We won't have to wait long for one of the first big phone battles of the new year, with a Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 showdown on the way. All signs point to both phones launching at some point in January, as they battle to see not only to become the best Android phone but possibly the best phone overall.
The Galaxy S25 enters this fight as the favorite, helped out by the fact that there will once again be three different models to choose from. In addition to the standard Galaxy S25, we're expecting to see a Plus model as well as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. And while all three phones figure to offer improved hardware over last year's Samsung flagships, the real star of the show figures to be new Galaxy AI capabilities debuting on board these new devices.
OnePlus flagships have evolved from intriguing upstarts to compelling alternatives for Android users looking for best possible device. Like Samsung's flagships, the top-of-the-line handset from OnePlus relies on premium silicon and a long-lasting battery to win over shoppers. Big improvements to cameras over the years have elevated the profile of OnePlus, and all this should continue with the OnePlus 13, which is set for a global launch after already arriving in China.
In this Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 comparison, we'll largely look at how Samsung's base model flagship figures to compare to the OnePlus 13 (though we'll bring up the Plus and Ultra models where relevant). For our preliminary face-off, we'll look at rumored features for the yet-to-be-announced S25 and how they compare with what we already know about the OnePlus 13 based on the Chinese version of the phone. Here's how these flagships stack up, ahead of their official launches.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 specs
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 price and availability
We're still awaiting more concrete pricing rumors about either phone, which probably won't emerge until we get closer to the launch dates. Traditionally, the OnePlus flagship has cost less than its Galaxy S equivalent, though this year, the OnePlus 12 had the same $799 starting price as the Galaxy S24. A generous rebate offer through OnePlus allowed most people to knock $100 off the price of the phone, though.
We do know what the OnePlus 13 costs in China — 4,499 yuan, which converts to around $620. Like other phone makers, though, OnePlus is unlikely to use a straight currency conversion, instead setting a specific price for each region. Until we hear otherwise, we'd expect the same $799 starting price as the OnePlus 12, though there's a potential for the new model to come in at $699.
The Galaxy S25 pricing is also up in the air, with the most common assumption being that Samsung sticks with the same $799 starting price for its entry-level model. Under this scenario, the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra would retain the respective $999 and $1,299 prices of their predecessors. However, there have been some reports that Galaxy S25 prices could inch upward due to rising component costs.
After unveiling the OnePlus 13 in China at the end of October, OnePlus has confirmed that a global launch for the new device will take place sometime in January 2025. Samsung has also confirmed that new flagships are coming in the first half of the year, without providing a more specific date, but it's rumored that the next Galaxy Unpacked event would happen on January 23.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 design and display
Expect the Galaxy S25 and OnePlus 13 to look a lot like their predecessors. In the case of the S25, that means a phone with an armor aluminum frame — Samsung figures to once again reserve titanium for its Galaxy S25 Ultra model — with the rear cameras descending in a vertical row. OnePlus goes with a different look, and we've already seen the OnePlus 13 sporting the same circular camera array found on recent flagships from the phone maker.
Samsung could increase the size of the Galaxy S25 display, expanding the S24's 6.2-inch panel to 6.36 inches. That might also make the new phone a little bit larger than its predecessor to accommodate the bigger screen. The OnePlus 13 will still have a larger display at 6.82 inches.
With Samsung rumored to be sticking with the same M13 OLED panel as before, we wouldn't anticipate any increase from the 2,600-nit maximum brightness listing of the Galaxy S24. Likewise, the OnePlus 13 figures to have the same brightness ratings as its predecessor, though in this case, we're talking about a much brighter 4,500 nits.
Galaxy flagships usually come in a greater variety of colors than the OnePlus phones, and that should continue this time around. Galaxy S25 color rumors could include two different shades of blue along with silver and green options; we'd anticipate additional colors available exclusively through Samsung, too. The OnePlus 13 looks to be available in black, blue and white.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 cameras
Traditionally, Samsung's phones have been the better choice than OnePlus handsets for people who want the best camera phone. But the gap is narrowing thanks to a partnership between OnePlus and lens specialist Hasselblad that has brought noticeable improvements to the quality of the phone maker's cameras.
That's set to continue with the OnePlus 13, as the phone will use the Hasselblad Master Imaging algorithm, which is also featured on the Oppo Find X8. When we tested that phone, we found the cameras were capable of producing bright colors and contrasting shadows.
Otherwise, the OnePlus 13 features a triple 50MP rear camera array, with the main, ultrawide and telephoto lenses all featuring 50MP sensors. The zoom lens on the OnePlus 13 offers a 3x optical zoom.
Rumors suggest that Samsung is reserving its biggest camera changes for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is in line to see a boost to the resolution of its ultrawide camera and a variable aperture for enhanced zooming on its telephoto lens. Very few changes are expected to the cameras on the other Galaxy S25 models, though Samsung will reportedly go with a larger sensor on the S25 and S25 Plus, as a way of capturing more light when shooting with those two phones.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 performance
Performance figures to be an intriguing point of comparison between the Galaxy S25 and the OnePlus 13, as both phones are tipped to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite as their system-on-chip. That's already confirmed for the OnePlus 13 based on the version of the phone released in China.
The Galaxy S25 is a more interesting question. Last year, only the Galaxy S24 Ultra exclusively featured Qualcomm's top silicon. The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus used different chipsets depending on what part of the world the phones came out in. This time around, though, rumors suggest all the Galaxy S25 phones will only use the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
The only other remaining question is whether Samsung will use an optimized version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon as it has in the past with previous Qualcomm chips. In those instances, Samsung used an over-clocked version of Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset, giving it a performance boost.
As for memory, the Galaxy S25 is tipped to feature 12GB of RAM, with Samsung potentially offering 16GB of RAM for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. OnePlus could one-up Samsung on that front with 12GB, 16GB and 24GB memory options for its flagship.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 battery life and charging
The implications of using the Snapdragon 8 Elite go beyond performance for both the Galaxy S25 and OnePlus 13. With Qualcomm promising more power efficient performance from its latest silicon, the new flagship phones also figure to see gains in battery life over their predecessors. Considering that the OnePlus 12, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra all enjoy spots on our best phone battery life list, even longer battery life for the new models would be quite an impressive feat.
The OnePlus 13 may have an edge here, as OnePlus has already confirmed its new phone will come with a 6,000 mAh battery. (The OnePlus 12 featured a 5,400 mAh power pack.) There have been fewer rumors about battery sizes for the different Galaxy S25 models, save for one that predicts the S25 Ultra will have the same 5,000 mAh battery used by the S24 Ultra.
You'd also expect the OnePlus 13 to enjoy an edge in charging speed, since OnePlus has made that one of the selling points of its flagships. The Chinese version of the OnePlus 13 supports 100W wired charging, and even if that's capped at 80W for the version sold in the U.S. as it has been for past OnePlus flagships, it still figures to be faster than the 45W charging speeds Samsung has offered for its Ultra and Plus models. The standard Galaxy S phone charges at 25W and we don't expect that to change with the Galaxy S25.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 AI and software
AI will be the big story for the Galaxy S25, as Samsung figures to make new Galaxy AI features a major focus of this phone release. Few details about Samsung's plans have emerged, but it seems pretty clear that a revamped Bixby assistant would be the centerpice of an update, as Bixby becomes more context-aware. That will allow for natural language-based queries and other features where the assistant will recognize what's on your screen when it makes suggestions. (Think of browsing the web for a night spot, and then having Bixby generate directions just by recognizing the address on the web page.)
AI features are also on tap for the OnePlus 13, with familiar tools like a Magic Editor-style photo editing tool and various writing summary features appearing in OnePlus' software. While OnePlus seems to be stepping up its AI offerings, Samsung should maintain its lead in this area over its Android rival.
Samsung should enjoy another edge, unless OnePlus announces a change to its software support policy. Samsung flagships can count on seven years of software and security updates, compared to four years of software support and another year of security updates with the OnePlus 12. We'll be interested to see if OnePlus changes that policy in response to the more extensive support both Samsung and Google offer.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 outlook
There's still more details about the Galaxy S25 that will emerge between now and its likely launch in January. Even some of what we know about the OnePlus 13 will change, as OnePlus adjusts some of its flagship's specs for markets beyond China. In other words, while the battle lines for a Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13 face-off have been drawn, it'll be some time before a true winner emerges.
