Snapdragon 8 Elite is the latest, one of the most powerful Android chipsets in the market right now. We already have a handful of devices powered by this flagship processor, with more phones hitting the shelves very soon. So, if you're looking for the best, most value-for-money Android flagship powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which one should you consider? Here's a detailed comparison between iQOO 13, OnePlus 13, and Realme GT 7 Pro, three flagships that have all the power, and so much more.
Muted, Flagship-Style Design
While design is always a subjective thing, one can't help but notice that flagship phones are looking more and more alike these days. All three devices in this comparison have fairly muted designs, with OnePlus 13 arguably taking a braver, flashier approach. It does have a glass back design, just like the other two, but also has a vegan leather option in its Midnight Ocean colourway. Both iQOO 13 and Realme GT 7 Pro are glass sandwiches with basic, muted design languages.
Premium Displays All-Around
iQOO 13 features a 6.78" Quad HD+ LTPO AMOLED display, with a 144Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ support. It has a peak brightness of 4500 nits.
OnePlus 13, on the other hand, has a slightly larger 6.82" 2K+ AMOLED screen. While it matches iQOO 13's peak brightness of 4500 nits, it only has a refresh rate of 120Hz.
Realme GT 7 Pro has the same sized display as iQOO 13 with a 6.78" 1.5K AMOLED panel, but it stands out with a peak brightness of 6000 nits. It has Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ support, and comes with 120Hz refresh rate too.
While it looks very evenly matched on paper, iQOO 13 has an edge thanks to its slightly faster refresh rate, which would be appreciated by those looking to play heavy-duty games on their smartphones.
No Complaints with Performance
All three flagship phones run very similar hardware with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. It is a 3nm flagship chipset with high-end capabilities and no compromises. All three phones also come with 12GB RAM as the base option and can be upgraded to 16GB RAM on-device. However, the OnePlus 13 has gone a step further, as it has a third variant with 24GB on-device RAM. In terms of storage, all three devices have a base storage variant with 256GB and can be upgraded to 512GB as well, but OnePlus 13 comes with a 1TB option as well.
No matter what configuration you go for, all three phones come with ample amounts of power and storage space to last years, and ensure that there are no performance hiccups, no matter how heavy your usage is.
Triple Cameras with Minor Differences
iQOO 13 has a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and a 50MP telephoto lens offering up to 4x lossless zoom. The OnePlus 13 also features a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP 3x telephoto lens and a 50MP ultra-wide sensor. The Realme GT 7 Pro features a 50MP main sensor, and a 50MP telephoto lens with 3x zoom, but only an 8MP ultra-wide lens. All three phones can record videos up to 8K resolution, with OnePlus and iQOO recording 8K @ 30fps whereas Realme can shoot 8K @ 24fps only.
In terms of the front camera, both the OnePlus 13 and iQOO 13 come with a 32MP shooter that can take good selfies and also record 4K @ 60fps, whereas Realme GT 7 Pro comes with a 16MP camera capped at Full HD @ 60fps video.
Big Batteries, Faster Charging
Both OnePlus 13 and iQOO 13 come with 6000mAh batteries, whereas the Realme GT 7 Pro has a slightly smaller 5800mAh battery. In terms of charging, iQOO 13 is one of the fastest-charging smartphones on the market with its 120W wired fast charging. The Realme GT 7 Pro also supports 120W wired fast charging, whereas the OnePlus 13 falls slightly behind with a 100W wired charging setup. However, OnePlus makes up for it with its 50W wireless charging support that the other two devices lack.
Bloatware-Free Software Experience
All three smartphones come with Android 15 out of the box. However the user experience varies across the board. OnePlus 13 comes with OxygenOS, which looks and feels very similar to Realme GT 7 Pro's Realme UI. Both phones have a similar feel to their Android skins, with hardly any bloatware, smooth animations, and multiple UI customisation options available for users. iQOO 13, on the other hand, comes with Funtouch OS on top of Android 15, which comes with a few more pre-installed applications and bloatware. However, all of these can be uninstalled. However, iQOO 13 does miss out on AI features, while OnePlus and Realme offer plenty of those to their users.
When it comes to updates, the OnePlus 13 is poised to get 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security updates. iQOO 13 is also supported for 4 OS updates but 5 years of security updates. However, Realme has only promised 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security updates for the Realme GT 7 Pro. So, if long-term usage is a big priority for you, the Realme GT 7 Pro may not be a suitable purchase.
Price Differences and Which One Should You Buy?
The iQOO 13 is the most affordable option out of the three, balancing high-end performance with a flagship camera and impressive battery life. If you're looking for a slightly more premium offering, both in terms of design and also high-end features, the OnePlus 13 should be your choice. While the Realme GT 7 Pro has a lot of good things going for it, including the 6500 nits peak brightness and on-device AI features, its relatively short-term software support and cameras make it look inferior in front of the other two phones in this comparison.