OnePlus’ rumored ‘mini’ flagship could be the final nail in the coffin for small Android phones
- A new rumor suggests Oppo could release an upcoming mini flagship through OnePlus in global markets
- The so-called OnePlus 13 Mini would feature a 6.31-inch display; that’s larger than a standard iPhone 16
- Neither Oppo nor OnePlus have confirmed the phone’s existence
Oppo has firmly re-established itself in global markets following the launch of the Find X8 and X8 Pro, but it seems the company’s new flagship lineup – and potentially that of its company stablemate OnePlus – isn’t complete just yet.
According to a Weibo post from notable leaker Digital Chat Station (via Smartprix), the Oppo Find X8 and X8 Pro are due to be joined by the rumored X8 Ultra and X8 Mini, meaning our list of the best Oppo phones could soon feature some new entries.
The tip also suggests that the X8 Mini may be rebadged and released as the OnePlus 13 Mini or OnePlus 13T in global markets. Since OnePlus operates under the same parent company as Oppo, it frequently releases phones with borrowed designs or specs from existing Oppo models.
Digital Chat Station also provided a speculative list of specs for the supposedly upcoming OnePlus phone, listing various features such as a 6.31-inch display with a 1.5k resolution, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and a triple camera system comprising a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 50MP telephoto camera with 3x zoom (you’ll find two of those cameras on the full-size Oppo Find X8).
A 6.31-inch display would position the OnePlus 13 Mini outside of what’s typically considered a small phone, and this name is likely relative to the 6.59-inch display found on Oppo’s latest flagship.
The OnePlus 13 launched on January 7 at a price of $899 / £899, which, as our OnePlus 13 review notes, is solid value for money. A cheaper mini version would have a decent shot at being the cheapest Snapdragon 8 Elite-equipped phone on the market, depending on OnePlus’ pricing strategy.
Does ‘small’ mean anything anymore?
Since the standardization of large phones – previously known as phablets – mini phones have failed to catch on in the West. Apple famously discontinued its small-form handsets after just two years when the iPhone 13 mini was replaced by the iPhone 14 Plus in September 2022.
In other markets, regional phone makers like Vivo continue to produce mini phones, though the goalposts seem to move quite easily when it comes to what counts as a small phone in 2025.
At 6.31 inches, the Find X8 Mini and OnePlus 13 Mini are set to launch with larger displays than both the standard iPhone 16 and baseline Samsung Galaxy S24. That’s not exactly small by most people’s standards, and leaves me wondering if the time of small Android phones might just be over.
Displays aren’t getting larger at the breakneck pace of the 2010s anymore, but it is still a noticeable trend. As it stands, the 6.1-inch iPhone 16 is about as small as you can get in a mainstream, flagship, fully-featured smartphone, though if Apple continues to let the specs of its Pro and Pro Max iPhones filter down to the standard models, we could see this increase to 6.3 inches, in line with the iPhone 16 Pro, over the next few generations.
I’ve written previously about my nostalgia for truly small phones, but at this point, it’s encouraging to see a phone maker taking even a small step back from making things even larger.
With the latest premium flagships from Apple, Google, and Samsung all approaching 7 inches in display size, it’s no bad thing to hear word of a new phone that may keep things a little more sensible – even if the OnePlus 13 Mini spells the end for small Android phones as we once knew them.
So who knows – in ten years’ time, maybe I’ll be writing about my nostalgia for the OnePlus 13 Mini and its tiny display. Until then, holding the line is fine, and the Mini title feels fairly earned by any phone that does so.
Neither Oppo nor OnePlus has shared any official information about the X8 Mini or OnePlus 13 Mini. For the latest updates as we hear them, be sure to check out our coverage of Oppo phones and OnePlus phones.
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A new rumor suggests Oppo could release an upcoming mini flagship through OnePlus in global markets The so-called OnePlus 13 Mini would feature a 6.31-inch display; that’s larger than a standard iPhone 16 Neither Oppo nor OnePlus have confirmed the phone’s existence Oppo has firmly re-established itself in global markets…
