OnePlus 13 vs. OnePlus 11: Time for an upgrade?

The OnePlus 13 is already available in China, and it’s just weeks away from a global launch. Naturally, that means it’s just about time for current OnePlus phone owners to think about whether the upgrade is worth it.

If you happen to own a OnePlus 11 device, that’s a complicated decision. With a better display, processor, and camera system, the OnePlus 13 certainly has the edge over the OnePlus 11. However, considering the latter already has Android 15 and will get two more Android OS upgrades, upgrading from the OnePlus 11 isn’t absolutely necessary.

Are you curious how the two phones will compare when the OnePlus 13 debuts globally in January? We’re about to break down how the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus 11 stack up against one another and hopefully help you decide whether it’s time to upgrade.

OnePlus 13 vs. OnePlus 11: Design and display

Believe it or not, OnePlus phones have come a long way in two short years. The OnePlus 11 and OnePlus 13 might loosely resemble each other from afar, but the differences are evident up close. Some might be hard to see, too — the OnePlus 13’s IP68 and IP69 durability ratings crush the IP64 certification of the OnePlus 11, for example.

Additionally, the OnePlus 13 is bigger than the OnePlus 11. It sports a 6.82-inch AMOLED display, whereas the OnePlus 11 features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display. They’ll look similar on the spec sheet — both phones have LTPO AMOLED panes supporting 120Hz refresh rates — but they’re very different. Notably, the OnePlus 13 has a 4,500-nit peak brightness rating, and the OnePlus 11 can only hit 1,300 nits. The OnePlus 11 has a slightly curved display, while the OnePlus 13 has a completely flat panel.

In terms of dimensions, the OnePlus 13 measures 162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5-8.9 mm and the OnePlus 11 measures 163.1 x 74.1 x 8.53 mm. That means the OnePlus 11 will be both thinner and lighter than some variants of the OnePlus 13. The former weighs 205 grams, and the latter weighs between 210 and 213 grams.

The design of the OnePlus 13 may be more visually appealing to some, with a circular camera bump that doesn’t flow into the side rails of the chassis like the OnePlus 11. The OnePlus 13 comes in Black Eclipse, Midnight Ocean, and Arctic Dawn colorways, and the OnePlus 11 is available in Titan Black and Eternal Green. You can read more about the OnePlus 13 design in our exclusive interview with OnePlus.

OnePlus 13 vs. OnePlus 11: Hardware and specs

The bigger differences may come from what’s on the inside. In some ways, the OnePlus 11 holds its own entering 2025. It has 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and NFC for connectivity — enough to hang with the best Android flagships of 2024. It’ll fall short in other key areas, like the UFS 3.1 storage for the base model. Most importantly, the OnePlus 11 lacks wireless charging. It was a glaring omission when the phone launched, and that missing feature has only made the device less appealing as it ages.

It doesn’t exactly get better when the two devices’ processors are compared. The OnePlus 13 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which uses the company’s custom Oryon cores for superb performance. It’ll crush its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and even more so, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that powers the OnePlus 11. The upgraded configuration of the OnePlus 11 with 16GB RAM better competes with the OnePlus 13, which comes with up to 24GB RAM. However, the newer model is better in every way when performance is considered.

Aside from the lack of wireless charging, the OnePlus 13 also beats the OnePlus 11 in terms of battery capacity and charging speeds. The OnePlus 13 can do 100W wired fast charging while refilling its 6,000mAh-capacity battery. Meanwhile, the 5,000mAh battery in the OnePlus 11 can only be charged at 80W speeds in North America. The OnePlus 13 is more versatile, with 50W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless charging, and 5W reverse wired charging.

OnePlus 13 vs. OnePlus 11: Software and cameras

One area where the OnePlus 11 has fared quite nicely is in software. Today, the phone runs OxygenOS 15, based on Android 15. It started with Android 13 and was guaranteed four years of OS upgrades, so it should at least get two more Android OS versions. That means it’s definitely not time to toss the OnePlus 11 aside — it’ll last at least two more years.

An area that the OnePlus 11 hasn’t fared so great is its camera hardware. On paper, the main 50MP doesn’t look so bad. However, the OnePlus 13’s camera system — with a 50MP, f/1.6 main sensor, a 50MP, f/2.2 ultrawide lens, and a 50 MP, f/2.6 periscope telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom — will blow it out of the water. Additionally, the OnePlus 11’s front-facing camera is in the left corner of the display, which is a dated characteristic heading into 2025.

OnePlus 13 vs. OnePlus 11: Should you upgrade?

Right now, it doesn’t make much sense to buy the OnePlus 11. It’s available for the same price as (or more than, in some cases) the OnePlus 12R, which is a newer and better phone overall. But if you have the OnePlus 11, you’re probably wondering whether now is a good time to upgrade.

In this case, two things are true. You can absolutely squeeze a few more years out of the OnePlus 11 if you need to — it’s running the latest OxygenOS 15, will get full OS upgrades for the next two years, and has decent performance entering 2025. At the same time, the OnePlus 13 is a massive upgrade thanks to its wireless charging tech, Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and overall improved hardware.