OnePlus 13 tipped to be "world's first phone" with an amazing new processor

The OnePlus 13 could be vying to be the first Android phone announced with the next-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 hardware from Qualcomm, if rumours are to be believed.

The OnePlus 12 launched slightly differently in 2023: it was announced in China in December, before seeing a global release in January. It's a change emphasis for the company that was previously focused on the US and Europe, and has shifted its gaze toward China and India instead.

Being the first to confirm that you're using new hardware and getting the first phone to market has some kudos. It has long been the preserve of Xiaomi, often appearing on stage at Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit to confirm that its next phone will use the hardware – and often launching soon after, in China at least.

OnePlus' change in strategy for 2023 suggests that it wants to be more competitive in the flagship space with the likes of Xiaomi, and having a device to launch as soon as possible after the announcement of the Snapdragon hardware would be part of that aim.

A source on Weibo (via 91mobiles) has suggested that the development of the OnePlus 13 is happening at pace, with the aim of being the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 device. The new Qualcomm hardware will likely power the best phones of 2024.

When will Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 be announced?

It's expected that Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be announced at Snapdragon Summit in October 2024.

In previous years, Qualcomm hosted this launch event in November, but for 2023 it too pulled the date forward. That has seen Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 devices hit the market slightly earlier than in previous years and it's reasonable to expect the same in 2024.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is confirmed to feature the Oryon CPU – which made its debut in the Snapdragon X Elite hardware in 2023 – and promises to be a lot more powerful than the Kyro cores previously used. It will also feature a bump in NPU, or AI, performance.

It's expected that there will be a significant performance bump from this next-gen hardware and I expect that OnePlus will aim to align itself with the announcement to make sure it can offer the supercharged OnePlus 13 first and beat its rivals to the punch.