- Jan 5, 2019
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For anyone considering a OnePlus device, I thought that some of you, particularly Canadians, might find it interesting why a one-time Pixel enthusiast upgraded recently from a Pixel 8 Pro to a OnePlus 13. While there are plenty of reasons for the change, the most noteworthy are:
Google Screwing Canadians Part 1: Google charges Canadians more for a new Pixel phone and gives less for a Pixel phone trade-in in adjusted U.S. dollars. Google also offers other buying incentives to the U.S. market that they don't offer to the Canadian market.
Google Screwing Canadians Part 2: There are too many U.S. only software features on the Pixel line that are not available in Canada (or elsewhere outside of the U.S.), and it lowers both the real and practical value of non-U.S. Pixel phones.
Google Noncompetitive Pricing: At the time of my purchase, the CAD checkout price of a Pixel 10 Pro XL (without trade-in) in Canada was almost double the price of a OnePlus 13, even though the OnePlus 13 is built with newer, more powerful and more expensive hardware. In my opinion, there is nothing (including Pixel software) to justify such a wide price differential. While I didn't do a trade-in, at the time of purchase, OnePlus offered me $350 CDN for my Pixel 8 Pro, while Google offered me $0. That's right, $0! It is reported that Google is all over the place in terms of trades and I see that today (10/8/25) they are now offering $295 CDN trade to upgrade to a Pixel 10 Pro XL.
Battery: While the battery was never anything to write home about, the Pixel 8 Pro's battery performance has markedly declined in less than 2 years and with minimal charging cycles. While some have pointed to this being a software issue, when you have degraded battery life, you don't really care if it's a software or a hardware issue if Google won't fix their problems in a timely manner. And don't even get me started on charging times.
Artificial Intelligence: Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. While AI has some clear benefits and great potential, I believe that Google has gone too far, too quickly in pushing it into the user's everyday, everywhere experience, making it a buggy and intrusive distraction.
There are also quite a few socio-political reasons for my switch away from as much of Google’s ecosystem as I am able to achieve (yes, as an Android user I know I can’t escape it completely), which I won’t get into here as this is not a political forum and doing so would be fraught with risk.
How am I faring a month into the switch? I am pleasantly surprised and quite happy with the OnePlus 13. Here are my thoughts on OnePlus 13 vs Pixel 8 Pro:
Specs: No contest. Even with Google’s software enhancing hardware features, the One Plus 13 is faster and smoother in almost every metric, except for one and I’ll get to that later. Although slightly larger than the P8P, it is lighter, thinner and feels somewhat better and more secure in my hand (without case).
UI: I had a OnePlus years ago and loved almost everything about it except for the UI. Returning to it was something I thought I wouldn’t particularly like coming from 5 years of using Pixels, but they have improved it dramatically, it’s smooth as silk and I actually (surprisingly to me) prefer it over the Pixel UI. (Full Disclosure: I don’t like either UI enough to stop using the Microsoft Launcher and alternative icon packs which I have been using for years). Unlike some, I have encountered absolutely no issues using a 3rd party launcher on the OP13.
SIM: OnePlus 13 has an additional nano sim slot and, while I haven’t used it to date, I appreciate it being there so long as my provider charges the same for physical or e-SIM and the e-SIM is not transferable (I realize that some providers are allowing e-SIM transfers between phones in North America. Mine is not).
Display: I find the OnePlus 13 display to be brighter, crisper, and better in direct sunlight than the Pixel 8 Pro.
Memory: The OP13 starts at 256GB compared to the P8P at 128GB. The extra storage allowed me to put a larger portion of my digital music files on the phone and I love having the additional access to my music on my phone. Yes, I know you can get larger storage capacities at higher than already-too-high prices on the Pixel series.
Camera: This is a close one and is probably determined more by user preferences than hardware or software. Both the OnePlus 13 and Pixel 8 Pro take great photos. In my opinion, the OnePlus 13 takes more realistic photos and the AI options are a bit better with the P8P if photo manipulation is important to you.
Sound: The external loudspeakers are close, with the OnePlus 13 a bit louder at max level – in my opinion, both are great for phone conversations or “How To” YouTube videos, but you wouldn’t want to use either one to listen to music – or even audio books over a longer period of time. Using good quality headphones they are still close, but to my ear I would give a slight edge to the OnePlus 13, with a slightly richer, fuller tone. (Full disclosure: I use FLAC files and Poweramp to listen to music on an Android device and I don’t know if using MP3 files (for instance) and default audio would produce the same results to favour the OnePlus 13).
Phone: The OnePlus 13 is better at handling calls and keeping a stable signal. I experienced some connectivity/dropping issues with the Pixel 8 Pro in certain locations that I haven’t experienced with the OnePlus 13.
Sensors: Maybe it is just me, but I have found the Pixel 8 Pro’s fingerprint scanner to be better than OnePlus 13’s Ultrasonic scanner, with or without a screen protector. Funny thing is, if I lightly wet my thumb with my tongue, similarly to what you might do to turn a physical paper page in a book, the ultrasonic scanner works perfectly without screen protector. Otherwise, it is hit or miss. The Pixel 8 Pro fingerprint scanner was also hit or miss, but less so than the OnePlus 13. It should also be noted that the Pixel 8 Pro, with class 3 biometric strength (highest), provided for face unlock at my financial institution, whereas the OnePlus 13, with class 2 biometric strength (mid range), does not. My fingerprint scan still works at my financial institution with class 2 biometric strength, however.
Battery: As alluded to earlier, the OnePlus 13 blows the Pixel 8 Pro out to the water when it comes to battery life and charging. The differences are shocking. With the OnePlus 13, I can go from a 30% to a 100% charge in the time it takes to take a shower, shave and brush my teeth (less than a half hour). I would estimate that the SOT on my OnePlus 13 lasts about 33% longer than my Pixel 8 Pro.
Built-in Infrared Port: The OnePlus 13 has a built in IR Blaster and, even though I couldn’t have imagined that I would ever find it useful, I am using it for stereo, TV, lights, etc. and loving the lazy convenience.
I am aware that some on these boards could have had different experiences than my own and that’s okay as no two users’ experiences will be exactly the same. Bottom line: If you are considering ANY phone, read plenty of both professional and user reviews, check specs, do a cost/benefit analysis and figure out which will work best for your use case. The OnePlus 13 works great for me, was an exceptional value and I would not hesitate to recommend it.
Google Screwing Canadians Part 1: Google charges Canadians more for a new Pixel phone and gives less for a Pixel phone trade-in in adjusted U.S. dollars. Google also offers other buying incentives to the U.S. market that they don't offer to the Canadian market.
Google Screwing Canadians Part 2: There are too many U.S. only software features on the Pixel line that are not available in Canada (or elsewhere outside of the U.S.), and it lowers both the real and practical value of non-U.S. Pixel phones.
Google Noncompetitive Pricing: At the time of my purchase, the CAD checkout price of a Pixel 10 Pro XL (without trade-in) in Canada was almost double the price of a OnePlus 13, even though the OnePlus 13 is built with newer, more powerful and more expensive hardware. In my opinion, there is nothing (including Pixel software) to justify such a wide price differential. While I didn't do a trade-in, at the time of purchase, OnePlus offered me $350 CDN for my Pixel 8 Pro, while Google offered me $0. That's right, $0! It is reported that Google is all over the place in terms of trades and I see that today (10/8/25) they are now offering $295 CDN trade to upgrade to a Pixel 10 Pro XL.
Battery: While the battery was never anything to write home about, the Pixel 8 Pro's battery performance has markedly declined in less than 2 years and with minimal charging cycles. While some have pointed to this being a software issue, when you have degraded battery life, you don't really care if it's a software or a hardware issue if Google won't fix their problems in a timely manner. And don't even get me started on charging times.
Artificial Intelligence: Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. While AI has some clear benefits and great potential, I believe that Google has gone too far, too quickly in pushing it into the user's everyday, everywhere experience, making it a buggy and intrusive distraction.
There are also quite a few socio-political reasons for my switch away from as much of Google’s ecosystem as I am able to achieve (yes, as an Android user I know I can’t escape it completely), which I won’t get into here as this is not a political forum and doing so would be fraught with risk.
How am I faring a month into the switch? I am pleasantly surprised and quite happy with the OnePlus 13. Here are my thoughts on OnePlus 13 vs Pixel 8 Pro:
Specs: No contest. Even with Google’s software enhancing hardware features, the One Plus 13 is faster and smoother in almost every metric, except for one and I’ll get to that later. Although slightly larger than the P8P, it is lighter, thinner and feels somewhat better and more secure in my hand (without case).
UI: I had a OnePlus years ago and loved almost everything about it except for the UI. Returning to it was something I thought I wouldn’t particularly like coming from 5 years of using Pixels, but they have improved it dramatically, it’s smooth as silk and I actually (surprisingly to me) prefer it over the Pixel UI. (Full Disclosure: I don’t like either UI enough to stop using the Microsoft Launcher and alternative icon packs which I have been using for years). Unlike some, I have encountered absolutely no issues using a 3rd party launcher on the OP13.
SIM: OnePlus 13 has an additional nano sim slot and, while I haven’t used it to date, I appreciate it being there so long as my provider charges the same for physical or e-SIM and the e-SIM is not transferable (I realize that some providers are allowing e-SIM transfers between phones in North America. Mine is not).
Display: I find the OnePlus 13 display to be brighter, crisper, and better in direct sunlight than the Pixel 8 Pro.
Memory: The OP13 starts at 256GB compared to the P8P at 128GB. The extra storage allowed me to put a larger portion of my digital music files on the phone and I love having the additional access to my music on my phone. Yes, I know you can get larger storage capacities at higher than already-too-high prices on the Pixel series.
Camera: This is a close one and is probably determined more by user preferences than hardware or software. Both the OnePlus 13 and Pixel 8 Pro take great photos. In my opinion, the OnePlus 13 takes more realistic photos and the AI options are a bit better with the P8P if photo manipulation is important to you.
Sound: The external loudspeakers are close, with the OnePlus 13 a bit louder at max level – in my opinion, both are great for phone conversations or “How To” YouTube videos, but you wouldn’t want to use either one to listen to music – or even audio books over a longer period of time. Using good quality headphones they are still close, but to my ear I would give a slight edge to the OnePlus 13, with a slightly richer, fuller tone. (Full disclosure: I use FLAC files and Poweramp to listen to music on an Android device and I don’t know if using MP3 files (for instance) and default audio would produce the same results to favour the OnePlus 13).
Phone: The OnePlus 13 is better at handling calls and keeping a stable signal. I experienced some connectivity/dropping issues with the Pixel 8 Pro in certain locations that I haven’t experienced with the OnePlus 13.
Sensors: Maybe it is just me, but I have found the Pixel 8 Pro’s fingerprint scanner to be better than OnePlus 13’s Ultrasonic scanner, with or without a screen protector. Funny thing is, if I lightly wet my thumb with my tongue, similarly to what you might do to turn a physical paper page in a book, the ultrasonic scanner works perfectly without screen protector. Otherwise, it is hit or miss. The Pixel 8 Pro fingerprint scanner was also hit or miss, but less so than the OnePlus 13. It should also be noted that the Pixel 8 Pro, with class 3 biometric strength (highest), provided for face unlock at my financial institution, whereas the OnePlus 13, with class 2 biometric strength (mid range), does not. My fingerprint scan still works at my financial institution with class 2 biometric strength, however.
Battery: As alluded to earlier, the OnePlus 13 blows the Pixel 8 Pro out to the water when it comes to battery life and charging. The differences are shocking. With the OnePlus 13, I can go from a 30% to a 100% charge in the time it takes to take a shower, shave and brush my teeth (less than a half hour). I would estimate that the SOT on my OnePlus 13 lasts about 33% longer than my Pixel 8 Pro.
Built-in Infrared Port: The OnePlus 13 has a built in IR Blaster and, even though I couldn’t have imagined that I would ever find it useful, I am using it for stereo, TV, lights, etc. and loving the lazy convenience.
I am aware that some on these boards could have had different experiences than my own and that’s okay as no two users’ experiences will be exactly the same. Bottom line: If you are considering ANY phone, read plenty of both professional and user reviews, check specs, do a cost/benefit analysis and figure out which will work best for your use case. The OnePlus 13 works great for me, was an exceptional value and I would not hesitate to recommend it.
enjoy the phone. Love my OnePlus 13 and most definitely a great device
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