OnePlus 10 Pro Vs iPhone 13: Battle Of The 'Basic Premium' Android And iOS Flagships

OnePlus 10 Pro And iPhone 13 Comparison: Which of the two should you be going for? Read on to figure that out.

OnePlus 10 Pro or iPhone13? Which one will you choose?

By Akriti Rana and Nimish Dubey

It might sound a little contradictory, but even the premium segment of smartphones has its "value for money" devices. These phones come with price tags that are definitely expensive by mainstream standards but are still relatively affordable for those wanting a premium device with no compromises. So if you are looking to dip your toes daintily in premium smartphone waters but do not want to take a full blooded plunge, there are two devices that are likely to appear on your radar.

Android fans are likely to nudge you towards the just released OnePlus 10 Pro, which brings in a premium design and top of the line hardware at Rs 66,999. The iPhone crowd on the other hand is likely to urge you to go for the iPhone 13, which might lag a little behind the much more expensive Pro and Pro Max, but is every inch a premium iOS device, and at Rs 79,900, perhaps the best starting point for anyone wanting a new iPhone (the 13 mini is more affordable but is really meant for the small phone crowd). But which of the two should you be going for? Let us try and figure that out. 

Looks And Appearance

They might have glass front and back and metal frames. But there is absolutely no other similarity between the iPhone 13 and the OnePlus 10 Pro. The OnePlus 10 Pro is a much bigger phone, 163 mm tall against the smaller iPhone 13, which is 146.7 mm tall. The OnePlus device is also thicker and wider than the iPhone, and its 200 grams weight is more than the 173 grams of the iPhone 13.

So yes, if you want a compact phone, the iPhone 13 wins. However, in terms of appearance, the large ceramic camera unit with Hasselblad brading on the back of the OnePlus device gives it a very distinct look, while the iPhone 13 apart from the placement of its camera lenses on the back, looks like an exact copy of the iPhone 12.

That said, the iPhone 13 comes with IP68 dust and water resistance, something that the OnePlus 10 Pro totally lacks. It really depends on what you prefer - the iPhone 13's compactness or the more stand out look of the OnePlus 13 Pro. 

Display 

This seems to be a total no brainer in hardware terms. The OnePlus 10 Pro comes with a curved 6.7 inch quad HD+ fluid AMOLED display with 120 H refresh rate while the iPhone 13 comes with a flat full HD OLED display with a 60 Hz refresh rate. However, we could not really tell too much of a difference between the two displays in terms of real world performance. That said, there is no denying that in terms of potential, the OnePlus 10 Pro has the better display here.

Processor And RAM

The OnePlus 10 Pro is driven by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Generation 1 processor, which is supposed to be the best in the Android smartphone world. However, most consider the iPhone 13's A15 Bionic chip to be superior, because iPhone processors have a track record of delivering good performances for longer durations. In terms of RAM and storage, the OnePlus 10 Pro comes with 8 GB /128 GB and 12 GB /256 GB variants.

Apple has never stated the amount of RAM in an iPhone and truth be told, RAM has never been an issue with the iPhone's performance. The iPhone 13 has 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB storage options. Processor wise, we think the iPhone 13 has the edge here, mainly for its longevity. 

Multimedia And Gaming 

Both phones come with very good displays, top of the line processors and stereo speakers. That makes both very good for watching videos, films and series and playing games. The bigger display of the OnePlus 10 Pro does result in a more immersive experience, but the iPhone 13 remains far cooler while playing high-end games (the OnePlus can heat up slightly). The speakers of the iPhone 13 also deliver much better sound. If you are going to binge watch content or play lots of high-end games, we think the bigger display of the OnePlus 10 Pro might work better for you.

Cameras

On paper, this should be all OnePlus 10 Pro. The OnePlus devices come with a 48 megapixel main sensor, a 50 megapixel ultrawide camera that can deliver a field of view of 150 degrees and an 8 megapixel telephoto camera with 3.3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom. Against this, the iPhone simply has two 12 megapixel cameras on the back, one wide and one ultrawide. And yet, in terms of performance, the iPhone 13 proved to be far more consistent, delivering realistic colours and lots of detail. The OnePlus 10 Pro's cameras did give us far more shooting options, but their quality often was just a notch below that of the iPhone 13's shooters. 

The iPhone 13 cannot record 8K videos like the OnePlus 10 Pro but the quality of its videos in terms of detail, colour and steadiness is streets ahead of the OnePlus device. Even in selfies the story is the same, with the iPhone 13's 12 megapixel selfie snapper taking better selfies and videos than the 32 megapixel one on the OnePlus 10 Pro. The cameras on the OnePlus 10 Pro, with their Hasselblad collaboration, are very good indeed and offer more variety in terms of ultrawide and telephoto, but they just cannot match the sheer consistency of the more modestly specced cameras on the iPhone 13. 

Software 

This is perhaps where the biggest battle is fought in the war between these two devices. While the OnePlus 10 Pro runs on Android 12 with its OxygenOS interface on top of it, the iPhone runs on iOS 15. There is not much to separate the two in terms of actual usage - both are simple and clean, and are easy to use. iOS however, wins the day because of its vastly superior update record as compared to Android. OnePlus has a very good record of updating its devices, but even that pales in front of what Apple offers on its iPhones. The iPhone 13 is likely to be running the latest version of iOS five years down the line and is likely to receive updates at almost the same time as newer iPhone flagships. Alas, the same cannot be said for the OnePlus 10 Pro. 

General performance 

When it comes to general, everyday performance involving tasks like browsing the web, social networking, handling mails and messages and the like, both phones are pretty much even stevens. The iPhone 13's more compact form factor does make it easier to handle and manage generally. We also felt that Face ID on the iPhone 13 worked much faster than the in-display fingerprint scanner on the OnePlus 10 Pro, especially now that we seem to have entered the mask-less era again. 

Battery 

The OnePlus 10 Pro comes with a massive 5000 mAh battery with support for 80W SuperVOOC fast charging and 50W wireless charging. What's more, it even comes with a 80W charger in the box. The OnePlus 13 on the other hand does not come with any battery numbers (like RAM, Apple never divulges them), supports upto 20W charging speed with a wired connection and 15W with a MagSafe wireless connector. What's more, there's no charger in the box. Although both phones will easily see off a day of usage, the OnePlus 10 Pro can be recharged in about forty minutes, while the iPhone 13 takes close to two hours. The OnePlus 10 Pro is easily the better option here.

Which One To Choose — Think Different or Never Settle?

So which of the two phones should you go for? If budget is a constraint, the  OnePlus 10 Pro's starting price of Rs 66,999 makes it the more pocket-friendly option, as the iPhone starts at a much higher Rs 79,900 (and you will have to shell out some cash for a charger as well). However, in terms of long term performance, the iPhone 13 is clearly the better bet, given Apple's track record of updates. The iPhone 13 will also appeal to those who like compact form factors and are comfortable even with a slightly older, if still smart design. Those who love specs and edgy design will like the OnePlus 10 Pro's markedly different appearance, higher resolution curved display with higher refresh rates, its large quantities of RAM, as well as its insane charging speeds. The OnePlus 10 Pro is perfect for those who want to be with the latest and greatest, the iPhone 13 is great for those who want a great phone even a few years down the line. Whether you choose to Think Different or Never Settle, you will still end up with a great premium smartphone!