OnePlus Ditches Alert Slider For 'Plus Key', 13s To Launch In India With Customisable Button
OnePlus is officially pulling the plug on one of its most iconic design features — the alert slider. The company has confirmed that its upcoming smartphone, the OnePlus 13s, will be the first in India to debut without the familiar three-position slider. Instead, it will introduce a new 'Plus Key', a multifunctional button that mirrors Apple’s Action Button in both style and intent.
This move marks a significant shift in OnePlus’s design philosophy, particularly since the alert slider had become a fan favourite since its inception, reserved exclusively for flagship models and absent only on the Nord series.
A New Button Era Begins
The new 'Plus Key' is more than just a replacement. According to OnePlus, it will allow users to perform a variety of quick tasks such as toggling sound profiles, clicking screenshots, turning on the flashlight, recording audio, and more.
The company said: "With the new Plus key, OnePlus says that users will be able to change sound profiles, click screenshots, record audio, turn on flash and take screenshots, among other things." This puts OnePlus in line with other smartphone makers like Apple, which introduced a similar action button in the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023 and expanded it to the entire iPhone 16 range the following year.
Chinese brands like Nothing and Lava have toyed with customisable buttons in mid-range phones, but OnePlus is taking a leap by integrating this feature into a flagship-class device.
India-First Flagship With Familiar Specs
The OnePlus 13s is expected to be an India-exclusive model, possibly a rebranded version of the OnePlus 13T, which launched recently in China. The device is said to carry forward much of the 13T’s hardware, including the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (Elite) chipset, which also powers the flagship OnePlus 13.
OnePlus has revealed that the phone will be available in Black and Pink colour options. While full specifications haven’t been officially released, if the 13s follows in the footsteps of the 13T, buyers can expect a compact form factor — a move aimed at fans of smaller phones.
The OnePlus 13T featured a 6.32-inch 1.5K LTPO AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, peak brightness of 1600 nits, and a manageable weight of 185 grams. The device also sported 12/16GB RAM, up to 1TB UFS 4.0 storage, and ran on ColorOS 15 (Android 15) in China — with the global variant expected to run OxygenOS 15.
Camera And Battery: Solid Yet Familiar
Camera duties are handled by a dual rear setup, including a 50MP Sony IMX906 sensor with OIS, and a 50MP 2x telephoto lens, which also includes optical image stabilisation — unlike the OnePlus 13R. On the front, a 16MP selfie shooter supports 1080p video recording at 30fps.
One surprising highlight is the 6,260mAh battery, which is even larger than the OnePlus 13’s — though it tops out at a slower 80W wired charging.
The OnePlus 13s could be positioned as a compact flagship with cutting-edge performance and thoughtful tweaks, including the headline-making Plus Key. Whether longtime OnePlus users will embrace the change or mourn the loss of the alert slider remains to be seen.
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