How many updates will the OnePlus 13 get?
Best answer: The OnePlus 13 will receive four years of major OS updates. Since the phone runs Android 15 (with OxygenOS 15 overlay) out of the box, you can expect it to be updated to Android versions 16 through 19. After the last OS update, the OnePlus 13 will continue to get security patches for two more years.
The OnePlus 13's update policy is good, but it could (and should) be better
It probably won't be an exaggeration to say that the OnePlus 13 is the best phone that the company has ever made. Building further upon the foundation laid by its already-excellent predecessor, OnePlus's newest top-of-the-line smartphone manages to get just about everything right. It's no wonder the OnePlus 13 earned a perfect score from Android Central's Nicholas Sutrich when he reviewed the phone.
The OnePlus 13 comes with a refreshed design that's a visual delight. Not just that, the "2.5D" curved edges of the front and back panels make it quite comfortable to hold as well. You have a choice of two materials (vegan leather and textured glass) for the rear and both look equally gorgeous. Oh, and you also have an IP69 certification, which is a first for any smartphone. Combined with that premium build quality and top-tier specs (as you'd expect), it's clear that the OnePlus 13 is a smartphone designed to last.
But even though the phone's hardware—both on the inside and the outside—is ready for the long haul, what about the software?
The OnePlus 13 runs Android 15 (with the company's Oxygen OS 15 overlay) out of the box, and OnePlus has committed to providing it four years of major OS updates. This means that it's on track to receive Android 16, 17, 18, and 19 in future. Once that's done, the phone will get security patches for two extra years. It's also worth mentioning that the exact same update policy applies to the OnePlus 13R too.
Now, this software update commitment doesn't sound all that bad, until you realize it doesn't come close to the seven years of major OS updates that Samsung and Google promise for their flagship smartphones. It probably would be alright if this was a mid-range smartphone like the OnePlus Nord 4 (which by the way, also benefits from the same update commitment), but it's not. The OnePlus 13 is a full-blown flagship having a starting price of $900, so we think it deserves more in terms of software support.
What's also worth noting is that the OnePlus 13 is fully capable of going much further as far as updates are concerned, since this thing is crammed with blazing-fast hardware. We're talking about Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, helped by up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. You get a fabulous triple-lens rear camera setup, a 6,000mAh battery with incredible charging speeds, and much more. Sure, OnePlus might think a long software update commitment doesn't make sense, but it actually does, even more so when you're expected to shell out nearly a grand for a flagship.
When all is said and done, the OnePlus 13 is hands down one of the best Android phones you can get in the market at this time. It ticks all the right boxes and is a phone we can recommend to anyone looking for a full-featured flagship. However, a longer update commitment would make the OnePlus 13 an even more astounding value buy than it already is.
The best OnePlus phone so far
With the OnePlus 13, you get best-in-class hardware, a versatile triple-lens rear camera system that beats the competitors, super-fast charging, feature-loaded software, and much more, all in a chassis that's stunning yet durable.
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