OnePlus 12 review
The OnePlus 12 is the latest flagship from the popular brand, boasting a host of upgrades over its predecessor. A larger battery, bigger and brighter screen, and revamped cameras are just a few of the changes on offer. The phone's design may not have undergone a radical transformation, but it still looks sleek and premium, with Gorilla Glass 5 and a smooth matte finish on the back. With improved performance, a high refresh rate display, and IP65-rated ingress protection, this device is poised to be one of the top contenders in its class.
Build Quality and Design
The OnePlus 12 boasts a premium build quality that is both sturdy and visually appealing. The back panel is made of Gorilla Glass 5, which provides a smooth and matte finish with marbled accents. This design aesthetic gives the phone a sleek and sophisticated look. Both the back and display curve into the aluminum frame, creating a seamless and ergonomic design. One notable aspect of the phone's design is its ability to blend in perfectly with its surroundings. The camera bump may catch the light, revealing a small accent that shimmers like glitter, but this is not just a trick of the eye - it's actually a clever design element that adds visual interest to an otherwise minimalist aesthetic. The OnePlus 12 also features IP65-rated ingress protection against dust and water, ensuring that your phone remains protected from everyday mishaps. This level of protection is a welcome addition to a flagship device like this one, and provides peace of mind for users who may not always be careful with their phones. The alert slider, a feature that has been a staple of OnePlus devices, returns on the 12, providing an easy way to turn your phone to silent mode. This attention to detail is characteristic of the brand's commitment to user experience. Overall, the build quality and design of the OnePlus 12 are impressive, reflecting a clear focus on creating a premium device that feels both solid and stylish.
Battery Life
The OnePlus 12 boasts an impressive upgrade in battery capacity, boasting 5400mAh hours of power. This significant boost ensures that the device can last for an extended period, making it ideal for users who rely heavily on their smartphones throughout the day. In our testing, the phone scored an overall active use score of 14 hours and 11 minutes, which is a testament to its efficient battery life. The combination of scores across different categories was also impressive, suggesting that the device can handle various tasks without draining the battery excessively. One of the standout features of the OnePlus 12's battery is its ability to charge quickly. With a 100W charger included in the package, users can expect speedy top-ups. We observed that the phone charged from 0 to 70% in just 15 minutes and reached a full charge within 24 minutes. Additionally, the device supports 50W fast wireless charging, providing an added layer of convenience for users who prefer wireless charging methods. Overall, the OnePlus 12's battery life is a significant improvement over its predecessors, making it an attractive option for those seeking a reliable and long-lasting smartphone experience.
Display
The display on the OnePlus 12 is a significant upgrade from its predecessor. The phone features a 6.82-inch OLED screen with a QHD resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. This results in an incredibly sharp and vibrant display, with a pixel density of 510 PPI. The bezel surrounding the display is slim, making it easy to focus on the content. The screen also supports HDR10+ video and Dolby Vision, allowing for a more immersive viewing experience. Additionally, the OnePlus 12's display can reach a maximum brightness of nearly 850 nits with Vivid color settings, which is boosted to 1250 nits in auto mode when exposed to bright light. The use of LTPo technology also enables an extra-adaptive panel that adjusts its refresh rate to conserve energy. This means the screen can dial down to as low as 1Hz when idling and still maintain a seamless experience. Furthermore, the OnePlus 12 supports high frame rate gaming, which is notable since it was missing from previous OnePlus phones. The stereo speakers on the phone also earned a good rating for loudness and sound quality, with a bit more bass in the low end and equally nice vocals. The under-display fingerprint reader is fast and reliable, providing an added layer of biometric security. Overall, the display on the OnePlus 12 is a highlight of the device. Its stunning visuals, high refresh rate, and adaptive technology make it one of the best displays available on a smartphone today. While there may be some minor quibbles with color accuracy or brightness in certain situations, the overall experience is exceptional.
Camera
The camera system on the OnePlus 12 is an area where significant upgrades have been made since its predecessor. The phone boasts a quad-camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 64-megapixel telephoto lens that offers three times optical zoom, and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. In ideal lighting conditions, the main camera takes excellent photos with plenty of detail rendered naturally without looking overprocessed. The dynamic range is wide, and contrast is nice, resulting in colors that are well-saturated but not overly so. However, there's an occasional yellowish or greenish tint to white balance. One of the standout features of the OnePlus 12's camera system is its ability to take great photos with two times digital zoom from the main camera. While it may not be spectacular, the level of detail achieved in low-light conditions is impressive, thanks to the phone's night mode processing. This feature automatically applies a noise reduction and sharpening algorithm to produce excellent exposure and dynamic range in low-light shots. The telephoto lens takes excellent three times zoomed photos with great detail and contrast. Its ability to focus relatively close allows for detailed shots of small subjects, which is not possible with the ultra-wide camera's macro mode. Three times zoomed 4K videos have a decent level of detail, but there's often a tendency for white balance to lean towards yellowish or greenish tones. The ultra-wide-angle camera delivers good detail and dynamic range in outdoor shots, making it suitable for capturing expansive landscapes. However, some scenes may appear desaturated. In low-light conditions, the ultra-wide-angle camera produces well-exposed photos with wide dynamic range, lively colors, and excellent detail. Selfies captured by the 32-megapixel front-facing camera have a decent level of detail, accurate white balance, and likable colors. However, it's worth noting that video recording quality on the OnePlus 12 is not as good as on other camera phones in its class. Overall, the camera system on the OnePlus 12 is solid and offers significant upgrades over previous models. While there are some minor complaints about white balance and video recording quality, the phone's ability to take excellent photos in various lighting conditions makes it a formidable competitor in the high-end smartphone market.
Price and Value
The OnePlus 12 is the company's latest flagship offering, and while it may look familiar at first glance, there are certainly some notable upgrades under the hood. In terms of value, the OnePlus 12 offers a compelling package for its price. The phone's display is a highlight, with a large 6.82-inch OLED panel that features a QHD resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ support. This results in a truly stunning visual experience, with crisp colors and deep blacks. The camera system is also a major strength of the OnePlus 12, with a versatile set of lenses that produce excellent results in a variety of lighting conditions. The battery life has been improved significantly, with a large 5400mAh cell that should easily last through the day and then some. However, it's worth noting that the OnePlus 12 doesn't quite live up to the standards set by its peers when it comes to ingress protection – it's rated IP65, which means it can withstand dust and splashes but not full submersion. This is a bit of a letdown for an otherwise excellent phone. In terms of pricing, the OnePlus 12 seems to be competitively positioned in the market, with prices starting at around $999 for the base model. While this may seem like a lot of money, considering what you get – a top-of-the-line smartphone with a stunning display and cameras – it's actually quite reasonable. Overall, the OnePlus 12 is a solid choice for anyone looking for a high-end smartphone that offers excellent value for its price.
Performance
The OnePlus 12's performance is a mixed bag, but overall, it's a solid effort from the Chinese brand. At its core, the phone packs the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen3 chipset, which provides a significant boost in performance compared to its predecessor. However, our benchmarking tests revealed that the CPU scores were lower than expected, even in high-performance mode. This was somewhat disappointing, especially when compared to other flagships with the same chipset. The GPU, on the other hand, performed well, delivering great peak graphics performance during stress testing. One of the most welcome developments is the increase in battery capacity to 5400mAh hours. In our tests, the phone scored an impressive overall active use score of 14 hours and 11 minutes, with a nice balance of scores across different categories. The inclusion of a 100W charger means that top-ups are speedy, with the phone able to charge from 0-70% in just 15 minutes. The OnePlus 12's performance is comparable to other recent flagships during prolonged stress tests, with the CPU throttling but remaining relatively stable. The phone managed to maintain around 55% of its maximum GPU performance, which is par for the course. While the performance may not be top-notch, it's still a solid effort from OnePlus. The inclusion of features like high frame rate gaming and support for HDR10+ video are definite positives. If you're in the market for a high-end phone with a unique look and nice cameras, the OnePlus 12 is certainly worth considering. However, if you're looking for absolute peak performance, you may want to consider other options. The OnePlus 12's performance is solid but not exceptional, making it a mid-range contender in terms of pure performance.
Pros
1. The OnePlus 12 has a larger battery capacity, up to 5400 mAh hours
2. The phone features a QHD display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection
3. The cameras have been upgraded, with a new 50 MP main camera and a 64 MP telephoto cam
4. The phone supports HDR for photos in the gallery
5. The display is extra sharp with a pixel density of 510 PPI
6. The bezel surrounding the display are nicely slim too
7. The phone has support for high frame rate gaming
8. The interface of the phone is OnePlus's Oxygen OS 14 on top of Android 14
Cons
1. The ingress protection is only IP65 rated, not full dust proofing and protection against submersion
2. The phone's design seems to be almost identical to the previous model
3. The CPU benchmark scores are lower than expected, especially in default performance mode
4. The phone's battery life could be better with an overall active use score of 14 hours and 11 minutes
5. The phone's video recording quality isn't as good as on other camera phones
6. The telephoto cam has a tendency to produce photos with less than ideal exposure
7. The ultra wide camera can produce desaturated colors in some outdoor scenes
8. The ingress protection is not up to par with the iPhone 15 plus and Google pixel 8 Pro