OnePlus 13 vs iPhone 17 Pro

The OnePlus 13 and the iPhone 17 Pro come at the flagship question from opposite ends. The OnePlus is the value Android champion, packing a huge battery and the fastest charging around for well under the iPhone's price; the iPhone 17 Pro is Apple's premium Pro model, with the fastest chip, the best video tools and iOS. There is a roughly £400 gap between them, so this is a decision about platform and priorities. Here is how they compare, drawn from independent expert reviews of each, with current UK prices.

At a glance

The OnePlus 13 (around £699.99) offers flagship performance, a big, very bright screen, a class-leading battery with blistering charging and clean Android — for hundreds of pounds less. The iPhone 17 Pro (around £1,099.00) counters with Apple's most powerful chip, professional-grade video, a more compact body and the polished iOS ecosystem. If value and battery life lead your list, the OnePlus is compelling; if you want iOS and the best video, the iPhone earns its premium.

Check the OnePlus 13 price on Amazon · Check the iPhone 17 Pro price on Amazon

Operating system

Start here, because it outweighs the rest. The OnePlus 13 runs Android with OxygenOS, one of the cleanest and fastest Android skins; the iPhone 17 Pro runs iOS, simple and consistent, with seamless links to other Apple devices. Choose the ecosystem you already use — it shapes daily life with the phone more than any spec. Both are supported for years.

Design and build

The two differ in size. The iPhone 17 Pro is the more compact phone, in an aluminium unibody at 206 g and 8.8 mm thick, built around a 6.3-inch screen, with a vapour chamber inside for cooling. The OnePlus 13 is larger and a touch heavier at 213 g, built around a 6.82-inch display, and this year it adds IP69 dust and water resistance. Both feel premium; the iPhone is the more pocketable, the OnePlus the bigger-screened.

Screen

Both use excellent OLED panels at 120 Hz. The iPhone 17 Pro's 6.3-inch display is superb and bright, measured at around 2507 cd/m² in testing. The OnePlus 13's 6.82-inch panel is larger, sharper at 2K resolution and quoted at a much higher 4500 nits of peak brightness. If you want the bigger, brighter screen the OnePlus leads on paper; if you prefer a more compact display, the iPhone suits.

Performance

The iPhone has the raw-power edge. Its A19 Pro chip is Apple's most powerful, paired with a vapour chamber that lets it hold performance under sustained load. The OnePlus 13 runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite with up to 16 GB of RAM, and it is blisteringly fast too, with plenty of memory for multitasking. In everyday use both feel instant; for the heaviest, longest workloads the iPhone's cooling gives it a slight, lasting edge, while the OnePlus keeps pace and its generous memory suits juggling many apps at once.

Cameras

Both are excellent, with different priorities. The iPhone 17 Pro runs a triple 48-megapixel system — a 24 mm main, a 13 mm ultra-wide and a 100 mm (4x) telephoto — and its standout is video, filming in Dolby Vision and capturing professional ProRes RAW on every lens. The OnePlus 13 answers with a triple 50-megapixel system tuned with Hasselblad, including a 73 mm telephoto, and takes consistently strong stills. For professional video the iPhone is the better tool; for stills the two are close, and the OnePlus delivers its quality for far less money, with the Hasselblad tuning lending its photos a natural, pleasing colour character.

Battery and charging

This is the OnePlus 13's decisive win. It packs a large 6000 mAh battery and charges at a blistering 100 W wired, plus 50 W wirelessly. The iPhone 17 Pro's European model carries a smaller battery — a nominal 3998 mAh — and charges more slowly over a cable, with wireless charging up to 25 W. Both see out a day, but the OnePlus lasts longer and refuels far faster; on endurance and charging it is in a different league.

Price and verdict

At the time of writing the OnePlus 13 is around £699.99 and the iPhone 17 Pro around £1,099.00, so the OnePlus undercuts the iPhone by roughly £400 — a major gap.

Buy the OnePlus 13 if you want flagship power, a big bright screen, an enormous battery with the fastest charging, and clean Android, all for hundreds of pounds less. It is the value pick by a wide margin, and a genuinely excellent phone.

Buy the iPhone 17 Pro if you are set on iOS and want the most powerful chip, the best video capture of any phone and Apple's ecosystem, and the higher price does not deter you. Both are outstanding; choose your operating system first, then weigh the OnePlus's value and battery against the iPhone's power and video.