The OnePlus 13R is my favorite budget phone — and this Prime Day price makes it an even better value
Amazon currently offers the OnePlus 13R for $499, a $100 discount off its usual price. That would be the best price I've seen for the OnePlus 13R since its release earlier this year — if Best Buy were not selling the phone for $499 as well, while taking an extra $100 off if you activate the phone with a wireless carrier at purchase.
You can pick up the OnePlus 13R for $499 at Best Buy if you just want an unlocked version of the phone. But activate the phone with either Verizon or AT&T at checkout and you can save another $100, picking up the phone for $399. (Amazon is selling an unlocked OnePlus 13R for $499 as well.) The OnePlus posts some of the best battery life we've seen with performance that outpaces many other midrange devices.
Normally, the OnePlus 13R costs $599 — not a bad price on a phone that offers 256GB storage and the kind of features you normally don't expect from a midrange model. But the OnePlus 12R came in a 128GB version that sold for $499 — a real steal of a deal. With the current sales at Best Buy and Amazon, you can now get the OnePlus 13R for that price, with an additional discount at Best Buy should you activate your phone with either AT&T or Verizon.
The OnePlus 13R really impresses with its battery life, lasting nearly 19 hours on our battery test. (The average phone tops out at 10.5 hours.) While the phone doesn't feature the latest silicon, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powering the 13R is recent enough so that you can expect flagship-level performance. And the cameras — not always a strong area for midrange phones — produce solid shots, particularly the telephoto lens.
Don't turn to the OnePlus 13R if you want cutting-edge AI features — that's not the 13R's strong suit. But the OnePlus 13R not only delivers on the basics you'd expect from a smartphone but shatters those expectations. And at a sub-$500 price, it's a deal you need to jump on right away.
If you're looking for deals on other devices, be sure to check out our round-up of Prime Day phone deals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
19 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
This 100W Tiny Laptop Power Bank Now Hits a Record Low, Just Right for Windows or MacBook Users on the Move
There are more than enough smartphone chargers available on the market, yet true portable laptop chargers are few and far between. That's why the popular Anker laptop power bank is so popular among users looking for fast and reliable juice to their bigger gear. Anker is the one everyone's talking about when it comes to charging, and its 25,000mAh 100W power bank is a hot ticket right now – especially since it's currently discounted to an all-time low price on Amazon. You can pick up this Anker power bank for $109, down from its typical $135 list price with a limited-time promotion that's discounted 19% from the regular price. This all-time low gets you a serious battery boost for a shockingly low price. And obviously, you can also charge your phones and tablets with that gadget. See at Amazon Its massive 25,000mAh capacity gives you enough to fully charge most laptops or provide multiple charges on phones and tablets before it needs to be replenished. For extended flights or working sessions away from the office, this high-capacity battery is a real game-changer as it allows you to work or stream for several hours without having to hunt for an outlet. Its power capacity is 90Wh (under the 100Wh regulation limit), so you can store it in your carry-on bag on virtually any airline. This charger can also charge multiple devices at once: It includes three USB-C charging ports, each giving a maximum of 100W—more than enough to charge up the newest MacBook Pro, a Windows ultrabook, or USB-C charge tablets. If you must split power with colleagues, charge your phone and headphones and charge your laptop, this charger is more than ready to perform the job. Other than the USB-C ports, there is even a USB-A port so you're covered for legacy devices as well. Two USB-C cables are provided one being retractable to a length of 2.3 feet and being put through more than 20,000 pulls, and the other being used as a stiff carry strap and tested to more than 20,000 bends. You won't need to fossick for other cords in the bottom of your bag and you'll have a cable on hand at all times. Charging the power bank itself is also quick and easy with 100W ultra-fast input support: Fill the bank up by 30% in only 20 minutes so you can quickly get back to a functional level in a short time-out. Charging four devices at a time is another innovation and the energy management system makes sure every device plugged in is charged safely and efficiently. If you're looking for a serious charging upgrade, this Anker charger checks all the boxes. See at Amazon
The Verge
an hour ago
- The Verge
I asked Alexa Plus to tackle my to-do list — it mostly failed
One of the best features of Amazon's new Alexa Plus is that I don't have to 'speak Alexa' anymore. I've been testing the voice assistant for about a week now, and it understands what I say, regardless of how I say it — there's no more need for precise phrasing to get Alexa to do what I want. This big shift underpins another headline feature of the revamped generative AI-powered assistant that I've been testing: agentic AI. But this one needs work. The idea is I can talk to Alexa Plus as I would to a real personal assistant and ask it to do tasks, such as reserving a restaurant for my friend's birthday, finding an electrician to fix my broken sprinkler pump, or booking tickets to a Chris Isaak concert. The assistant can then act as an 'AI agent' and navigate online services on my behalf to book everything for me. Combined with better calendar management and the ability to remember things you tell it, Alexa's agentic AI has the potential to make the assistant much more useful. Alexa's AI agent features are neither broad enough nor seamless enough to replace my real-life personal assistant: me At least in theory. In reality, it's too limited. Alexa Plus relies on partnerships with specific services; it can't just roam the web and do my bidding. As of now, that includes Ticketmaster, OpenTable, Uber, and Thumbtack. While impressively, Alexa did manage to complete several steps, overall, the AI agent's current features are neither broad enough nor seamless enough to replace my real-life personal assistant: me. Alexa Plus is still in an Early Access beta phase, and Amazon says more integrations are coming soon. These include ordering groceries by voice (via 'several grocery providers in the US'), delivery through Grubhub, and booking spa visits through Vagaro. These may be more useful to me, especially grocery ordering. I already use Alexa for my shopping list, but I then have to put everything into my Harris Teeter shopping app for pickup or delivery. If Alexa could take that list and add it to a service like Instacart, it would cut out a chunk of work for me. Of the three agentic experiences I tested, the best was booking a ticket to an event through Ticketmaster. After a dodgy start — when I asked about sports events and was told about a youth basketball training session — I tried again. 'What events are there in Charleston next month that you can buy me tickets for?' Alexa produced a list of about 10 local sports events and concerts on the Echo Show 15 I was using (Alexa Plus is much more useful on a screened device). It told me, 'You've got music shows like Blackberry Smoke and Mike Campbell on August 5th and Collective Soul on August 6th. There's also a Cure tribute band on August 2nd. Anything catch your interest?' I spotted a Chris Isaak concert in the list (I love a good Wicked Game) and told it to book me tickets. It found balcony seats for $98.15 each and asked how many I wanted, while also showing me more expensive options. I selected the cheap seats, and it walked me through each step as it added them to my cart, ending with a checkout button where my credit card details were pre-populated. (I'd linked my Ticketmaster account in the Alexa app when I first set up Alexa Plus.) I canceled before purchasing, because I don't love a Wicked Game $200 much, and Alexa confirmed that the tickets were released. However, alarmingly, later that day, a pop-up in the Alexa app told me that anyone with access to my Alexa devices can order tickets. Amazon: I'll take a PIN option here, please. Next, I asked Alexa to 'book a dinner for two in downtown Charleston for tomorrow night at 7PM.' It returned three options, which is just sad — Charleston has a hopping foodie scene. I picked a French spot I'd been to before and changed it up, asking Alexa to 'make it for two weeks on Friday.' Unfazed, Alexa understood, pivoted and confirmed availability for Friday, July 31st, at 7PM, then asked if I wanted to book. After I confirmed, it said it would also add the reservation to my linked Gmail calendar. Handy! Alexa had messed up the date Or so I thought. I then received a text message from OpenTable, confirming my reservation for Thursday, July 31st. Alexa had messed up the date. I told Alexa to switch the reservation to Friday, August 1st, and it did, also updating my calendar. While it eventually booked the table, Alexa took longer to do it and was less accurate than if I'd just opened the OpenTable app on my phone (or more realistically, the Resy app that most restaurants in Charleston use) and done it myself. Finally, I had Alexa tackle a chore I've been putting off for two years: finding an electrician. I've been meaning to get the circuit for my sprinkler pump fixed for ages. It's on the same one as my internet router, so when the pump kicks in, it trips the circuit — and down goes my Wi-Fi. The big difference is that I did all of this hands-free I told Alexa I needed an electrician to fix the sprinkler system, and asked if it could book one. It pulled a list of several 'highly rated electricians' in my area via Thumbtack, highlighting the top three. I picked one and asked it to schedule a visit for a week from now. Alexa asked several follow-up questions about my house and the specific issue — it felt a bit like filling out a webform with my voice. Alexa, then said it was working on sending the request through the Thumbtack website, and that I'd get updates soon. A few hours later, still no word from Alexa. But I received an email from Thumbtack (the first of many…) and a text message from the electrician asking me to call or text to schedule an appointment. Not exactly the seamless set-it-and-forget-it experience I'd hoped for. Still, the big difference is that I did all of this hands-free. I could be setting up dinner dates and finding electricians while cooking dinner or folding laundry. As a working mother of two, anything that helps with multitasking so I can complete my to-do list faster is welcome. But while the tech is impressive, the lack of depth and the failures I experienced in two out of my three tests mean I don't plan to rely on Alexa to do these tasks for me just yet. Photography by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Gizmodo
an hour ago
- Gizmodo
This JBL Party Speaker Just Hit a Record Low, Amazon Clears Out Stock Before Back to School
For real summer parties, small portable Bluetooth speakers simply don't cut it to get an entire crowd dancing. There are, however, larger portable ones that have gained much popularity for breathing life into parties. The JBL PartyBox 710 has established itself as a top choice (and our favorite choice) for anyone looking to create instant atmosphere among friends. Right now, the JBL PartyBox 710 is on sale at Amazon for only $599, close to $250 off its usual price of $850. That's the cheapest this party speaker has ever been on Amazon, and it's available as a limited time offer that's sure to sell out quickly. See at Amazon The big speaker blasts 800 watts of JBL Original Pro Sound from its twin 2.75-inch tweeters and pair of 8-inch woofers. The result is sound that's not just loud but also packed with detail and bass that you can feel. It's engineered to deliver authentic high-fidelity sound over large spaces, and it can transform a backyard or even outdoor area into an actual event. The PartyBox 710 doesn't hold back when it comes to light either: The built-in party lighting system can transform any environment into a concert or club with programmable and dynamic strobe effects and multicolor LED patterns. You can sync the lights to your music and create a starry night effect or switch to fast club-style flashes, all manageable either on the simple top panel or right from the PartyBox mobile app. With its sturdy handle and smooth-spinning wheels, it's built to roll with you – out to the patio, the park or wherever the party goes. The durable construction features IPX4 splash resistance so if a drink gets spilled or there's some unexpected rain, the music won't stop. It connects simply via Bluetooth to phones, tablets, and laptops for wireless control over playlists and volume. A dedicated PartyBox app enables real-time customization of lights, EQ settings, and music, while physical jacks make it simple to connect mics or instruments for karaoke and live performances. If you're looking to take your summer parties to the next level, this all-time low price on the JBL PartyBox 710 is one of the year's best audio opportunities. See at Amazon
