The ‘small’ OnePlus 13T packs a big battery

OnePlus has launched the 13T, which packs a larger battery than most Ultra flagships despite being barely bigger than an iPhone 16 or Samsung Galaxy S25.

OnePlus calls the 13T’s 6.32-inch OLED screen “small,” though it’s slightly larger than the displays in either the Apple or Samsung flagships. The 13T is bigger and heavier than those phones overall too, though not by much. Still, the panel is half an inch smaller than the standard OnePlus 13’s, and the phone is almost an ounce lighter, so this is definitely compact by OnePlus standards.

More impressive is the inclusion of a large 6,260mAh battery. That’s not only far bigger than either the iPhone 16 (3,561mAh) or Galaxy S25 (4,000mAh), but it’s actually more battery capacity than the larger OnePlus 13 (6,000mAh) and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra (5,000mAh). The battery boost comes thanks to using an updated version of the silicon-carbon technology found in the 13, which makes it possible to squeeze more capacity into smaller cells than traditional lithium-ion batteries allow.

OnePlus fans will also note that the 13T makes a major step change for the brand: the trademark alert slider is no more, replaced by a customizable shortcut button that can be used to control notification volume, but can also open specific apps, take screenshots, or trigger AI tools. The same shortcut key appeared earlier this month on the Oppo Find X8 Ultra, and is expected to replace the alert slider on future OnePlus phones too.

Beyond that, the 13T is powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset as the 13, with up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. Two 50-megapixel sensors sit in the redesigned rear camera — a main and a 2x telephoto — and there’s 80W wired charging to top that big battery up, but no sign of wireless charging support.

The price in China starts at CNY3,399 (around $466) when it goes on sale next week — roughly $100 cheaper than the regular 13 — but OnePlus hasn’t confirmed if it plans to launch the phone elsewhere.