13s goes within the different route. With silicon-carbon expertise that enables for larger batteries in smaller varieties, the 13s really sports activities a bigger 5850mAh battery than the 5000mAh S25 Extremely.
Mixed with the smaller, extra energy-efficient display, the OnePlus 13s has delivered among the finest battery life I’ve ever had from a smartphone. On in the future, I managed to get simply shy of 4 hours of display time – together with a gaming session and TikTok binge – and nonetheless acquired to mattress with 62% cost within the tank. That’s extraordinary, particularly from a 6.3-inch telephone.
It additionally goes all-in on charging, providing 80W SuperVOOC charging assist, and a fast charger comes within the field – in India, anyway. In comparison with the 25W from small-size counterparts just like the Galaxy S25 and iPhone 16, it’s a night-and-day distinction.
It’s secure to say that, with a mixture of specs like that, I’ve had little or no to complain about over the previous few days.
Positive, it lacks components like wi-fi charging and a devoted ultrawide digital camera, however I feel these are the fitting trade-offs to make when area is at a premium – and let’s not overlook, the OnePlus 13s is cheaper than the full-fat 13.
Nonetheless, with OnePlus’ resolution to restrict the launch of the OnePlus 13s to India, it’s not a choice many people must make within the close to future – and that’s a disgrace, as a result of I actually am enamoured with it proper now.
