Tech Reviewer Keeps OnePlus After 8-Day iPhone 13 Test, Rejecting $1,099 Upgrade

Q: Why did a simple settings tweak stop a tech reviewer from spending $1,100 on the new iPhone 17 Pro?

A small settings change removed one of the reviewer’s biggest irritations with his OnePlus 13R — accidental butt-texting — and that undercut the main reason he was seriously considering spending $1,099 on an iPhone 17 Pro. His switch test showed that the old iPhone 13 he borrowed was weaker than his OnePlus in the areas he uses most: battery life, charging speed, screen brightness, display size and camera output. Even though he liked Apple’s smoother smart-home integration, FaceTime and Apple News, the iPhone experience did not clearly beat his Android overall. When he asked AI which iPhone best matched his OnePlus, it pointed him to the iPhone 17 Pro. But the same comparison also reinforced that paying flagship iPhone money would bring only limited practical gains for him, especially since his current phone already delivered strong performance, excellent battery life and faster charging. Outside reviews of the iPhone 17 Pro praise its improved battery, cameras and brighter display, but they also frame it as a better upgrade for people already on older iPhones than for someone satisfied with a capable Android handset. So the settings tweak mattered because it solved a daily annoyance on the cheaper option he already owned. Once the butt-texting problem “seemed to have subsided,” the balance shifted back toward keeping the OnePlus, making the iPhone 17 Pro feel like an expensive fix for a problem that was no longer serious.

3 articles · Updated · Forbes · Aug 17

After 8 days on an iPhone 13, the reviewer switched back to a OnePlus 13R, deciding the older Apple device did not justify moving away from Android.
The trial was prompted by OnePlus glitches — accidental butt-texts, a silent ringer and badly formatted email — but those issues eased after settings changes.
Against the OnePlus, the iPhone 13 felt dimmer, slower to charge and less comfortable on its 0.6-inch-smaller screen, while its camera also looked less vivid.
Apple still scored points on app integration, FaceTime and Apple News, yet an AI-assisted check steered the reviewer away from a $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro.
The result leaves the reviewer sticking with Android for now, even as OnePlus exits the U.S. market and Samsung and Google offer alternatives.