January has already been a big month for the best Android phones. After the OnePlus 13 kicked things off with its global arrival to begin the new year, Samsung followed suit with the Galaxy S25 release, highlighted by the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Make no mistake — a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. OnePlus 13 showdown is going to determine which device starts the year as the best phone. So which should you plan on getting? Here’s what we know about how the two phones stack up following the S25 Ultra's grand unveiling at Galaxy Unpacked
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13 specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | OnePlus 13 |
| Display size | 6.9 inches | 6.82 inches |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Memory | 12GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB |
| Rear cameras | 200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, 50MP periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom | 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom |
| Front camera | 12MP | 32MP |
| Battery size | 5,000 mAh | 6,000 mAh |
| Colors | Titanium Black, Titanium Blue, Titanium Gray, Titanium Silver | Black, Blue, White |
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13 price
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is one of the most expensive non-folding handsets around, with prices starting at $1,299 and increasing if you need more storage. That's the same as last year, which we're pretty happy about considering rumors that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite might have pushed costs upward.
We've already seen a price increase with the OnePlus 13, which costs $899 for a 12GB model with 256GB of storage. That's $100 more than the OnePlus 12. Even with the price hike, the OnePlus 13 is at least $400 cheaper than the S25 Ultra — and noticeably less than the $999 Galaxy S25 Plus.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13 design and display
Both the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and OnePlus 13 are handsets for people who like big phones. The OnePlus 13 packs a 6.82-inch display — a tiny bit smaller than the 6.9 inches we’re getting from the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
This will make them weighty, too. The OnePlus 13 tips the scales at either 210 to 213 grams (7.4 to 7.5 ounces) depending on the model, while the Galaxy S25 ultra comes in at a slightly heavier 218g (7.68 ounces)
Both phones have 120Hz OLED panels for infinite contrast and buttery-smooth animations. Resolution is pretty similar too, with both handsets offering QHD+ resolution — though the exact pixel count will differ thanks to the variance in size.
Design-wise, both are set to look pretty similar to their predecessors, albeit with some of the angles softened into curves for the S25 Ultra. That said, with its raised circular camera array, the OnePlus 13 still has a distinct look in the world of smartphones — even if it’s barely changed from the previous generation.
OnePlus has made an effort to deliver a more durable phone, as its new flagship uses a Ceramic Guard material to protect the screen from damage. An IP68/69 water resistance rating means the OnePlus 13 can be dunked and sprayed with no concerns about damage.
Samsung has upgraded the display glass on the S25 Ultra to Gorilla Glass Armor 2, which promises to be even stronger and more durable — plus it has the same titanium frame as the Galaxy S24 Ultra before it.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13 performance and special features
In day-to-day use, you’ll likely be hard pushed to tell the difference between the S25 Ultra and OnePlus 13’s performance. We already know that the OnePlus 13 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra will do the same.
Samsung does offer a custom chipset in the form of the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. Since these chips tend to be slightly more powerful, it could turn in better performances numbers than the OnePlus 13 produced in our testing for our OnePlus 13R review. But until we can do some thorough benchmarking, we're seeing some big gains in most categories over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 found in last year's Galaxy S24 Ultra.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | OnePlus 13 | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy |
| Geekbench 6 score (single-core / multi-core) | 2,893 / 9,058 | 2,300 / 7,249 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme (score / fps) | 5,727 / 34.29 | 5,007 / 29.98 |
| Adobe Premiere Rush time to transcode (mins:secs) | 1:01 | 0:42 |
The Galaxy S25 Ultra bring two advantages over the OnePlus 13 — with a notable edge on artificial intelligence. There are too many Galaxy AI features to go over here, but Samsung has added its artificial intelligence in a thoughtful way that is well integrated and genuinely helpful.
Bixby has had an AI upgrade to boost on-device Ai processing capabilities, while Google Gemini lends a helping hand with cloud-based features. OnePlus introduced more AI features in the OnePlus 13 like Magic Editor-style photo editing and writing summary features, but it feels more basic than Samsung’s offering at the time of writing.
And then there’s the S Pen. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with the bundled stylus, which is excellent for note taking and doodling. It’s the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Note in all but name, and while not everyone will get much use out of the clever custom stylus, those that do swear by it.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13 cameras
Thanks to some camera improvements, the OnePlus 13 ranks high on our best camera phones rankings. Samsung still enjoys an edge, as we learned in our OnePlus 13 vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra photo face-off, but the gap is as small as its ever been in camera performance between OnePlus and Samsung.
Certainly, hardware improvements on the OnePlus 13 helped, as the ultrawide lens on the new phone boasts a higher resolution than before. (The resolution on the telephoto lens, meanwhile, see a slight downgrade from 64MP to 50MP.) But the real star here is OnePlus' ongoing partnership with Hasselblad, which results in better color on images, plus noticeable improvements in night and zoom photography this time around.
Samsung has historically thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the Ultra’s camera array, and it looks set to be the case again with the ultrawide lens getting boosted form 12MP 50MP, and with the added introduction of a variable aperture capable of switching anywhere between f/1.4 and f/14.
That sets up the quad array with a 200MP main sensor, a 10MP telephoto camera (3x zoom), a 50MP periscope telephoto lens (5x zoom) and a 50MP ultrawide snapper. While numbers and on-paper specs aren’t everything, it’s hard to see how OnePlus can compete with that. But we'll have to do some hands-on testing before we can make any definitive conclusions.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13 outlook
While the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a lot of unique features going for it — including the bundled S Pen, Galaxy AI, and that appealing quad-camera array — it’s hard to get past its enormous price. Even though the price has remained static it's still around 60% more than the OnePlus 13, which is undoubtedly a big ask, given many of the specs are identical (or, in the case of RAM, potentially weaker).
But the Galaxy S Ultra series has always delivered on performance, features, camera quality and looks, and there’s no real reason to doubt the S25 won't follow suit. For those who want the most power Android can offer, and don’t mind paying extra for it, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the one to watch overall. And the OnePlus 13 continues to be the value pick for shoppers.
