OnePlus 13R could outshine Ace 5 with a big camera upgrade

OnePlus is getting ready to launch its new phones to the global market. Among the two smartphones that are making their international debut is the OnePlus 13R, which was previously thought to be a simple rebrand of the Ace 5. However, as the company officially confirmed a few days back, the case is a little different for the upcoming sub-flagship phone.

Looking back, the OnePlus 12R and Ace 3 had identical specs, but as revealed on the official website, the upcoming 13R will have a lower battery capacity than the Ace 5. The other specs were expected to remain the same, but a new leak now suggests that there will be a change in the camera setup as well.

The Ace 5 features a 50 MP primary camera, an 8 MP ultrawide, and a 2 MP macro. As the leak suggests, the OnePlus 13R could switch the macro with a 50 MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. It's said to be the Samsung JN5, which is the same sensor that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim is expected to feature.

Nonetheless, with a telephoto sensor, the OnePlus 13R would have a more capable rear camera setup than the Ace 5. This camera configuration would also make the upcoming affordable phone more attractive than some of the other recently launched Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 sub-flagships.

Of course, it would've been nice to see the OnePlus 13R coming with the same 6,415 mAh battery as the Ace 5. However, it's common to see global variants featuring lower battery capacity than their Chinese counterparts (Anker 737 power bank curr. $106.48 on Amazon). In most cases, companies do it to comply with regional standards.