OnePlus 13 vs. Google Pixel 9 Pro: How does OnePlus fare against Google’s best?

Editor’s notice: It’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday season, and when you’re studying this, chances are high you’re purchasing for a brand new telephone — and also you’ve bought your eye on the Google Pixel 9 Professional. Fortunate for you, the Pixel 9 Professional is presently on sale for $799 — a hefty $200 financial savings from its common $999 price ticket.

What concerning the OnePlus 13? Properly, the telephone isn’t out there within the U.S. but, so there aren’t any Black Friday offers to fret about for it. We anticipate it to be out there quickly (probably in January), nevertheless it’s not one you may put in your buying listing fairly but. It appears to be like like a telephone value ready for, however when you want a brand new one proper now, $799 is an exceptional value for the Google Pixel 9 Professional — and a deal we completely suggest benefiting from.

The OnePlus 13 has been out in China since Halloween, and will probably be launched within the U.S. and the world over early subsequent yr, if earlier OnePlus telephone releases are something to go by. The most recent OnePlus telephone is the primary telephone within the collection to be outfitted with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which is able to assist it run each app and sport smoother than ever, particularly when mixed with an even bigger battery, space for storing, and RAM. Then now we have the Google Pixel 9 Pro, which is taken into account the iPhone of Android telephones with a matte end on the again and a flatter display screen. These telephones are nice choices if you wish to improve your Android telephone or break free from the Apple ecosystem. Nonetheless, whichever telephone you’re going for depends upon the urgency of upgrading the one you will have proper now, the options you’re on the lookout for, and what you may afford.

We’ve already seen how the OnePlus 13 fares against the OnePlus 12 and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Now, right here’s how the OnePlus 13 compares to the Google Pixel 9 Professional.

OnePlus 13 vs. Google Pixel 9 Professional: specs

OnePlus 13 vs. Google Pixel 9 Professional: design and show

The OnePlus 13 appears to be like thinner than most smartphones available on the market, which makes it look extremely glossy. Nonetheless, glossy doesn’t at all times imply clean, because it is available in three colours — every with a definite texture that’s often reserved for telephone instances. The black OnePlus 13, dubbed Obsidian Secret Realm, has an ebony wooden grain that offers it the identical picket aesthetic as some family and workplace furnishings. The blue telephone, aptly named Blues Hour, has a leather-based again, which could barely cushion the autumn of your telephone when you drop it, and the white telephone, christened White Dew Daybreak, is the one colour that has a clean glass, making it probably the most fragile. In the meantime, the Google Pixel 9 Professional is available in 4 colours — Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, and Obsidian — and has a matte end on the again no matter which colour you decide.

Each telephones have an OLED show, however the display screen on the OnePlus 13 is 0.5 inches larger than the Google Pixel 9 Professional at 6.8 inches. Regardless of the slight distinction in display screen dimension, the larger display screen on the previous telephone may profit those that play console video games remotely on cell, whereas the smaller display screen is extra appropriate for scrolling by social media and watching movies. Each telephones do enable for Netflix and gaming, for positive, however the bigger display screen on the OnePlus 13 appears to be working the gauntlet within the leisure division.

Winner: OnePlus 13

OnePlus 13 vs. Google Pixel 9 Professional: efficiency and battery

Efficiency is a high quality line between pace and high quality, particularly when two telephones run completely different processors. The OnePlus 13 homes Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, whereas the Google Pixel 9 Professional carries the Tensor G4. We haven’t gotten any alternatives to check the OnePlus 13 but, so we will solely let you know the pace and effectivity of its processor from a spec sheet. The frequency of the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s runs as quick as 4.32GHz, serving to to reinforce CPU and GPU efficiency on the OnePlus 13 to eat much less energy and assist customers play video games like Fortnite or Genshin Impression for two.5 hours longer. The Tensor G4, however, runs at a frequency of three.10GHz solely to throttle the pace right down to 1.32GHz. It’s a disappointing efficiency price, contemplating the Pixel 9 Professional has a bigger vapor cooling chamber than the bottom mannequin to raised compensate for warmth dissipation. It is because, not like the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Google designed the Tensor G4 for the sake of opening apps faster relatively than working these apps extra effectively.

As for the battery, the OnePlus 13 has an even bigger battery than the Google Pixel 9 Professional in addition to a sooner charging price, relying on the strategy. It has a 6,000mAh battery that’s stated to assist 100W of quick charging — which often is the case in China, however we’re undecided if that’ll nonetheless stand when it hits the American market — in addition to 50W of wi-fi charging and 10W of reverse wired charging. Google’s Pixel 9 Professional, in the meantime, has a 4,700mAh battery that helps 27W of wired charging and 21W of wi-fi charging. That’s not quick sufficient for lots of people, and it provides the OnePlus telephone a bonus.

Winner: OnePlus 13

OnePlus 13 vs. Google Pixel 9 Professional: cameras

The telephones showcase vastly completely different digital camera designs, however their specs are a bit of related. The OnePlus 13 has three 50-megapixel cameras and a flash unit. The first digital camera comes courtesy of Sony, the secondary lens has an ultrawide sensor with a 120-degree area of view, and the third one permits you to zoom in as much as 3x — all of that are fitted properly on a round silver platform (or black platform, when you get the Obsidian Secret Realm mannequin). The Google Pixel 9 Professional has a 50MP main digital camera, however its ultrawide and telephoto cameras are 48MP, and so they’re fitted neatly onto its signature lengthy, sideways pill-shaped window.

We haven’t gotten an opportunity to check out the OnePlus 13’s photographic capabilities, however primarily based on the balanced specs alone, we will speculate that the photograph and video come out crystal clear on the display screen when shot from the rear digital camera. The selfie digital camera solely has 32MP, so the decision is probably not that top when photographs and movies are taken from that angle, particularly when it’s getting used for content material creation. The Google Pixel 9 Professional’s front-facing digital camera has 42MP, which can give your selfies and TikTok movies an enormous pop of colour, even with autofocus, making your photographs appear like they got here straight out of {a magazine}.

In the intervening time, the OnePlus 13 is untested, whereas we all know the Pixel 9 Professional is superb. OnePlus’ cameras are good, however not usually as much as the usual of Google’s most interesting, so we’re giving this to the Pixel for now.

Winner: Google Pixel 9 Professional

OnePlus 13 vs. Google Pixel 9 Professional: software program and updates

For the reason that OnePlus 13 simply launched solely in China, it’s working on ColorOS 15 for now. It should run on Android 15 (beneath the guise of OxygenOS 15) when it hits the U.S. and each different nation.

The Google Pixel 9 Professional runs on Android 14 out of the field, however you may improve it to Android 15 the second you get the notification telling you the replace is prepared so that you can set up. You get seven years’ value of updates on the Google Pixel 9 Professional, however we’re undecided if the OnePlus 13 will get the identical quantity of updates in the identical timeframe.

Winner: Google Pixel 9 Professional

OnePlus 13 vs. Google Pixel 9 Professional: particular options

Except for the {powerful} Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and a twin water resistance ranking of IP68 and IP69, there’s no telling what different particular options the OnePlus 13 could have. Nonetheless, if OnePlus is wise sufficient, it would pre-install Google’s Gemini AI or an analogous generative AI program of its personal invention into the telephone.

Google Pixel 9 Professional already comes with Gemini AI pre-installed, granting customers the choice to redeem a free year of Gemini Advanced, the premium model of Gemini AI that boasts precedence entry to new and unique options, the flexibility to edit and run Python code straight into Gemini, and grants 2TB of storage from Google One, amongst different issues that they must pay $20 a month for in the event that they purchased the bottom Google Pixel 9. We don’t know if the OnePlus 13 will grant customers the identical AI privileges, however till we get extra info on that entrance, the Google Pixel 9 Professional is the very best use case for that.

Winner: Google Pixel 9 Professional

OnePlus 13 vs. Google Pixel 9 Professional: value and availability

The OnePlus 13 will value about $630 when it releases within the U.S. early subsequent yr. It’s already being bought in China beginning at CNY 4,799, which is a tough equal of $675. The value could also be topic to alter when the discharge date will get nearer.

The Google Pixel 9 Professional is already out there for $999. Nonetheless, as of this writing, you might even see a $200 low cost for Black Friday (if not the remainder of the vacation season), so it’s now being retailed at $799.

OnePlus 13 vs. Google Pixel 9 Professional: verdict

As a lot as we’d love to offer the OnePlus 13 the winner’s flowers, we’re giving them to the Google Pixel 9 Professional. It might have a less-powerful processor than the OnePlus 13 and a barely smaller show, however you may’t deny that it nonetheless has a wonderful digital camera setup, superior AI instruments that may assist customers work extra effectively, and a present of an working system that may carry on giving for seven years, if not longer. Plus, the colour choices for the Google Pixel 9 Professional are a bit of extra expansive than the OnePlus 13, particularly as a result of there’s a pink telephone out there.

Perhaps when the OnePlus 13 comes out within the U.S. and we’re given the chance to try it out, we would change our verdict. However till then, the Google Pixel 9 Professional is the winner.