In the smartphone world, 2024 started off in a rather nice fashion, with the release of the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R to settle our phone-loving bones. The OnePlus 12 has IP65 certification and the OnePlus 12R has IP64, but in 2024, that isn't very competitive for a flagship device.
Well, it seems like OnePlus' next big effort, the OnePlus 13, might actually change that up quite significantly. Rumor has it that the OnePlus 13 might come with IP69 certification, which would beat essentially every other modern flagship, including Samsung's, Google's, and Apple's.
The OnePlus 13 Might Be Able To Handle Not Just Immersion, But Blasting Hot Water At It Too
For the longest time, OnePlus was that scrappy underdog in the smartphone game, trying to shake things up by showing that consumers could get the best specs without needing to sell their house for it. For the most part, the company succeeded, with its “flagship killer” mantra and low prices. However, after several years in the business, OnePlus started to price more like regular brands, which we really can't blame them for.
The problem is, OnePlus is now a full-blown smartphone company that competes with the likes of Samsung, Google, Honor, Xiaomi, etc. To compete at the top, you have to tick as many boxes as possible, and merely going for IP65 certification in the OnePlus 12 was a bit of a head-scratching choice considering other flagships consider IP68 as standard.
Well, it looks like OnePlus might compensate heavily for that with the OnePlus 13, according to Digital Chat Station on Weibo. The device is rumored to have an IP68/69 rating, which means that it will meet the criteria for both of these IP certifications, and that's huge. When you look at essentially every major flagship released from now all the way back to the dawn of Android, you're almost certainly not going to find any with an IP69 rating.
Sure, there are smartphones that have been IP69 certified — so if this is true, it's not going to be particularly record-breaking — but none of them have ever been devices at the absolute top of the line.
What Else Do We Know About The OnePlus 13 Specs
In the same post with the IP69 information, Digital Chat Station also mentions that the OnePlus 13 is expected to ship with Qualcomm's expensive and power-hungry Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, 100W fast charging, and a “super-large” battery. It will also have a 2K screen, and a 50MP triple-camera setup (one of which is expected to be a 3x periscope telephoto.
It's also rumored that the OnePlus 13 is going to have wireless charging, though previous reports claimed that a bigger battery meant leaving out the necessary hardware for wireless charging.
What Does An IP69 Rating Mean?
A phone that is IP69 certified is one that can withstand high-pressure, high-temperature water jets from close range. To be specific, that means the water has to be at least 1,160 psi from only as far away as 0.15 meters, with water that is 80°C. That implies extremely strong seals throughout the device.
An IP68 rating means that the phone can withstand immersion in water at up to 3 meters deep for as long as the manufacturer specifies. The OnePlus 13 is IP68/IP69, which means it satisfies both sets of criteria, so it should definitely handle the pool like no other device, if true.
