2025 has been a big year for compact flagship phones. Between the Pixel 9a, iPhone 16, Galaxy S25, and Xiaomi 15, consumers finally have powerful devices that don’t feel like mini-tablets in their hands. But now, OnePlus has entered the ring with its first truly compact flagship—the OnePlus 13S—and it’s stirring the pot in an already saturated segment.
Unlike foldables or camera-centric giants, the 13S doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it gets the basics right: top-tier performance, minimalist design, and flagship-level specs in a smaller footprint. What’s interesting is that it does all this while undercutting rivals like the Xiaomi 15 in pricing.
Yet, as attractive as the OnePlus 13S may be on paper, it’s walking into a battle-hardened territory where the Xiaomi 15 has already proven itself as one of the most balanced compact Androids on the market.
So, is the OnePlus 13S a true disruptor—or just a cheaper alternative with compromises? And how does it fare against the Xiaomi 15 in real-world usage across design, display, performance, cameras, battery life, and software?
Let’s break it down, head-to-head.
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Design and Build Quality:
The OnePlus 13S makes an immediate statement with its sleek, premium design. The aluminum frame is solid, yet lightweight, while the rear glass curves smoothly into the frame with zero sharp transitions. It’s not just well-built—it feels precision-engineered. The camera module is also one of the best-integrated designs we’ve seen from OnePlus, curving naturally into the body rather than appearing tacked on. The matte finish on the back minimizes fingerprints, and in-hand comfort is top-tier for a compact phone.
In comparison, the Xiaomi 15 also delivers a premium construction. It features flat edges and a symmetrical silhouette with a blacked-out camera island and silver frame—giving it a modern, industrial vibe. Xiaomi has taken more risks visually, which some users may find bold and refreshing, while others might prefer the subdued elegance of the OnePlus.
Both devices are thin and lightweight, though the Xiaomi 15 feels denser in-hand due to more balanced weight distribution. OnePlus, while lighter, feels slightly top-heavy, especially during one-handed use. However, ergonomics are excellent on both, with subtly curved corners and secure grip.
In durability, Xiaomi edges ahead with an IP68 rating versus the IP65 protection on OnePlus. It also uses Xiaomi Shield Glass, which offers more resistance to scratches compared to Gorilla Glass 7i used on the OnePlus 13S. While real-world difference is minor, these specs can matter for users prone to drops or using their phone in tough conditions.
When placed flat on a surface, the Xiaomi 15’s camera bump protrudes more, causing a noticeable wobble—something the OnePlus 13S minimizes effectively thanks to a lower-profile design.
Port selection is another win for Xiaomi, offering a USB 3.2 port versus OnePlus’s USB 2.0—important for those who transfer large files or shoot lots of video.
Both devices include IR blasters, and the OnePlus swaps its traditional alert slider for the “+ key,” a multifunction button we’ll explore more in the software section. Overall, the Xiaomi 15 offers more functional hardware polish, but the OnePlus 13S nails visual elegance and ergonomics.
Display Specs and Features:
The OnePlus 13S and Xiaomi 15 both aim to set a high bar for compact flagship displays, and on the surface, they succeed. The OnePlus 13S features a 6.3-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with a 1Hz to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, Dolby Vision support, and 4600 nits of peak brightness. Xiaomi, on the other hand, offers a slightly larger 6.36-inch LTPO AMOLED display, also supporting 1Hz to 120Hz refresh, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and 3000 nits of peak brightness.
While OnePlus gets brighter—making it easier to view under harsh sunlight—Xiaomi pulls ahead with a more symmetrical 1.38mm bezel profile all around the display. OnePlus has marginally smaller bezels on three sides (1.34mm), but it retains a slightly thicker bottom chin, which breaks the symmetry.
Color reproduction is excellent on both. They each offer Pro mode or advanced color tuning for better accuracy. However, Xiaomi has a technical edge with its 12-bit panel, allowing for a wider color gamut compared to the 10-bit panel on the OnePlus. While the difference is only noticeable in specific high-color-depth content, it’s a nice touch for media enthusiasts.
In Netflix Dolby Vision playback, Xiaomi displays punchier colors and brighter highlights, giving it a small but visible advantage for indoor content consumption. However, OnePlus counters this with better visibility outdoors, thanks to its significantly higher peak brightness.
For HDR content on YouTube, both phones deliver excellent dynamic range, deep blacks, and sharp visuals. However, the Xiaomi panel has slightly cooler color tones, whereas the OnePlus leans warmer—especially noticeable when viewing skin tones and whites.
Haptic feedback is tighter and more refined on the Xiaomi 15. The vibration motor is denser and sharper, while the OnePlus haptics, although good with O-Haptics, feel a bit looser by comparison.
Lastly, biometric tech sees Xiaomi using an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, offering faster and more reliable unlocks, especially with wet fingers. OnePlus uses an optical scanner, which works well but falls short of Xiaomi’s premium implementation.
In terms of audio-visual synergy, both phones offer stereo speakers and support LDAC and LHDC codecs. However, Xiaomi has fuller, deeper speaker output, giving it a slight edge for immersive content consumption.
Performance:
Under the hood, both the OnePlus 13S and Xiaomi 15 are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 “Elite Edition” chipset, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. This ensures top-tier flagship performance across both devices with blazing-fast app launches, seamless multitasking, and buttery smooth animations.
Benchmark tests reveal a marginal lead for Xiaomi in raw scores on AnTuTu and Geekbench. However, that advantage comes at the cost of heat buildup—Xiaomi tends to run warmer and drains more battery under sustained load.
OnePlus counters this with superior thermal tuning. In CPU throttling tests, it maintained higher stability over 30-minute sessions. Gaming tests like Genshin Impact at 60fps show both devices performing admirably, but OnePlus held frame rates more consistently during longer sessions.
For GPU-heavy workloads like 3DMark and ray-tracing, Xiaomi slightly edges ahead, but again, thermal throttling kicks in faster. OnePlus delivers more balanced performance over time.
In real-world use, both phones feel incredibly fast. Still, if you value long-term performance sustainability—especially during gaming or multitasking marathons—the OnePlus 13S is better tuned and more efficient under pressure.
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Battery and Charging Speed:
The OnePlus 13S packs a single-cell 5,100mAh graphene battery, while the Xiaomi 15 features a slightly smaller 4,800mAh dual-cell setup. Despite the size difference, it’s OnePlus that delivers superior endurance, regularly offering 7 hours of screen-on-time in mixed usage, compared to Xiaomi’s 6 to 6.5 hours.
This efficiency is thanks to OnePlus’s better thermal management and software optimization, which minimize background drain and keep temperatures in check even under load.
Charging speed, however, is a mixed bag. OnePlus supports 80W wired charging, but real-world results vary. Depending on ambient temperature, a full charge can take anywhere from 48 minutes to over an hour. The charger is included in the box.
Xiaomi supports faster 90W wired charging and a consistent full charge time of about 53–55 minutes. It also includes 50W wireless charging—something OnePlus lacks entirely.
Both phones use battery health management systems to optimize longevity. But for users who value charging flexibility and reliability, Xiaomi holds the edge. For raw battery life, though, the OnePlus 13S remains king in the compact flagship class.
Camera Specs And Performance:
The camera comparison between the OnePlus 13S and the Xiaomi 15 reveals two very different approaches to smartphone photography. On paper, Xiaomi brings a complete flagship setup, while OnePlus takes a more focused route—literally—with a dual-sensor configuration. But real-world results show that the battle is closer than it initially appears.
Rear Camera Setup
OnePlus 13S:
- 50MP Sony LYT-700 primary sensor
- 2x 50MP Samsung JN5 telephoto
- No ultra-wide camera
Xiaomi 15:
- 50MP main (custom sensor)
- 50MP ultra-wide
- 50MP 2x telephoto
- All support 4K video recording
Both phones use optical image stabilization (OIS) on the main sensor and promise flagship-grade processing. But Xiaomi goes further with a true triple camera setup and Leica image tuning, while OnePlus opts for a simpler but tuned dual setup.
Daylight Photography
In bright outdoor shots, the OnePlus 13S performs exceptionally well. Despite having a smaller sensor, it captures detailed textures, especially when you crop in. Images are neutral-toned and consistent across scenes. Dynamic range is wide, and contrast is handled without going overboard.
Xiaomi, on the other hand, pulls ahead with its larger sensor in certain conditions, offering deeper depth in shadows and better light roll-off in highlights. The Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant modes allow for artistic flexibility, with color grading that feels more stylized than OnePlus’s neutral palette.
However, OnePlus often renders more realistic foliage and architectural detail, while Xiaomi tends to boost saturation—especially in Leica Vibrant mode.
Low-Light Performance
Xiaomi dominates here. The larger sensor and Leica tuning come into play, especially in scenes with tricky lighting or mixed shadows. The Xiaomi 15 consistently retrieves more information from the shadows, and its night mode shots are brighter and cleaner with less noise.
OnePlus isn’t bad in low light—it’s usable and often produces sharp results—but it simply can’t match Xiaomi’s level of detail and exposure control in these conditions.
Ultra-Wide Shots
This is an area where Xiaomi wins by default, since the OnePlus 13S doesn’t have an ultra-wide camera. Xiaomi’s 50MP ultra-wide shooter offers consistent color science with the main sensor and produces distortion-free, detailed wide-angle shots. It’s also great for architectural and group shots, with support for 4K video.
Portraits
Both phones use their 2x telephoto for portraits, and the edge detection is solid on both. However, Xiaomi provides focal length options (1x, 2x, 3x), giving users more control over framing.
OnePlus’s portraits have more natural skin tones and better sharpness, but they are limited to 2x zoom with no manual override. Xiaomi offers more detail in the face and better simulated bokeh, though the skin tones can sometimes appear overly processed, especially in Leica modes.
Zoom Performance
At 2x, the OnePlus 13S is sharper, thanks to its dedicated 2x lens. But from 2.5x onward, Xiaomi starts pulling ahead. At 4x and 5x, Xiaomi’s hybrid zoom is noticeably clearer, with better noise control and more structure.
In low-light zoom shots, the gap widens—Xiaomi maintains color fidelity and better stabilization, while OnePlus struggles with softness and exposure balance.
Selfies
Both phones offer 32MP selfie cameras. OnePlus consistently delivers sharper, more contrast-rich selfies with better skin tones under daylight. Its HDR performance is also superior, retaining highlights in backlit situations.
However, Xiaomi takes the lead in low-light selfies, producing brighter, cleaner images with better background isolation in portrait mode.
Video Recording
Here, Xiaomi is significantly more versatile. It allows 4K 60fps video recording across all rear lenses and the front camera. OnePlus caps out at 4K 30fps on the selfie camera and lacks ultra-wide video capabilities altogether.
When recording 4K 60fps from the main sensor, both phones deliver excellent sharpness, dynamic range, and stabilization. But Xiaomi produces brighter, punchier footage with more neutral color grading, especially in Dolby Vision mode.
Sound recording is a surprising win for OnePlus. The 13S captures more natural voice reproduction with lower background hiss, which makes it a better pick for vloggers.
Zoom video at 4K 60fps looks marginally better on Xiaomi, especially above 3x. Both phones offer decent stabilization, but Xiaomi has a slight edge in motion handling during panning or walking shots.
Overall Verdict on Cameras
If versatility is your top priority, the Xiaomi 15 is the clear winner. Its triple camera system, Leica modes, ultra-wide option, and extensive video capabilities make it the more feature-rich imaging tool.
That said, OnePlus 13S holds its own in certain scenarios—especially with sharper daylight shots, better selfie sharpness, and superior audio capture in video.
It’s not a knockout victory for Xiaomi, but a clear win for users who want more lens options and better low-light performance. The OnePlus 13S, however, is no slouch—and if your focus is casual photography with solid video and performance, it still gets the job done respectably.
Software:
When it comes to software, the OnePlus 13S runs on OxygenOS 15, while the Xiaomi 15 ships with HyperOS 2.0. Both are built on Android 14 and promise 4 years of major OS updates along with 6 years of security patches, putting them on par with most modern flagships in terms of longevity.
OnePlus’s OxygenOS 15 shines with its clean interface, snappy animations, and thoughtful design. App transitions are fluid, multitasking is responsive, and there’s a refined polish in UI consistency. The new system-wide AI features add real utility—like the AI call assistant, live translation, system-wide search, and voice command summaries of recorded calls. These tools are genuinely helpful and seamlessly integrated.
HyperOS 2.0, by comparison, is more visually customizable and integrates Google Gemini support as well. It’s bloat-free and responsive, but lacks the finesse of OxygenOS in animation fluidity and AI depth. While it offers tools like AI gallery editing, translation, and smart widgets, the execution isn’t as intuitive or cohesive as on OnePlus.
The Plus Key on the OnePlus 13S replaces the traditional alert slider, and though it introduces features like MindSpace memory tagging and AI-generated summaries, it feels undercooked for now. Most users will prefer remapping it to traditional sound profile controls.
OnePlus also edges ahead with features like live activities (similar to iOS), better notification grouping, and more robust dark mode scheduling. It also supports full system-wide translation in real-time, even across languages in mixed conversations.
While Xiaomi’s HyperOS continues to improve, OnePlus currently offers a more balanced, smarter, and smoother user experience—especially for those who prioritize responsiveness and practical AI features.
Price and Value:
The OnePlus 13S is positioned as a value flagship, undercutting the Xiaomi 15 by around $100–$150 in most regions. It offers top-tier performance, a refined software experience, and excellent battery life—all in a compact chassis that feels every bit premium. For users seeking flagship essentials without paying a flagship price, the 13S delivers strong bang for the buck.
Xiaomi 15, while pricier, justifies its cost with added features: a true triple-camera setup, wireless charging, IP68 protection, and superior multimedia tools like a 12-bit display and better speakers. It’s a more complete flagship, albeit at a higher entry point.
However, in markets where the OnePlus 13S is available at aggressive pricing, it offers incredible value for performance-focused users who can live without ultra-wide cameras or wireless charging. Its software is also arguably better optimized.
In contrast, Xiaomi 15 is ideal for users who want no compromises and are willing to pay for it. Value-wise, OnePlus 13S is the practical pick; Xiaomi 15 is the premium all-rounder.
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Conclusion:
The OnePlus 13S and Xiaomi 15 are two of the finest compact Android flagships of 2025, each catering to slightly different user priorities. The 13S focuses on refined design, excellent battery life, strong main camera performance, and a polished software experience with genuinely useful AI features—all at a more aggressive price point.
Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 15 offers a fuller flagship package. It brings a superior triple-camera setup, wireless charging, better video capabilities, an ultra-wide lens, and enhanced durability with IP68 and USB 3.2. It’s the more versatile device overall, but it comes at a higher cost.
If you’re someone who values practical day-to-day performance, battery efficiency, and fluid software, the OnePlus 13S is arguably the smarter buy. But if photography, multimedia, and hardware completeness matter most to you, the Xiaomi 15 clearly delivers more.
Both phones are excellent, but serve different priorities. The OnePlus 13S is a polished minimalist’s dream; the Xiaomi 15 is the power user’s compact flagship. Choose based on what matters more to you.
- Buy Xiaomi 15 on Amazon now!!
- Check if the OnePlus 13S is available on Amazon now!!
Pros and Cons
OnePlus 13S – Pros ✅
- Premium and compact design with excellent in-hand feel
- Best-in-class battery life among compact flagships
- Smooth and responsive OxygenOS 15 with deep AI features
- Sharp and natural-looking daylight photos from main camera
- Great selfie camera with solid HDR and details
- Competitive pricing and excellent value for money
OnePlus 13S – Cons ❌
- No ultra-wide camera or wireless charging support
- USB 2.0 port feels outdated
- Portrait and low-light camera performance limited compared to rivals
Xiaomi 15 – Pros ✅
- Full flagship camera setup with Leica tuning and ultra-wide lens
- Brighter, more colorful Dolby Vision display with 12-bit depth
- IP68 rating and faster USB 3.2 port
- 4K 60fps video across all lenses including front camera
- Wireless charging and symmetrical design
- Rich haptic feedback and better speaker performance
Xiaomi 15 – Cons ❌
- Runs hotter under sustained loads and drains battery faster
- HyperOS animations aren’t as refined as OxygenOS
- Slightly more expensive, especially for price-conscious buyers
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Frequently Asked Questions:
Which is better: OnePlus 13S or Xiaomi 15?
- The OnePlus 13S offers better battery life, software experience, and value. The Xiaomi 15 wins in camera versatility, display quality, and feature set. Your choice depends on what matters most—price vs. features.
Does the OnePlus 13S have a good camera?
- Yes, the OnePlus 13S delivers sharp, detailed photos from its main sensor and strong selfies, but it lacks an ultra-wide lens and falls short in low-light photography compared to the Xiaomi 15.
Does the Xiaomi 15 support wireless charging?
- Yes, the Xiaomi 15 supports 50W wireless charging and 90W wired charging, making it more versatile than the OnePlus 13S, which lacks wireless charging altogether.
Which phone has better battery life: OnePlus 13S or Xiaomi 15?
- The OnePlus 13S has better battery life, offering up to an hour more screen-on time on average compared to the Xiaomi 15.
Which phone is better for photography in 2025?
- The Xiaomi 15 is better for photography with its triple 50MP rear cameras, Leica color profiles, ultra-wide lens, and superior video features. It outperforms the OnePlus 13S in versatility and low-light conditions.
- Buy Xiaomi 15 on Amazon now!!
- Check if the OnePlus 13S is available on Amazon now!!
