Phone Comparisons: OnePlus 13 vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

The OnePlus 13 is the company’s latest and greatest smartphone. It launched globally earlier this month, and in this article, it’s going against the very best Apple has to offer. In other words, we’ll be comparing the OnePlus 13 vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. These two smartphones are vastly different in so many ways. They don’t really share that many specifications and their designs are also considerably different.

That usually makes for a rather interesting comparison. Both of these are large-format flagship smartphones, and both of them are plenty powerful. Do note that the iPhone 16 Pro Max does cost more, however. As we usually do, we’ll first list the specifications of both devices. Following that, we’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output. With that being said, let’s get down to it.

Specs

OnePlus 13 vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, respectively

– Screen size:
6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED (micro quad-curved aka flat, 120Hz, HDR 10+, 4,500 nits max)
6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display (flat, 120Hz, HDR, 2,000 nits)
– Display resolution:
3168 x 1440
2868 x 1320
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
Apple A18 Pro (3nm)
– RAM:
12GB/16GB/24GB (LPDDR5X)
8GB
– Storage:
256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (f/1.6 aperture, 23mm lens, 1.12um pixel size, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS), 50MP (ultrawide, 15mm lens, 120-degree FoV, f/2.0 aperture, 0.64um pixel size, PDAF), 50MP (periscope telephoto, 0.8um pixel size, OIS, PDAF, 3x optical zoom)
48MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.28-inch sensor, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF), 12MP (periscope telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 1/3.06-inch sensor, 1.12um pixel size, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 5x optical zoom).
– Front cameras:
32MP (f/2.4 aperture, 0.8um pixel size)
12MP (f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, OIS)
– Battery:
6,000mAh
4,685mAh
– Charging:
100W wired, 50W wireless, reverse wireless, reverse wired (charger not included)
38W wired, 25W MagSafe, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
– Dimensions:
162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5/8.9 mm
163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm
– Weight:
210/213 grams
227 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.4/5.3
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic) & facial scanning
Face ID (3D facial scanning)
– OS:
Android 15 with OxygenOS 15
iOS 18
– Price:
$899+
$1,199+
– Buy:
OnePlus 13 (Best Buy)
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (BestBuy)

OnePlus 13 vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Design

The OnePlus 13 is made out of aluminum and either glass or vegan leather on the back. It all depends on which variant you get, as only the blue has vegan leather. That backplate does add considerable grip to the phone. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the other hand, is made out of titanium, aluminum, and glass. Both smartphones do have a flat frame all around, and on both, that frame is slightly rounded towards the edges.

The OnePlus 13 has a quad micro-curved display. In other words, the glass on top of the display is curved on all four sides, but the display is not. The same goes for the back side of the phone, as it’s proportionally curved towards the very edges. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is completely flat on the front and the back. You’ll notice that OnePlus’ handset has a centered display camera hole, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with a centered pill-shaped cutout. That is the so-called Dynamic Island.

The bezels on both smartphones are quite thin, while they’re also uniform too. The OnePlus 13 has power/lock and volume up and down buttons on the right-hand side, while its alert slider is located on the left. It also has an infrared port at the top. The iPhone 16 Pro Max includes a power/lock button on the left, along with the Camera Control key. On the left, the volume up and down buttons are located, along with the Action Button.

On the back, you’ll notice two different camera islands. The OnePlus 13 has a camera oreo in the top-left corner, with three cameras on the inside. In a similar space, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a squarish camera island with three cameras that have notably different placement. The two phones are basically identical in terms of height, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a bit wider. They’re also very similar in terms of thickness. Apple’s phone is heavier, though.

The OnePlus 13 comes with IP68 and IP69 certifications, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max has an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. Both phones do feel like premium products in the hand.

OnePlus 13 vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Display

The OnePlus 13 features a 6.82-inch 3168 x 1440 LTPO AMOLED display. That panel is flat, with a quad micro-curved glass on top. It can project up to 1 billion colors, while it also has supports for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HDR Vivid. Its refresh rate is adaptive, it goes from 1 to 120Hz as needed. The peak brightness of this panel is 4,500 nits, in theory. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 91%, while the Ceramic Shield glass protects this panel.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the flip side, has a 6.9-inch 2868 x 1320 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel si flat, and it supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Its refresh rate is also adaptive from 1 to 120Hz. The peak brightness of this display is at 2,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio here is around 91%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The Ceramic Shield glass protects this display.

Both of these displays are actually great. They’re more than sharp enough, they’re also quite vivid and have great viewing angles. The touch response is great on both of them too, as is the protection on top. The OnePlus 13’s panel does technically get brighter when needed, even though both are bright enough. OnePlus’ panel also has the advantage of supporting high-frequency PWM dimming.

OnePlus 13 vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Elite, a 3nm processor from Qualcomm, fuels the OnePlus 13. That is the company’s most powerful chip at the moment. It is paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and up to 24GB in China. UFS 4.0 flash storage is also used. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the flip side, is fueled by the Apple A18 Pro SoC, a 3nm processor. That phone comes with 8GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage.

With that being said, both of these phones offer outstanding performance. They’re very fluid in every way, shape, and form. You don’t have to worry about the performance at all. Whether it’s opening apps, jumping between them, image processing, video processing, browsing, or something else entirely, they have it covered. These are some of the best-performing smartphones in the industry right now.

The same can be said for gaming too. They both do the job really well and don’t get too hot while you’re at it either. The OnePlus 13 does technically have better cooling, but the heat is not a problem for either device, even if you’re gaming for longer periods of time. Neither phone started overheating, neither was either of them too hot to hold… well, at least from what we’ve seen.

OnePlus 13 vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Battery

There is a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery included inside the OnePlus 13. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the flip side, supports a 4,685mAh battery. Apple’s iPhones usually have smaller batteries than their Android counterparts, so don’t pay too much attention to this difference. Both of these smartphones do offer outstanding battery life, which is all that should matter to you as the end user.

The battery life on these two smartphones is comparable, and it will satisfy even the most demanding users. These two smartphones are amongst the best phones in terms of battery life, when it comes to flagship devices. We were able to constantly push both phones over 7 hours of screen-on-time, while both had plenty of juice in the tank. Even on heavier days (or over two days) when more screen-on-time was needed, that was not a problem. They can both go over that level. Just note that your mileage may vary, as there are a lot of factors to consider. Also, gaming does drain the battery on both smartphones, as do some other intensive tasks.

When it comes to charging, the OnePlus 13 obliterates the iPhone 16 Pro Max. It supports 100W wired, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless, and 5W reverse wired charging. Apple’s flagship supports 38W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. The OnePlus 13 can be charged a lot faster, both via a wire and wirelessly. Just note that neither phone comes with a charger in the box.

OnePlus 13 vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Cameras

Both of these phones have three cameras on the back, but they’re notably different. The OnePlus 13 includes a 50-megapixel main camera (1/1.43-inch sensor), along with a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (1/2.75-inch sensor, 120-degree FoV), and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (1/1.95-inch sensor, 3x optical zoom). Do note that Hasselblad is also a part of the picture here.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the flip side, has a 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.28-inch sensor size), a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size), and a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (1/3.06-inch sensor, 5x optical zoom). The images these two smartphones provide are notably different. The OnePlus 13 leans more towards contrasty shots, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max prefers warmer colors.

The main snappers on both smartphones are great. We prefer the colors from the OnePlus 13, and more often than not we also preferred photos in general that this phone took. It all depends on the scene, though, the iPhone 16 Pro Max does a great job too. Something similar can be said for low light, and for ultrawide cameras on both devices. Though we did prefer ultrawide shots from the iPhone 16 Pro Max most of the time.

Periscope telephoto cameras are a completely different story. That’s where the OnePlus 13 shines in this comparison. At most focal lengths it did a better job with zoomed-in shots. There were some exception, like for 5x photos, but that was a rarity. Its periscope telephoto unit also did a better job in low light.

Audio

There is a set of stereo speakers included on each of these two phones. Those speakers are really good on both ends, and they have similar loudness. The OnePlus 13’s are a bit louder, in all honesty, but not many people will notice that. The sound quality is great on both.

What neither phone has is an audio jack. They do include Type-C ports, so you can always plug in your wired headphones and use those ports instead of 3.5mm headphone jacks. If you prefer wireless audio, do note that the OnePlus 13 comes with Bluetooth 5.4 support, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max supports Bluetooth 5.3.

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