The OnePlus 13 may have a huge battery, but that comes at a cost

Resume

• Rumors suggest that the OnePlus 13 could swap wireless charging for a massive 6,000mAh battery.
• The company has only just returned wireless charging to its phones with the OnePlus 12, after being without any new hardware for almost two years.
• The OnePlus 13 may feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip, 100W wired charging and a 2K LTPO display, but could ditch curved panels for a flat screen.

OnePlus has not yet been able to make a decision about wireless charging. From being one of the best features on the OnePlus 8 Pro to being completely missing from phones like the OnePlus 11 and OnePlus Open, it seems like it’s never been a huge priority for the brand. This year’s OnePlus 12 brought fast wireless charging back in full force, even surpassing the wired charging speeds of its closest competitors. However, next year’s expected OnePlus 13 could again miss out on wireless charging, all for the sake of one of the largest batteries ever put in a mainstream smartphone.

This rumor comes from well-known tipster Digital Chat Station (via Android Authority), which suggests that OnePlus is looking to drop its wireless charging capabilities instead of offering a massive 6,000mAh battery. That’s larger than the 5,400 mAh cell in the OnePlus 12, and much larger than the 5,000 mAh batteries you’ll find in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example. Since OnePlus devices are already battery champs, this could be a large enough capacity to last three days without breaking a sweat – but this could come at the expense of wireless charging.

In addition to that battery, we’re looking at a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, 100W wired charging speeds – although those will likely fall around 80W in the US – and a 2K LTPO display that Digital Chat Station calls, via translation, “straight.” with a “micro-curved glass shade design.” That sounds like OnePlus could finally ditch its curved panels for a flat screen with 2.5D glass edges, although we’ll have to wait for more design leaks to be sure. All this, plus the same triple camera setup as the OnePlus 12, with minor changes to the device’s periscope lens.

OnePlus cannot yet make a decision about wireless charging

Starting with the OnePlus 8 Pro, the company’s flagships featured ultra-fast wireless charging for years, outperforming virtually every other company sold in the US. But from the launch of the OnePlus 10T, it’s clear that OnePlus has prioritized the feature internally, instead opting to lower the price of the hardware while missing out on what many consider a must-have feature to see. It wasn’t until this year’s OnePlus 12 that wireless charging made a comeback, and we had hoped it would be extended to future flagships and foldables.

While the OnePlus 13’s larger battery and fast 100W wired charging can meet the needs of most users, there are plenty of buyers who cherish the freedom to choose between a cable and a wireless charger. And since no other company – including Samsung and Google – comes even close to offering the wireless charging speeds that OnePlus uses on its phones, it will be quite disheartening if it disappears from devices again. If you want wireless charging, it might be worth grabbing this year’s phone rather than waiting for next year’s flagship.