OnePlus 13R vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: Which Cheaper Flagship Is Best?

Yahoo

21-02-2025

The $600 OnePlus 13R and the $650 Samsung Galaxy S24 FE each have a similar mission: Provide a phone that includes all the essential features of more-expensive phones by scaling back on certain hardware and software features. Ideally, this approach should get you all the essential features of the more expensive OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S24 phones, and in-turn, scale back on features that are less noticeable or important.
However, I do think OnePlus and Samsung take very different approaches to this strategy, and as a result, it makes it a bit easier to make a recommendation based on what's most important for your needs. The OnePlus 13R puts an emphasis on power, including the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that powered 2024's most powerful phones, a big 6,000-mAh battery and fast 55-watt wired charging. But in turn, OnePlus omits wireless charging and scales back on its camera. Samsung's Galaxy S24 FE, meanwhile, takes the opposite approach by including a slightly less powerful processor but does not skimp on any features, including wireless charging, Galaxy AI and decent photography in a broad range of settings.
This makes the OnePlus 13R a great choice for power users looking to play games at high settings with as much battery life as possible. But despite being slightly less powerful, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is the better all-around option for most people due to its broader range of talents accompanied by Samsung's longer commitment to software and security updates.
The OnePlus 13R takes a more performance-intensive approach by largely recycling the specs of last year's OnePlus 12. This gets you sweet perks like Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor -- which isn't as fast as the newer Elite CPUs but is otherwise very capable of gaming and intensive tasks -- and 55-watt wired charging using a OnePlus SuperVooc charger that comes in the box. I had no issue playing Fortnite on its Epic graphics setting at 90fps, but it did heat the phone up enough to cause it to display a warning to let the phone cool off before continuing to play. That was easily changed by lowering the frame rate to 60fps, which the phone handled without heating up as much.
OnePlus also brings over its Aqua Touch 2.0 technology for using its screen in rainy environments, along with a Glove Mode to optimize the phone's sensitivity to account for wearing gloves in cold weather. OnePlus is also giving the 13R four years of software updates along with six years of security updates, matching what it's giving the $899 OnePlus 13. However that support period comes up short of the seven-year commitment that Samsung provides the Galaxy S24 FE.
But OnePlus cuts wireless charging out of this model, which might be quite noticeable as Qi2 accessories flood the market with magnetic accessories. OnePlus even debuted a new magnetic wireless charger for the OnePlus 13, which can charge the phone at 50-watt speeds. OnePlus sells a magnetic case for the 13R, but this will provide compatibility only with noncharging magnetic accessories like wallets and stands.
OnePlus also scaled back on the photography for the 13R. In my review, I found the phone to struggle in lowlight environments. I found this surprising because even with scaled-back camera hardware, I had hoped the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor could have provided a stronger software lift when processing images. However, instead, I found images taken during most indoor settings to suffer from image noise or oversharpening.
This makes the OnePlus 13R a strong pick if you are looking for a media-heavy machine, since its powerful processor is great for gaming while its Aqua Touch screen technology makes it more flexible to use in wet environments. But if photography is more important than intensive gaming, Samsung's phone might be more up your alley.
Samsung's Galaxy S24 FE doesn't skimp on the software features you'll also see on the more expensive Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25 phones. All of Samsung's Galaxy AI features are represented in the cheaper FE phone, and the phone gets the same seven-year software and security support commitment as those higher-end phones. The Galaxy S24 FE includes wireless charging, unlike the OnePlus 13R, but you will need to turn to a third party if you want a magnetic case.
During my review, I also appreciated the phone's photography. The Galaxy S24 FE captured lots of detailed photos in both indoor and outdoor environments, including in a dimly lit bar for a pasta dinner. While it's mainly a gimmick, I also enjoyed using the Sketch-to-Image Galaxy AI feature to edit my photos of coffee cups with new pieces of art.
The main place where the Galaxy S24 FE scales back is in its hardware. Instead of a Qualcomm processor used in Samsung's more expensive phones, the FE uses Samsung's Exynos 2400E. This isn't a bad thing -- in my benchmarks this processor ran faster than all of Samsung's Galaxy S23 phones. However, it does come up short of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that OnePlus uses in the 13R. Wired charging speeds are also average for the price range at 25 watts and are identical to the base Samsung Galaxy S24 and S25.
But if you are looking for a more powerhouse phone, it's possible that the OnePlus 13R could be the better value because of its more souped-up specs. However, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE provides access to all of Samsung's best features, even if they run a little slower than they do on the step-up models.
Between these two phones, I think most people will be better suited to the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. Despite the slightly higher price tag and slightly slower performance, Samsung's longer software support commitment makes it more flexible for people who are hoping to use a phone until it's truly broken.
That doesn't mean I'm counting out the OnePlus 13R, though. This is a great option for someone looking to play graphically intense games, watch movies or want a long-lasting battery that charges up quickly. It's just easy to imagine experiencing FOMO without wireless charging, and its photography doesn't match Samsung's option.
For more comparisons between the Samsung and OnePlus phones, check out the chart below, which features the phone's specs side-by-side.