OnePlus has confirmed that it is preparing the launch the OnePlus 13T, a new compact flagship phone. The new model looks to reintroduce the T line of OnePlus phones, something we haven’t seen since 2022 with the OnePlus 10T. But before we get to the phone, let’s talk about how OnePlus confirmed it, because it was a bit of a joke.
OnePlus took to its official Weibo channel to share that it was preparing to make an announcement. Uh oh, you might be thinking, it’s April Fool’s Day and the internet is full of pranks. And OnePlus’s video is a bit of fun and worth watching if you have 3 minutes spare.
There’s only one part of the video that actually matters and that’s one of the final moments where the box of the OnePlus 13T is shown along with words that Google translates as “see you later this month”. That confirms an April launch for the OnePlus 13T in China.
That nicely corroborates with a previous leak for the OnePlus 13T, which says that an April launch date is in the frame. There’s one other moment in the video where we see the Snapdragon 8 Elite displayed, something that’s also been suggested through previous leaks.
Let’s just wind the clock back a little to talk about OnePlus T phones. The T phones were originally a mid-life refresh on the phone that came before, usually tweaking the specs to make it more powerful. That has included new hardware, a larger battery or faster charging in the past.
However, that doesn’t appear to be the case for the OnePlus 13T
OnePlus 13T leaked specs
We’re expecting the Snapdragon 8 Elite to power the OnePlus 13T, so this will be a flagship-grade phone. There’s said to be a huge 6,200mAh battery in it, which suggests that it’s a silicon-carbon battery, like the OnePlus 13, however, the increase in capacity would be impressive given that this is said to be a 6.3-inch device.
That means the OnePlus 13T is potentially going to be smaller, but have a bigger battery than the OnePlus 13 flagship. That’s going to be quite the feat. Perhaps that’s why the charging is said to be 80W rather than the 100W charging that you currently get – because there isn’t the space to cool the battery enough for that charging speed.
Back to the 6.3-inch display and this puts the OnePlus 13T into the compact flagship category. This is less common, the Samsung Galaxy S25 being one model. But it’s said to have a 1.5K display.
The fact that it’s a small phone is something that prolific leaker Digital Chat Station has commented on, reinforcing the fact that powerful small phones aren’t that common. Interestingly, he goes on to say “It looks like Google and uses like Apple” (translated), which I take to mean the design might be like a Pixel, while the user experience is like an iPhone.
What we don’t know, however, is where this phone is launching. The fact that it’s a China launch might not mean it’s China only: the OnePlus 13 originally launched in China in December 2024, before getting a global launch in January 2025. Will the OnePlus 13T follow suit?