The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is here to take on the 2025 flagship market – but how does it liken to one of the first to enter the fray , the OnePlus 13 ?
While there ’s £ 450/$500 between two of thebest smartphones , the two plowshare more similarities than you might first expect – and that could sway your decision on which you should buy .
The OnePlus 13 , for example , also offers a likewise pixel - packed QHD+ resolution to the S25 Ultra , while actually leaving it in the junk when it comes to charging . However , the S25 Ultra offers a much more reliable photographic camera experience , while diminished features like an anti - reflective coating on the screen and the S Pen really aid it stand out .
We ’ve reviewed both theSamsung Galaxy S25 UltraandOnePlus 13 , and here ’s how the two compare in day - to - day consumption .
Spec comparison
Pricing & availability
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a top - end phone with a price tag to rival , starting at a not - unimportant £ 1,249/$1,299 with 256 GB of storage , though you may go all the fashion up to 1 TB for £ 1,549/$1,659 if you need more blank .
The OnePlus 13 is also a premium smartphone , but it ’s also much more affordable than the top - destruction Galaxy at £ 899/$899 , with a boost 512 GB available for £ 999/$999 .
Both smartphones are readily available to buy right now , either instantly or on contract from carriers .
Design
The two flagships differ quite wildly in the intention department . For starters , the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra proffer a titanium skeleton in shoes of the aluminium frame from the OnePlus 13 . However , the OnePlus 13 offers either field glass or vegan leather finishes , compared to the methamphetamine hydrochloride - only alternative from Samsung ’s flagship , so it really is a thing of druthers .
premature Samsung flagships offered a similar curve to the OnePlus 13 , with a slight curve to both the screen and the rear that help it sit a little nice in the hired man . The S25 Ultra does away with this design , however , proffer the same completely prostrate edge as the rest of the S25 chain of mountains and other flagship like the iPhone 16 Pro .
We get hold that it ’s not quite as comfortable to hold as the OnePlus 13 as a result , but it does provide better purchase than earphone with curved edges .
The OnePlus 13 pulls away from the Galaxy S25 Ultra when it come to durability , with the former offering a combination of both IP68 and IP69 junk and water impedance . The latter essentially means it can pull round supercharge jet of live water . It ’s not often you ’ll find yourself in that scenario , but the added durability is nice compared to the IP68 - only S25 Ultra .
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra come with a built - in S Pen , the only flagship in 2025 to do so . It ’s not quite as open as its predecessor was , lacking Bluetooth functionality , but we institute the writing experience remains fantastic with its key signature low latency .
achiever : OnePlus 13
Screen
As with the pattern , both the OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra offer fantastic screens – they ’re just dissimilar .
The OnePlus 13 comes with a 6.8 - inch AMOLED CRT screen with a slight curve to all four edges . This is n’t a waterfall - same display as we saw in the later 2010s , but rather a insidious curve that bring in swiping in from the edges feel way nicer than the flat alternative from the S25 Ultra .
That said , the S25 Ultra ’s flat 6.9 - column inch AMOLED silver screen add itself well to the phone ’s tone - taking capabilities , sodding with impressively slim bezels that we found to both add to the overall immersion and give the phone an matchless premium look .
The S25 Ultra also offers an anti - pensive display that we found to make all the difference in everyday utilisation , something not found on the OnePlus 13 .
On the other hand , the OnePlus 13 offers more advanced LTPO 4.1 display applied science which means it ’s both more reactive and more energy efficient than that of the S25 Ultra despite offering a near - monovular QHD+ resolution . It can also be customised in a more grainy way than Samsung ’s alternative , reserve you to best dial in your screen preferences .
Overall , though , we line up both flagships could deliver a top - end screening experience that made watching YouTube video recording and gaming all the more gratifying .
Winner : Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Cameras
While the OnePlus 13 and Galaxy S25 Ultra are on par in terms of blueprint and screen , the S25 Ultra pulls away when it comes to camera performance – no surprise considering it ’s one of the honest camera earpiece useable right now .
That ’s mainly down to the fact that the Ultra offers a combination of 200MP principal , 50MP ultrawide , 10MP 3x telephotograph and 50MP periscope lens , offering near - unrivalled versatility .
Even with only minimum change compared to the S24 Ultra , the S25 Ultra does not disappoint when it comes to capturing sensational images up to the 30x mark and beyond . Colours do have that key signature Samsung saturation , which some might not apprise , but they ’re crisp and elaborated , even in down in the mouth - ignitor conditions .
The OnePlus 13 offers an telling trio of 50MP rear lenses – a main , ultrawide and 3x periscope lens – co - created with picture taking house Hasselblad that we found had the potential to take a groovy photo .
However , we did notice issues with the telephone set ’s autofocus , and HDR processing sometimes left some objects with an odd glowy outline , meaning the experience was n’t quite as coherent as what Samsung offers .
Both smartphones pop the question telling video feature article , however , with the S25 Ultra offering reenforcement for Galaxy LOG recording while the OnePlus 13 can commemorate 4 K Dolby Vision video with every single camera – admit the selfie camera .
Performance
Both the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and OnePlus 13 offer the top - ending Snapdragon 8 Elite that offers staggering performance betterment compared to last class ’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 . However , the S25 Ultra take it a pace further with a custom ‘ For Galaxy ’ chipset .
You wo n’t really notice the departure in performance in mean solar day - to - day tasks . Our reader experienced exceedingly alert performance , even when it came to powering gamy - end 3D games – but there is a slender difference in benchmark psychometric test , with the S25 Ultra pulling forwards in both CPU and GPU testing .
That means that the S25 Ultra is capable of loading games , rendering picture and performing other demand tasksslightlyfaster than the OnePlus 13 , but as we say , the real - world differences are minimal .
The chief departure is the leap from the 8 Gen 3 to the 8 Elite , with roughly a 40 % encouragement in carrying out compare to its harbinger . That intend that both the OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra outperform the iPhone 16 Pro Max in examination – a comparison pointedness worth preserve in thinker .
The Galaxy S25 Ultra also declare oneself up to 1 TB of storage in shoes of the OnePlus 13 ’s 512 GiB , though the latter does come with a boosted 16 GB of Aries the Ram in place of the S25 Ultra ’s 12 GB .
Software & AI
Both flagship come jammed with Android 15 , though both offer their own twist on the OS in the sort of OxygenOS 15 and OneUI 7 . OnePlus ’ OxygenOS 15 is focused on one thing ; customisation . you could tailor-make standard elements like the wallpaper and accent colours along with the always - on display , icon size , shape and style , animation speed and more to really dial in the experience you want .
There is a splash of AI , but we find it to not be as prevalent or capable as what you ’ll incur on Samsung ’s Galaxy S25 Ultra , offering rather niche features like the power to look through files on your phone to suffice natural terminology dubiousness .
Samsung ’s OneUI 7 , on the other hand , goes all - in on the company ’s branded Galaxy AI . In addition to a swathe of feature article we saw introduce on last year ’s S24 Ultra , the S25 Ultra introduces component like Now Brief and an even voguish Gemini experience . We retrieve the former did n’t often cede much beyond the 24-hour interval ’s weather condition and calendar events , however .
AI apart , OneUI 7 premise the much - require refresh of Samsung ’s dated cutis , with a new layout , fresh ikon , new animations and more that make it feel fresh and exciting . It also blows the OnePlus 13 ’s commitment of four OS upgrade and five eld of security update out of the water with seven OS upgrade on the style for Samsung ’s flagship .
Battery life
The OnePlus 13 really shines when it comes to both battery life and charging , easily baffle the Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s offering .
The former is largely down to Samsung ’s avoidance of adopting silicon - carbon battery technical school that allows for denser , slimmer battery , meaning the S25 Ultra sticks with 5000mAh while the OnePlus 13 offers a boosted 6000mAh .
We found that the Galaxy S25 Ultra could easily get us through the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. without jumble for a courser , though it ’d end the day with something close to 20 - 30 % complaint . The OnePlus 13 , on the other hired hand , was described as a two - twenty-four hour period equipment by our reviewer , offering room better battery seniority overall .
The OnePlus flagship also has the voltage to agitate way faster than the S25 Ultra , offering up to 80W wire charge livelihood , though you ’ll need a SuperVOOC charger to take advantage of the speeds and one does n’t come in the box . If you do source one , OnePlus claims it ’ll hit 100 % in 36 minute .
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra , on the other deal , offers 45W charging . We did notice a rise in efficiency compare to the 45W charging of the S24 Ultra , but it still took 62 minutes to reach out a full charge .
The OnePlus 13 also offers degenerate 50W wireless charging capability than the S25 Ultra ’s 15W , though the latter again needs a specific OnePlus - stigmatise wireless charger to reach these pep pill . The S25 Ultra , on the other hired hand , can habituate any regular Qi charger .
So while you might have to invest in additional supplement to get the most out of the charging speed , the OnePlus 13 offers a faster commove experience .
Final Thoughts
It ’s percipient that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is more capable than the OnePlus 13 . It has a better screen , more versatile cameras , a slightly more powerful C.P.U. , more advanced AI chopper and a long software program promise .
However , it ’s also a very expensive phone with a Leontyne Price ticket that starts at £ 1,249 , and while the OnePlus 13 ca n’t quite beat the S25 Ultra in many areas , it ’s surprisingjusthow shut the speech sound gets considering it depart at a way more affordable £ 899 .
If you require the best phone hardware around , the S25 Ultra is your good stakes – but if you want to save some cash while still getting a very skinny approximation of the secure phone around , the OnePlus 13 should attend your penury well . For other marvellous flagship options , take a look at our handwriting - picked survival of thebest smartphones .
How we test
We examine every peregrine phone we review thoroughly . We employ industry - standard exam to equate features properly and we use the telephone as our main twist over the review menstruation . We ’ll always assure you what we notice and we never , ever , accept money to review a product .
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