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OnePlus might be about to launch its most powerful budget smartphone yet

By Britta O'Boyle Published March 26, 2025

The OnePlus 13 and OnePlus Watch 3. — Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It’s been a day for phone leaks, with Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge appearing in an unexpected hands on video, while the rumoured Apple iPhone 17 Air’s svelte profile was presented alongside the iPhone 17 Pro using a couple of dummy cases. Both those devices are in the premium segment though. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for example, is reported to cost $1400 so it’s certainly not what you would call mid-range.

The next leak we are about to tell you about, however, is surrounding a device that is very much expected to hit the mid-range sweet spot. In fact, it might even fall into budget. A Weibo post from Digital Chat Station, spotted by MySmartPrice, has revealed that the OnePlus 13T could launch in April and run on the Snapdragon 8 Elite platform.

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A specific date wasn’t revealed in the Weibo post, with only “late April” claimed, but with Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge also excepted to launch in April running the Snapdragon 8 Elite, we could end up with two very powerful devices arrive in the same month, occupying opposite ends of the pricing spectrum.

If late April is accurate, Samsung’s device could be first as one of the most expensive Snapdragon 8 Elite smartphones, while OnePlus could take the title of the cheapest, depending on its price.

What specs might the OnePlus 13T offer?

Aside from the Snapdragon 8 Elite under its hood, the OnePlus 13T is said to have a 6.3-inch display, offering a 1.5K resolution and offer “four narrow edge” bezels. There’s also said to be a 6,200mAh battery with 80W fast charging, and a “quality design” was also detailed. Digital Chat Station claimed that quality design, along with a large battery would be the OnePlus 13T’s “core selling point”.

OnePlus already offers the flagship OnePlus 13 and the mid-range OnePlus 13R in its latest range, but the OnePlus 13T is expected to slide in below these devices, presumably cutting a couple of corners to reduce the price in the process. Don’t expect Hasselblad-tuned cameras for example, but it looks like you can expect a powerful phone at hopefully a reasonable price should it arrive with the specs that have been leaked.

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Britta is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. She's covered all consumer…

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