OnePlus 13s debuts with a Gemini feature not even Pixels have

OnePlus just launched the OnePlus 13s in India, joining its siblings, the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R, in the flagship segment. While the phone is notable as it marks the company’s foray back into sensibly-sized flagship smartphones, it’s also the first phone to debut a lock screen shortcut for Gemini, a feature that isn’t even present on Pixels!

Right out of the box, you can spot the Gemini shortcut on the OnePlus 13’s lock screen.

The shortcut references Gemini as “Digital assistant from Google,” but the icon makes it clear that it is Gemini. Triggering the shortcut launches Gemini, so there’s no doubt about what this is.

What makes this lock screen shortcut interesting is that it’s not present on Google’s own Pixel devices. On Pixel devices, you get the usual shortcut choices of Camera, Do Not Disturb, Flashlight, Home, Mute, QR code scanner, and Video camera. The options remain the same on Android 15 and Android 16 — only the UI changes.

Google has been testing another pill-shaped button for invoking Gemini from the lock screen, but this lock screen shortcut on the OnePlus 13s is better integrated and doesn’t feel out of place. You can still access Gemini on the lock screen with the “OK Google” or “Hey Google” wake word, or by long pressing the power button (unless you’ve changed the setting back to the power menu).

The OnePlus 13s is similar to the OnePlus 13T from China, with key differences being the battery capacity (smaller 5,850mAh for 13s vs 6,200mAh for 13T) and the front-facing camera (32MP AF for 13s vs 16MP FF for 13T). Of course, the OnePlus 13T in China runs Color OS without Google apps, while the OnePlus 13s runs Oxygen OS 15 with Google apps.

Other notable specifications include the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, 12GB LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 4.0 storage, 80W SuperVOOC charging (but no wireless charging), 50MP primary camera and 50MP 2x telephoto camera, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, and NFC.

The phone’s most notable feature is its (relatively) small size. It has a 120Hz 6.32-inch FHD+ display in a body that is about the size of the iPhone 16 Pro and weighs just 185g.

The OnePlus 13s isn’t coming to the US, but at least the (relatively) compact phone is being made available in a market other than China. In India, you can get the OnePlus 13s for Rs. 54,999 (~$640) for the 256GB storage variant and Rs. 59,999 (~$700) for the 512GB storage variant.