The $600 OnePlus 13R and the $650 Samsung Galaxy S24 FE each have a similar mission: Provide a phone that includes all the essential features of more-expensive phones by scaling back on certain hardware and software features. Ideally, this approach should get you all the essential features of the more expensive OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S24 phones, and in-turn, scale back on features that are less noticeable or important.
However, I do think OnePlus and Samsung take very different approaches to this strategy, and as a result, it makes it a bit easier to make a recommendation based on what's most important for your needs. The OnePlus 13R puts an emphasis on power, including the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that powered 2024's most powerful phones, a big 6,000-mAh battery and fast 55-watt wired charging. But in turn, OnePlus omits wireless charging and scales back on its camera. Samsung's Galaxy S24 FE, meanwhile, takes the opposite approach by including a slightly less powerful processor but does not skimp on any features, including wireless charging, Galaxy AI and decent photography in a broad range of settings.
This makes the OnePlus 13R a great choice for power users looking to play games at high settings with as much battery life as possible. But despite being slightly less powerful, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is the better all-around option for most people due to its broader range of talents accompanied by Samsung's longer commitment to software and security updates.
The AI Note features on the OnePlus 13R and the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. Mike Sorrentino/CNET
OnePlus 13R: Powerful phone that's missing a few important features
The OnePlus 13R takes a more performance-intensive approach by largely recycling the specs of last year's OnePlus 12. This gets you sweet perks like Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor -- which isn't as fast as the newer Elite CPUs but is otherwise very capable of gaming and intensive tasks -- and 55-watt wired charging using a OnePlus SuperVooc charger that comes in the box. I had no issue playing Fortnite on its Epic graphics setting at 90fps, but it did heat the phone up enough to cause it to display a warning to let the phone cool off before continuing to play. That was easily changed by lowering the frame rate to 60fps, which the phone handled without heating up as much.
OnePlus also brings over its Aqua Touch 2.0 technology for using its screen in rainy environments, along with a Glove Mode to optimize the phone's sensitivity to account for wearing gloves in cold weather. OnePlus is also giving the 13R four years of software updates along with six years of security updates, matching what it's giving the $899 OnePlus 13. However that support period comes up short of the seven-year commitment that Samsung provides the Galaxy S24 FE.
But OnePlus cuts wireless charging out of this model, which might be quite noticeable as Qi2 accessories flood the market with magnetic accessories. OnePlus even debuted a new magnetic wireless charger for the OnePlus 13, which can charge the phone at 50-watt speeds. OnePlus sells a magnetic case for the 13R, but this will provide compatibility only with noncharging magnetic accessories like wallets and stands.
The cameras on the OnePlus 13R and the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. Mike Sorrentino/CNET
OnePlus also scaled back on the photography for the 13R. In my review, I found the phone to struggle in lowlight environments. I found this surprising because even with scaled-back camera hardware, I had hoped the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor could have provided a stronger software lift when processing images. However, instead, I found images taken during most indoor settings to suffer from image noise or oversharpening.
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