As we approached 2025, the Snapdragon 8 Elite made its much-anticipated debut in the smartphone world, immediately grabbing attention with its significant performance boost, enhanced AI capabilities, and a range of cutting-edge features. The OnePlus 13, the latest flagship to harness this powerful chipset, quickly became a favourite among tech enthusiasts for its impressive performance.
With its sleek design, long-lasting battery, and reliable camera system, it’s already a solid contender. But today, we’re focusing on its gaming capabilities. To put it to the test, we pitted the OnePlus 13 against another Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered powerhouse, the iQOO 13. Let’s see how these two heavyweights perform under intense gaming pressure.
OnePlus 13 vs iQOO 13 Gaming Test: The Procedure
The extreme gaming test at MySmartPrice lasts over two hours, and the phones are fully charged while set to their extreme performance mode. Here’s what we did:
- We began with the AnTuTu Benchmark and then played BGMI for an hour 20 minutes and Call of Duty: Mobile for 20 minutes on the lowest and highest graphical settings while monitoring the frame rate using an fps meter.
- During the test, we measured the smartphone’s front and rear temperatures and checked the battery drain at 30-minute intervals.
Before proceeding further with the test, we took an initial temperature reading of both phones and our test area. On the front, the OnePlus 13 and iQOO 13 were 29.3℃ and 31.2℃, respectively. On the rear, the former was rated at 30.6℃, while the iQOO 13 was at 31.5℃. Besides, the ambient temperature was 25.3℃.
OnePlus 13 and iQOO 13: Extreme Gaming Test Overview
Before we start, the OnePlus 13 and the iQOO 13 scored exceptionally well in the AnTuTu benchmark.
| Phones | Antutu Benchmark Score |
| OnePlus 13 | 2,626,392 |
| iQOO 13 | 2,765,810 |
Both phones were almost on par, with negligible differences between their scores. For comparison, here’s how their predecessors performed in the same test:
BGMI
In the gaming test, the OnePlus 13 amazed us with its smooth and consistent peak performance across two giants of the battle royale games. We played multiple rounds of BGMI on the ‘Smooth + Ultra Extreme’ and ‘Ultra HDR + Ultra’ settings.
From what we could observe, the frame rate constantly stayed around 120 fps in the ‘Smooth + Ultra Extreme’ setting. However, during a particular round of BGMI, the frame rate dropped to 107 fps because we were surrounded by a fierce group of squads trying to send us back to the lobby.
Besides, our fps meter gave us an in-depth look at the necessary metrics: the average frame rate during the mild match was 118 fps while the intense match saw it reduce to 114 fps. Thanks to our fps meter, we monitored the 5% low of each round running on the ‘Smooth + Ultra Extreme’ setting. The 5% low during the mild match was 91.4 fps, showcasing that the game ran perfectly without facing obstructions like frame drops or stutters. However, the phone experienced a different story in the intense round as the 5% low reached 55 fps. This number isn’t concerning because the gameplay didn’t appear choppy in high-octane moments.
The iQOO 13 performed similarly awesome while running BGMI on the ‘Smooth + Ultra Extreme’ setting. Like the OnePlus 13, we didn’t suffer from stuttering or frame drops while exploring the vast land or escaping the red zone.
Our fps meter conveyed the same result: The average frame rate touched the 116 mark during the mild match while remaining at 117 fps during the intense round. The 5% low metric was slightly underwhelming in the mild round because we got 51 fps, contrary to 91.4 fps in the OnePlus 13. However, miraculously, the iQOO 13 pulled itself up and registered 85.1 fps at the 5% low in the round filled with fiery battles.
Once we switched the graphical setting to the ‘Ultra HDR’ quality and ‘Ultra frame’ rates, each frame of BGMI came out drop-dead gorgeous on both phones. We were mesmerised by its scenic beauty; however, we got it at the expense of a pitiful 40 fps of gaming.
If we crunch the numbers outputted by the fps meter, the OnePlus 13 trumped the iQOO 13 by attaining a better average frame rate and 5% low. We got an average frame rate of 39.5 fps from the OnePlus 13 compared to 38.5 fps in the iQOO 13. The 5% low hovered at 30.6 fps in the OnePlus 13, while the iQOO 13 logged 15.8 fps.
COD: Mobile
We also played Call of Duty: Mobile on the OnePlus 13 and the iQOO 13. No phones faltered, whether in the ‘Medium’ quality and the ‘Ultra’ frame rate or ‘Max’ quality and ‘Max’ frame rate. The game consistently functioned with the frame rate stuck at 120 fps in the ‘Medium + Ultra’ setting and 60 fps in the ‘Max + Max’ setting, and we relished every second of it.
Temperature
Now, it’s time to address the temperature and battery check. In the first 30 minutes, the OnePlus 13 and the iQOO 13 were at 39℃ on the rear side. Once flipped to the front, we recorded 42℃ from the former and 42℃ on the iQOO 13. The battery dipped from 100 to 81% in both phones.
We rechecked the vitals once the timer hit the hour mark. The OnePlus 13 clocked in at 36.7℃ on the rear and 37.2℃ on the front. On the other hand, the iQOO 13 lodged 35℃ on its rear side and 36.2℃ on the front. The battery arrived at 68% on the OnePlus 13, while the iQOO 13 registered one per cent higher.
As two hours passed on the timer, we finally took the last temperature reading on both phones. The OnePlus 13’s rear logged 34°C on the temperature gun, while its front reached 36°C. On the contrary, the iQOO 13 felt comparatively warmer, as its front was 37.8°C. Its rear wasn’t warm since we recorded 35.3°C on our measuring tool. The battery was 52% on the OnePlus 13, while the iQOO 13 stored four per cent extra.
Conclusion
If you are in the market for a powerful smartphone that aligns with your insatiable hunger for nonstop gaming, the OnePlus 13 and the iQOO 13 should be at the top of your list. Both phones hardly trembled once in our extreme gaming test. Neither of these phones gave the impression that their performance had been throttled to conserve battery, nor did their bodies become unbearably hot to hold.
The OnePlus 13 came out marginally better in the stats, while the iQOO 13’s battery reserved relatively more juice at the end of the test.
If you want to know how the iQOO 13 will serve you in your daily life besides its terrific performance, check out our review. You can visit our OnePlus 13 review to see how it performed in the real world.
