The new OnePlus 12 smartphone is available starting at $799/£849/949 Euros. It’s released earlier in the year, like previous models. There’s also a cheaper version called OnePlus 12R.
Compared to the OnePlus 11, the OnePlus 12 is slightly more expensive but offers more features. It has upgraded hardware and camera sensors. Now, it supports fast 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, which wasn’t available before. It’s fully waterproof now, and it comes with improved Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and faster USB connections for quicker data transfer.
The OnePlus 12 doesn’t look very different from the OnePlus 10 and 11. It resembles the OnePlus 11 a lot. The camera setup is similar to the OnePlus Open, with the Hasselblad branding. It looks nice, but it’s not very new or different. But that’s common nowadays – many phone companies are finding it hard to make their phones look unique.
Once again, there’s a green version, but this time it has a marbled pattern. I would have liked to see it in person, but OnePlus sent me the smooth black version instead. It looks like it could be sticky, but it actually feels very sleek. It’s like smooth paint, but it sparkles in the light. It’s definitely better than if it were a shiny black that shows fingerprints easily. The back glass is durable Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and the front is protected by even stronger Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
OnePlus has added an IP rating to its phones, making them water-resistant. This phone is rated IP65, meaning it can handle being submerged in water.
It features a OnePlus alert slider, similar to the iPhone’s silent switch, for easily switching to silent mode.
The phone weighs 220g, lighter than some other large phones like the 233g S24 Ultra and about the same as the 221g iPhone 15 Pro Max. Despite its size, it doesn’t feel heavy, and the weight distribution feels good.
This year’s ProXDR LTPO 2K display is larger than last year’s, measuring 6.82 inches. Its resolution of 3168×1440 pixels ensures sharp visuals, with 510 pixels per inch. It features a standard 120Hz dynamic refresh rate and supports Dolby Vision for excellent video quality. Notably, it can reach a peak brightness of 4500 nits, making it exceptionally bright for a smartphone screen. OnePlus claims it’s the brightest screen ever seen on a smartphone. Additionally, it introduces a feature called Aqua Touch, designed to improve touch controls in rainy conditions. While I tried it out and it seemed to work fine, its effectiveness will truly be tested during real-life situations, such as trying to call a taxi during a storm after a late-night meal.
This phone has a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and either 12 or 16GB of RAM. OnePlus has designed a new cooling system to prevent overheating. The battery lasts a full day and charges quickly, both wirelessly and with a cable.
The camera on this phone is high-quality, with a sensor from Sony. It takes great photos, especially in low light, which is an improvement from previous OnePlus phones. Overall, this phone can compete well with others on the market.
Sure, here’s a simplified version:
“The last picture has a watermark – your phone might ask if you want to remove it when you start the camera app.
The 64MP OmniVision telephoto camera has a 3x periscope zoom and image stabilization. It also has a 6x digital zoom that you can quickly switch to in the camera app. You can zoom in up to 120x, but the quality is much better if you use a tripod or keep the phone steady. Pictures at 3x zoom are perfect, and it’s handy to switch to that zoom level easily.”
Here’s a picture of the moon zoomed in 120 times. I didn’t use a tripod, but I leaned against a wall to try to keep my phone steady while taking the photo.
The 114-degree ultrawide camera has a 48-megapixel Sony IMX581 sensor, which is also found in the OnePlus 11 and OnePlus Open phones. Ultrawide lenses are helpful when you’re very close to something and need a wider view, but that doesn’t happen often in our experience. Unfortunately, this camera doesn’t have the advanced 1-inch LYT-900 sensor found in the Oppo Find X7 Ultra, which is only available in China. The Oppo device goes to extremes with four 50-megapixel cameras, including two periscope telephoto lenses! Here’s a picture taken with the ultrawide lens.
The OnePlus camera’s Pro Mode is now called Master Mode. It’s where you can control the details of your photos. There are also improvements to the Hasselblad Portrait Mode, offering two options for different types of portraits: 2x 50mm for medium/long portraits and 3x/70mm for close-ups.
The phone runs on Android 14 with OnePlus’ OxygenOS on top. Although OnePlus has received some criticism for merging its software with Oppo’s ColorOS, the phone feels faster than before. While OxygenOS isn’t as unique as it used to be, the phone still feels like a OnePlus rather than an Oppo.
You’ll get software updates for four years, including security updates. This is a new trend for Android devices, but it’s reasonable for users to expect their expensive phones to keep working for a long time.
OnePlus is bragging about its special Trinity Engine, a feature of OxygenOS 14. It’s basically software tweaks that make OxygenOS better at handling heavy tasks like gaming and switching between apps quickly. They claim it helps the battery last longer and keeps the phone running smoothly even after a few years of use.
They say this technology can make the OnePlus 12 last an extra 30 minutes on a charge, but it’s hard to verify because of other changes in the phone’s hardware.
Yes, OnePlus phones are usually strong contenders, but lately, they’ve fallen slightly behind their competitors. However, the new OnePlus 12 comes with improved features like a better screen, faster charging, waterproofing, and a fantastic camera. The camera, in particular, takes excellent photos, which I’ve experienced not only with the OnePlus 12 but also with the OnePlus Open that I’ve used for a while. It would be nice to have more color options though!
