It’s rare for a smartphone to turn heads these days, but the OnePlus 13T isn’t just turning heads—it’s breaking necks. A fresh wave of leaks has just landed, and it’s becoming harder to ignore how serious a contender this compact flagship is shaping up to be.
Coming from the same brand that brought us the powerful OnePlus 13, the OnePlus 13T is expected to launch as early as April. And while we’ve seen plenty of so-called “flagship killers” over the years, this one looks like it’s out for the crown.
Benchmark Beast
Let’s talk numbers. The OnePlus 13T has reportedly posted an eye-popping AnTuTu score of 3,006,913, effortlessly outpacing performance titans like the Vivo X200 Pro—even before hitting shelves. That alone is enough to raise eyebrows, but the leaked spec sheet takes things to another level.
We’re looking at:
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 “Elite” chipset
- 16GB of RAM
- 512GB of storage
- 6.31-inch 1.5K AMOLED display
- 80W fast charging
- A massive 6,200 mAh battery
This kind of performance and endurance in a compact device is nearly unheard of, easily leaving rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Pixel 9 gasping for air.
A Bold New Direction: No Alert Slider
In a controversial move, OnePlus is ditching its iconic Alert Slider in favor of a new programmable smart button. Louis Lee, President of OnePlus China, recently confirmed the change. While some fans might see this as the end of an era, OnePlus believes the new button will deliver more power, flexibility, and personalization—much like Apple’s Action Button on recent iPhones.
OnePlus co-founder Pete Lau had hinted at this shift last month, describing the smart button as “more intuitive” and designed to evolve with the user.
Enter: The Glacier Battery
Perhaps the most intriguing development is the battery tech. The OnePlus 13T is set to debut a 6,000+ mAh “Glacier battery,” a cutting-edge cell co-developed with battery giant CATL just last year. Though official capacity numbers haven’t been finalized, insiders—and Louis Lee himself—are touting a 6,200 mAh figure.
This isn’t just about capacity. The Glacier battery is built to stay cool under pressure, especially during intense gaming sessions. It addresses a common pain point with compact phones: overheating while plugged in. Lee explains that the 13T will also feature a bypass charging system, allowing the phone to draw power directly from the charger without passing through the battery—further reducing heat buildup and improving longevity.
Notably, the OnePlus 13T will be the first compact smartphone to feature this Glacier battery tech, making it a true pioneer in thermal management and power efficiency.