OnePlus 13 vs iPhone 16 Comparison: Which is the Best Smartphone Under Rs 70,000?

The OnePlus 13 is the latest flagship smartphone to make its debut in India. While India's flagship space is highly saturated, it is the iPhone that reigns supreme in this space.

So we've decided to pit the OnePlus 13 5G against the iPhone 16, which is the closest to the Android flagship in terms of pricing, to see which one of them comes up on top. Without any delays, here's our full comparison of the OnePlus 13 and iPhone 16.

OnePlus 13 vs iPhone 16: Which is the Better Flagship?

OnePlus 13 vs iPhone 16 Comparison: Specifications

OnePlus 13	iPhone 16
Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC	Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC + Q2 Display Chip
6.82-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED Display, 1Hz - 120Hz, 4,500 nits (Peak), Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 510 PPI, 2160Hz PWM Dimming	6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED Display (1179 x 2556), 60Hz, 2,000 nits (Peak), 460 PPI, HDR10+, 2592Hz PWM Dimming
12GB, 16GB, 24GB LPDDR5X RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB UFS 4.0 Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB
50 MP (Main) with OIS and f/1.6 + 50 MP (Ultrawide) with f/2.2 + 50 MP (Periscope-Telephoto) with OIS and f/2.6	48 MP (Main) with Sensor-Shift OIS and f/1.6 + 12 MP Ultrawide with f/2.2
32 MP with f/2.4, 4K@60 fps Video	12 MP with f/1.9, 4K@60fps Video
6,000 mAh Battery, 100W Wired Fast Charging, 50W Wireless Fast Charging	3561 mAh Battery (Estimated), 25W Wireless MagSafe, 15W Wireless Qi, Wired Charging (50% in 30 Minutes)
IP68+IP69 Rating	IP68 Rating
Android 15, OxygenOS 15	iOS 18
Starting Price - Rs 69,999	Starting Price - Rs 70,900

Design and Build

The iPhone 16 is both smaller and lighter than the OnePlus 13. We're unclear on just how though OnePlus's new 'Ceramic Guard' is, so for now, the iPhone 16 takes the win in terms of durability. However, the blue shade of the OnePlus 13 opts for a vegan leather back panel. Both phones have metal frames, although the OnePlus 13 features a better IP rating.

The rear camera layout on both phones is also different as well as the iPhone 16 features vertically aligned dual rear cameras, where as the OnePlus 13 opts for a circular camera module housing three lenses and an LED Flash module.

In terms of special features, the iPhone 16 takes the win with its Camera Control and Action buttons, which offer more functionality than the alert slider on the OnePlus 13. For security, the iPhone 16 offers Face ID, while the OnePlus 13 has a snappy ultrasonic fingerprint reader. Finally, the OnePlus 13 features a micro-curved display feels more immersive than the flat panel on the iPhone 16.

Display

Moving on to the display itself and it is no competition. The OnePlus 13's LTPO 4.1 OLED panel outclasses the iPhone 16's Super Retina XDR OLED screen. The OnePlus 13's screen features a higher resolution and maximum brightness. It also has a higher pixel density and is sharper than the display on the iPhone 16.

Moreover, the OnePlus 13's screen doubles the refresh rate and introduces more eye protection features. The one advantage Apple has going for it is the Dynamic Island, which allows you to quickly glance at notifications, control music, and more without blocking the screen. Additionally, the OnePlus 13 also offers support for an Always-on display, a basic Android feature that illudes the vanilla iPhone 16.

Performance

Apple's custom A18 chip powering the iPhone 16 also falls short of the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC. Qualcomm's latest flagship chip delivers better CPU, GPU, and AI performance than the iPhone 16's A18 SoC. While the A18 offers a slight edge in single-core workloads, the OnePlus 13's Snapdragon 8 Elite outpaces it in every other area.

Furthermore, the OnePlus 13 also features a larger cooling system to ensure peak sustained performance while gaming and performing more demanding tasks. While the OnePlus 13 is undoubtedly the better phone for running mobile games, the iPhone 16 can natively run AAA console titles, a feat no Android phone is capable of without an emulator.

It is worth noting that the battery capacity on the iPhone 16 is unclear, although if we use the information available, it is significantly smaller than the OnePlus 13. Moreover, the OnePlus 13 also uses more advanced battery technology for better longevity, while offering faster wired and wireless charging speeds.

Cameras

The OnePlus 13 has a clear edge in terms of camera hardware. It features a 50MP Sony LYT-808 primary sensor, a 50MP ISOCELL JN5 ultrawide lens, and a 50MP Sony LYT-600 telephoto-periscope lens with 3x optical zoom. On the flip side, the iPhone 16 has a 48MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultrawide lens.

While there's no doubt that the OnePlus 13 will reproduce stunning shots in daylight, we'd back the 48MP shooter on the iPhone 16 to deliver more consistent results across various lighting scenarios. Moreover, despite its resolution, the 50MP ultrawide lens on the OnePlus 13 is the same used on mid-tier phones like the Vivo V40 and Nothing Phone 2. So we'd back the 12MP ultrawide lens coupled with Apple's software prowess to deliver better results across the board.

However, software cannot substitute the lack of a zoom lens, giving the OnePlus 13 an easy win in zoom performance. The OnePlus 13 can also capture 4K video at 60fps across all its lenses, which is one more than the iPhone 16. OnePlus's latest flagship also supports 8K video recording at 30fps on the main camera.

When it comes to front camera performance, we'd also back the iPhone 16's software prowess over the OnePlus 13's superior hardware. While we haven't tested both phones yet, we'd recommend the iPhone 16 for consistency and the OnePlus 13 for versatility.

OnePlus 13 vs iPhone 16: Final Thoughts!

The OnePlus 13 has the faster chip, better display, bigger battery, and faster charging than the iPhone 16. Apple has a minor advantage in build quality, although software support is nearly the same with the iPhone getting an extra OS update and the OnePlus 13 receiving an additional year of security patches. And while the OnePlus 13 offers significantly better camera hardware, the iPhone 16's software backing does narrow the gap.

Going by hardware alone, the OnePlus 13 is the clear winner in this comparison. Apple has a lot of catching up to do on that front. Apple, on the other hand, makes no attempt to sell you on hardware with the iPhone 16, instead, the Cupertino tech giant is more focused on the overall experience and how the iPhone offers seamless transition between all Apple devices.

Apple also offers better long-term reliability. If you are planning on purchase more Apple products, like an iPad or a MacBook, in the future, then the iPhone 16 is the obvious choice. However, if you want a flagship that gives you the best bang for your buck in terms of hardware and software, then the OnePlus 13 is the obvious choice.