Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13: Which flagship could win?

January is set to be a huge month for fans of the best Android phones. Not only is Samsung reportedly set to unveil three Galaxy S25 handsets on January 22, but the previously China-only OnePlus 13 is getting a global release on the January 7.

Make no mistake. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and OnePlus 13 will be vying for the best phones of the year. But which should you be planning on pre-ordering? Here’s what we know about how the two stack up so far…

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13 specs

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs OnePlus 13 price

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is already one of the most expensive non-folding handsets around, with prices starting at $1,299 and increasing if you need more storage.

The best case scenario is that the Galaxy S25 Ultra manages to keep the same starting price, but with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite reportedly pushing costs upwards, it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw a $1,349 or even $1,399 MSRP.

OnePlus, on the other hand, has made a virtue of trying to keep flagship costs down. The OnePlus 12 starts at $799, and with the Chinese version of the new handset coming in at 4,499 yuan (around $632), we’re hopeful that $799 remains the asking price in 2025.

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 bigger than the 6.8 inches we’re expecting the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra to be (unless the rumor about it growing to 6.9 inches comes true).

This will make them weighty, too. We know the OnePlus 13 will tip the scales at either 210 or 213 grams (7.4 to 7.5 ounches) depending on the model, and while we don’t know if Samsung has reduced the weight of the S25 Ultra yet, its predecessor was 232 grams (8.1 ounces).

Both have 120Hz OLED panels for infinite contrast and buttery-smooth animations. Resolution is expected to be pretty similar too, with a 3,168 x 1,440 panel on the OnePlus 13 and an expected 3,120 x 1,440 display for the Samsung model, if it remains unchanged from the previous generation.

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.

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. Both will be powered by the impressive Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and though it looks like you’ll have the option of adding up to 24GB of RAM on the OnePlus 13, most people simply won’t notice the difference.

But there are two advantages that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will have over the OnePlus 13 — one certain, and one very likely.

The latter of these is the 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, and it looks like it’s going to be even more important with a rumored Bixby overhaul. OnePlus has its own AI features 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 should come 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

Both the OnePlus 12 and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra feature on our list of the best camera phones, (albeit with Samsung having a clear edge) so we have high hopes for their successors.

In the case of OnePlus, this is thanks to year-on-year photography improvement, aided by the company’s partnership with Hasselblad. This time around, we’re looking at a triple camera array with the main, ultrawide and telephoto lens all packing 50MP sensors. The latter of these offers up to 3x optical zoom.

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 a rumored boost from 12MP to 50MP and the possible introduction of a variable aperture for improved zooming on the telephoto lens.

That would take the set up to a 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.

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 predicted MSRP. Even if prices remain static, the S24 Ultra is set to be 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 that’ll be the case again with the S25 series. For those who want the most power Android can offer, and don’t mind paying extra for it, we expect the Galaxy S25 Ultra to be the one to watch overall. And the OnePlus 13 should be the value pick for shoppers.