OnePlus 13 could be rush-released and available sooner than expected

Could it be the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 phone?

The OnePlus 12R on a pink background
(Image credit: Future / Sam Cross)
Quick Summary

A report has appeared online suggesting OnePlus could announce its next flagship smartphone as early as October. 

A prominent leaker suggests the OnePlus 13 might launch in China first, like the OnePlus 12, but earlier than usual.

We have only recently had a OnePlus product launch after the company revealed the second generation of its smartwatch at the beginning of this year, followed by a follow-up of its excellent Android tablet and the Nord 4 more recently in July.

Now, it looks like we might see yet another OnePlus launch before the end of the year, with a report from Digital Chat Station (picked up by 9to5Google) suggesting that the company's new flagship smartphone might arrive as early as October in China. 

OnePlus used to launch its top of the range smartphone in the early months of the year, though the month has never been as consistent as the iPhone and its September reveal, slowly coming forward over the last couple of years.

The OnePlus 12 arrived in China in December 2023 for example, before arriving globally in January 2024. This could mean we see a global launch of the OnePlus 13 around November, if the report is accurate and OnePlus follows the same schedule.

While earlier than expected, it's perhaps not a coincidence given Qualcomm is holding its Snapdragon Summit towards the end of October, where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is highly expected to be unveiled. 

OnePlus and Qualcomm have had a long standing relationship over the years with OnePlus having always sought to bring the power of flagship Android smartphones for less money. The OnePlus 13 is expected to be one of the first devices to run on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, and an October launch could even see it be the first.

Other rumours have suggested the OnePlus 13 will come with a huge 6,000mAh battery, a new design and some camera upgrades, as GSMArena has previously reported. Of course, nothing is confirmed as yet, but if October is accurate, we don’t have too much longer to wait. 

Britta O'Boyle

Britta is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. She's covered all consumer tech from phones, tablets and wearables to smart home and beauty tech, with everything in between. She has a fashion journalism degree from London College of Fashion and previously did a long stint as deputy editor of Pocket-lint, but you’ll now find her byline on several titles including GQ, the Express, the Mirror, TechRadar, Stuff and iMore. You'll never find her without her Apple Watch on, aiming to complete her rings so she can justify the extra bar of chocolate and she loves a good iPhone trick.