In 2024, OnePlus made a breakthrough with the 12R. Despite having followed the trend of launching R-series phones for several generations prior without any significant impact, OnePlus finally appeared to find the perfect feature blend that qualifies as an excellent value for money and recreated the same effected early generations of OnePlus phones had.
The OnePlus 12R was rightly dubbed spectacular in our review last year, and the OnePlus 13R is a step in the same direction, except it improves — at least, on paper — in areas where the former couldn’t impress us. The camera is one of those aspects, and OnePlus touts the 13R to be significantly better. Our review of the OnePlus 13R also leans towards a similar conclusion, calling the 13R’s cameras “genuinely solid.”
In this article, we will take a more in-depth look at the true improvements that the OnePlus 13R’s cameras bring compared to the OnePlus 12R, explored through a series of direct comparisons. But first, here’s what the OnePlus 13R brings on paper.
How different is OnePlus 13R’s camera
The OnePlus 13R bears the same spirit as the OnePlus 12R. Although the $100 price hike might twinge, the OnePlus 13R immediately proves its exceptional value. On the outside, the two phones look different, with the OnePlus 13R adopting a flatter styling for its mid-frame, the screen, and the back. You wouldn’t have any trouble telling the two phones apart. The flat edges are in line with Apple, and subsequently Samsung, going for that aesthetic and inspiring the entire industry to pivot from curves.
In contrast, the cameras on the back of the two phones appear largely similar. In fact, it is the most evident aspect convincing us of their kinship. Inside, too, the cameras aren’t starkly dissimilar. The OnePlus 13R retains the 50-megapixel primary and the 8MP ultrawide angle cameras from the 12R. The lenses, too, remain unaffected.
The third camera, however, gets a much-needed upgrade. OnePlus ditches the bootless dedicated macro camera, replacing it with a 2X telephoto instead. It’s not as mighty as the 3X or 5X shooters on more premium phones like the OnePlus 13, Galaxy S25 Ultra, or the iPhone 16 Pro, so its purpose truly isn’t to capture subjects at a longer distance. However, it is truly beneficial for portraits, resulting in a natural and smoother bokeh effect, and you will notice in the images that follow.
While maintaining the same hardware, OnePlus claims to have reworked the camera algorithm, especially benefiting the primary shooter. The main camera now gets OnePlus 13‘s Snapshot functionality. While the exact working is a bit complex, OnePlus says the camera now does twice the work in the same time, capturing twice the information with each image it takes. This results in better details, more consistent lighting across the frame, and better HDR. This improvement, paired with a newer processor, which includes a better image signal processor or ISP, and faster RAM and storage, should lead to slightly better images with the OnePlus 13R. Whether that translates to better photography in real life is something we will evaluate in a collection of images below.
How cameras on OnePlus 13R and 12R compare in real-life
With a series of comparing shots taken with the OnePlus 13R and the 12R, I will highlight the subtle yet meaningful differences the cameras on the two phones have. I will also establish common traits among images from the same phone but in different modes.
Each of the comparisons below has two images: ones taken with the OnePlus 13R on the left and those taken on the 12R on the right. Let us start with the primary cameras.
Primary camera has some surprises
Even though both phones use the same physical sensor for the 50MP primary camera, the differences are vastly evident. Despite not having any actual difference in terms of details, the image taken with the OnePlus 13R appears sharper, primarily for its better saturation, higher contrast, and a closer to neutral white balance.
The image on the right, the one I took with the OnePlus 12R, has a haze over the black parts and a warm tone over the entire image. And despite the haze, shadows on this image aren’t starkly brighter. These aspects make it a little less palatable.
In the next shot from a junkyard, many sections of the tattered bus enjoy roughly the same level of details in both images. However, the lower exposure on the image shot with the OnePlus 12R is immediately evident.
The OnePlus 13R’s shot has brighter shadows that lend to some visibility on the insides of the ragged roof — even though it doesn’t truly illuminate them. Sections of the bus, such as the deceased mudguard and the front axle are slightly more visible in the image on the left, too.
While the leaves on the tree are distorted on both images, the ones on the left appear greener, reinforcing the impression that the OnePlus 13R captures better shadows.
The next set affirms that belief further. Despite both images having similar details in both images, the shot from the 13R retains more light around branches and vines. The yellow mustard plants on the back also appear slightly better lit on the left, while those on the right look pale in comparison.
I wouldn’t fret over these bits if I saw the image on the right alone. However, comparing the two makes it significantly difficult to overlook them.
Next, let’s explore if we see something similar with the ultrawide shots on both the phones.
Ultrawide doesn’t disappoint
The first set of images below is also taken with the primary cameras with the intent to allow a two-way comparison between the primary wide-angle and the ultrawide angle cameras on the same phone and between the two phones. In line with the images above, the first set has better saturation and contrast in the image shot on the OnePlus 13R, even though they have comparable details.
A similar trend is seen in the ultrawide shots taken with the two phones. The ultrawide image captured on the OnePlus 13 more saturation and a visibly higher contrast. The finer differences we saw previously, such as that between the shadows, aren’t too visible when taking images with the ultrawide cameras.
In addition to better saturation in shots compared to the OnePlus 12R, both cameras on the OnePlus 13R deliver consistent colors, even though we don’t necessarily see better details. This holds even though neither the primary nor the ultrawide sensor get any special treatments such as color tuning from Hasselblad.
Next, let us look at the most impactful change on the OnePlus 13R’s camera: the new telephoto setup.
Zoom is the welcome addition
Before taking a look at what the sensor does for portraits, however, here’s a quick comparison of how it performs with inanimate subjects. Take for instance, these 2X shots captured on the OnePlus 13R (left) and the 12R. At the 2X magnification, the OnePlus 12R continues to use the main sensor by digitally zooming — and therefore, cropping into the frame. The OnePlus 13R, on the other hand, switches over to the dedicated sensor, allowing it to capture a crisper shot of the red flower on the banana tree.
The dedicated sensor with a longer focal range also allows a naturally shallow depth of field. This leads to a stronger bokeh, even when shooting without the portrait mode. The only requisite is that there must be a reasonable distance between the primary subject and its background.
Besides, the telephoto has other benefits, such as taking slightly clearer shots even at high zoom levels, such as the following ones at 5X zoom. Shooting with the dedicated 2X camera on the OnePlus 13R results in a much sharper image than the one shot with the OnePlus 12R’s primary 1X camera.
While the telephoto camera is evidently useful, it also poses a disadvantage in terms of lighting due to the smaller aperture and an inferior sensor. Despite the sharpness, the image appears darker — with dimmer shadow areas, unless a strong light shines over. But, I would willingly make this compromise for crisper shots of faraway objects in daylight, but may hesitate in low light.
Portraits are exceptional
Enabling the Portrait Mode clearly boosts the depth of field artificially over the already enhanced depth of the 2X sensor. This is exemplified by the following shot, where a single flower appears distinctly in focus for an artsy touch.
The 2X sensor’s longer focal range allows us to capture the same subjects with detail without ever really getting too close to them. This can be handy while focusing on poisonous plants, ornate insects, exotic animals, or other things we’re expected to stay away from.
Like objects, the sensor also helps with sharper focus on faces that may not necessarily be human. While both images captured using the portrait mode have ample details and a good bokeh, the one shot with the OnePlus 13R captures a tad bit more details, especially around my dog’s neck, snout, and whiskers.
Additionally, the colors on the OnePlus 12R’s shot look washed out and less pleasing than what the OnePlus 13R captured.
But what about actual human faces captured with the portrait modes on both phones? The next section digs deeper into that.
Human faces look great… sometimes
Even though the 2X telephoto on the OnePlus 13R is better suited for portraits, it’s not the only option to choose. You can use both 1X and 2X cameras to shoot portraits. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 12R, which lacks a dedicated telephoto entirely, also shoots at 1X and 2X zoom but using the same primary camera.
To learn how Portrait modes on both phones compare at different focal lengths, I tested them under both conditions. First, let’s compare portraits shot on the primary cameras.
Like the rest of wide-angle shots compared above, the OnePlus 13R cranks up the saturation in portrait mode. But to my surprise, the image here feels more saturated than likeable. The image shot with the OnePlus 13R leans has more warmth, which makes it less pleasing than the OnePlus 12R. For a change, the OnePlus 12R actually recreates more natural colors, especially around the face.
The OnePlus 13R does capture brighter shadows in this case, but the excessive warmth makes me lean in the 12R’s favor. As with other shots using the primary cameras, both pictures have a very similar level of details.
However, the balance tips back in the 13R’s favor when shooting at 2X zoom. The dedicated telephoto allows for a more refined bokeh, almost replicating the same as higher shots.
The OnePlus 12R does artificially plaster a bokeh over the background, almost resembling a phone from a higher price bracket. My skin and beard have a more visible texture on the OnePlus 13R’s shot while the OnePlus 12R adds a flatter, more pasty look to my face. The details on my cardigan are also more precise, and these factors make the OnePlus 13R is clearly the more convincing option for facial portraits.
Night portraits are meh
In low light, I feel a lot less convinced about either phone’s abilities to take good portraits, especially at 1X zoom. Even though both the OnePlus 13R and the 12R manage to capture notable details, they, quite understandably, lack the same appeal as daylight shots.
But switching over to the 2X lens makes the differences more evident. While the portraits still aren’t anywhere close to those from daytime, the OnePlus 13R’s shot captures slightly more details, including better textures on the face and the sweater. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 12R fails to capture the exact textures and instead has an oil painting effect over the face and the letters on the sweater.
The edge of the wall and the fake lily in the background also looks better blurred in the shot on the left, making the shot on the left comparatively better.
The only caveat worth pointing out is that you cannot adjust the depth of field from the Photos app after taking the picture on the OnePlus 13R. This is probably just a bug as all previous phones offer the functionality, and I hope OnePlus would fix this in an update soon.
What about moon shots
Discounting its less than impressive performance in low light, the freshly included telephoto has a clear advantage. But what if we turn down the light further and focus on a single object, like the moon in a dark sky?
It is as far-fetched to accept these mid-range phones would match to flagships such as the Galaxy S25 Ultra or the OnePlus 13 for capturing shots of the moon. So, I replaced the actual moon with a cheap moon lamp that supposedly replicates the same structure as the moon. While I failed to trigger any moon mode with AI-generated overlays of the moon, I came to an interesting observation.
At 1X, both phones capture the scene with comparable dexterity. The lit sections of the frame have some details, but both shots have plenty of chromatic distortions or fringes along dimly lit edges. A solid five on 10, I would say.
However, when I move away and switch to zooming on the images, I see a weird green hue on the OnePlus 13R as it tries to compensate for the warm white light coming from the globe. At 5X, the OnePlus 13R’s shot is technically sharper, but the colors put me off and instead inspire me to like the OnePlus 12R’s shot better. This is perhaps another bit OnePlus could iron out in a software update.
Useful macros, finally
Finally, we come to the OnePlus 12R’s dedicated macro sensor that was relinquished in this generation to rectify a big mistake. That is because the 2MP macro camera has limited utility because of its unpleasant picture quality, further worsened by its lack of autofocus.
On the OnePlus 13R, macro shots are now captured using the primary camera, which allows the phone to focus better on a tiny object, such as this bunch of wildflowers.
The improvements to macro photography are immediately apparent from the photos. However, OnePlus removed the dedicated mode, and you now solely depend on an automatic macro mode that does not immediately trigger, especially in low light. I wish OnePlus identifies and rectifies this too.
OnePlus 13R’s cameras are steps ahead
The OnePlus 13R makes notable leaps over the OnePlus 12R, especially with improved cameras. While the new telephoto sensor is a glaring improvement, it is easy to recommend the OnePlus 13R for better camera modes overall. The 13R’s improved camera algorithms result in better colors in most of the scenarios, though a few exceptions, such as facial portraits at 1X or long-range shots at night, definitely require some more commitment from OnePlus.
While it is delusive to expect anyone who already owns the OnePlus 12R to upgrade to a 13R, it makes clear sense to spend the $100 extra and get the OnePlus 13R over the 12R if you want decent cameras — while also enjoying other upgrades that the 13R offers.
