The compact flagship smartphone market in the US has been getting increasingly competitive. There are some great options out there, including the Pixel 9,Samsung Galaxy S25, andApple’s iPhone 16 Pro. However, as with other flagship phones, we don’t get to enjoy as many options as the rest of the world.
One such smartphone is the OnePlus 13s. It launched in June 2025 in select Asian markets, after initially debuting in China as the OnePlus 13T in May 2025. However, the company confirmed the devicewon’t be available in the USor Europe.
I’ve had a chance to use the OnePlus 13s for the past month, and every time I pick it up, I keep thinking: this should’ve been the Galaxy S25 and Pixel 9 killer that deserved a US launch.
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OnePlus 13s delivers a flagship feel without the price tag
It nails the essentials without trying too hard to be flashy
Ask any Android lover, and most will want a smartphone as compact as theiPhone 16 Pro, with an efficient yet powerful chipset, a battery that lasts all day, and fast charging when needed.
You get most of this with the Pixel 9 and the baseline Galaxy S25, except for the battery and charging. But the OnePlus 13s offers all of it, and does so quite well, all while keeping a starting price of $650.
The OnePlus 13s is powered by theQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, currently Qualcomm’s best processor. It also packs a massive 5,850 mAh cell with support for 80W fast charging, which is more than enough to easily power you through a full day.
I’ve spent a month with this phone, and it has never slowed down, hiccupped, or lagged with anything I’ve thrown at it. It has handled my daily use, which includes a mix of texting, social media scrolling, YouTube streaming, emailing, and casual gaming, all with ease.
In terms of battery life, the OnePlus 13s might be the best smartphone I’ve used this year. The large battery has easily lasted me all day, often ending with over 40% left. And when I need a quick top-up, the 80W fast charging has come in handy many times.
In terms of design and form factor, the OnePlus 13s keeps things small and compact. It has a build that’s shorter, narrower, and thinner than the Pixel 9, yet it houses a battery nearly 20% larger than what you get on the Google smartphone. Moreover, despite the bigger cell, it manages to weigh less than the Pixel 9, and I never had issues holding it for long hours.
On the front, you get a big and bright 6.3-inch AMOLED display with the usual 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and over 460 PPI. It doesn’t get as bright as the Pixel 9’s display, peaking at 1600 nits, but I never had trouble reading text on it even in direct sunlight. It also features the premium glass-metal sandwich build (though Gorilla Glass protection specifics are unknown) found on other flagship smartphones.
On the back, you get a clean design with the OnePlus logo in the center and a camera module that looks inspired by the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
I used the Pixel 9a and OnePlus 13R for a week, and the winner is obvious
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The Google Pixel 9 still wins in a couple of important areas
Camera consistency and software polish give it the edge
All of that said, the OnePlus 13s isn’t quite a clear winner when compared to the Google Pixel 9. There are some omissions that start to feel a bit much when you use the device — like the absence of the latest Gorilla Glass and its lower IP65 water and dust resistance rating compared to the Pixel 9 — but two areas where the Pixel clearly pulls ahead are camera and software.
The OnePlus 13s features a dual-camera setup with a 50MP primary sensor (f/1.8, OIS) paired with a 50MP telephoto lens offering 2x optical zoom. The Pixel 9, by contrast, sports a 50MP primary camera and a 48MP ultra-wide, which, in my opinion, is a more versatile setup for a dual-camera system.
The omission of an ultra-wide lens on the OnePlus 13s becomes noticeable when you’re out capturing varied shots. The telephoto sensor on the OnePlus feels somewhat redundant since most modern primary cameras already support 2x zoom, and software-based portrait modes offer decent background blur.
Still, comparing the primary cameras alone, it’s hard to beat the consistency and color accuracy delivered by the Pixel. The OnePlus 13s isn’t a bad shooter, but the Pixel consistently offers more reliable output. Below are a few photo samples taken from both devices to illustrate the difference:
Image 1,3,5 (OnePlus 13s) vs Image 2,4,6 (Google Pixel 9)
And then there’s the software. The OnePlus 13s runs OxygenOS 15 based on Android 15. While it’s optimized for speed and efficiency, I prefer the clean, stock Android experience you get on Pixel phones — and that’s missing here.
What also matters to me is longevity: despite launching nearly a year earlier, the Pixel 9 gets 7 years of OS updates, while the OnePlus offers only 4 major Android updates. Not to mention,Android 16is already available on the Pixel 9, while the OnePlus is still waiting. If you, like me, care about fast Android updates, the Pixel is always a solid choice.
5 reasons why I recommend the Pixel 9a over the Pixel 9 to most people
Google’s latest mid-range Android phone, the Pixel 9a, is solid enough to hold its own against the more expensive Pixel 9.
Phones like the OnePlus 13s deserve a US release
We need more solid mid-flagships outside of Asia
However, despite my praise for the Pixel 9 series, I’m still disappointed that the OnePlus 13s hasn’t made it to the US. The device nails most of the basics compact smartphone lovers look for — the display, size, battery, charging, and AI features — and with that price tag, it could’ve seriously made brands like Samsung and Google sweat.
Sure, there’s room for improvement, especially in the camera department, but the OnePlus 13s would’ve been a solid Pixel 9 alternative for Android users here.
It’s unclear why OnePlus skipped launching the 13s in Europe or North America, especially since the company did launch theOnePlus 13and theOnePlus 13Rin these markets. I genuinely hope OnePlus brings its sequel to the States — especially if it can improve on this already hard-to-beat device.
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