The OnePlus 12 made its debut in China on December 5, offering a sneak peek into the upcoming flagship for eager fans worldwide. Now, the anticipation is set to reach a global scale as OnePlus has officially announced the international launch date for both the OnePlus 12 and its more budget-friendly counterpart, the OnePlus 12R, on January 23. This revelation promises to unveil the pricing and specifications configurations for these devices outside China, information that has been shrouded in mystery until now.
Marking the expansion of the R-branded line beyond the borders of India and China, OnePlus signals its intent to venture into the global midrange phone market. Positioned between the premium top-end phones and the budget-friendly lineup, the OnePlus 12R follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, the OnePlus 11R, priced at approximately $480, offering a more affordable alternative to users. The recent addition to the budget line, the $300 OnePlus Nord N30 5G, further solidifies OnePlus’ commitment to catering to diverse consumer needs.
While the external appearance of the OnePlus 12 closely resembles its predecessor, the major visual change is the relocation of the Alert Slider from the right side to the left side, offering a tactile toggle for mute, vibrate, and ringer settings. The circular disk surrounding the cameras on the back is now translucent in the white and green color variants, while the black variant retains the shiny metal finish seen in the previous model.
Camera enhancements on the OnePlus 12 include a sharper 64-megapixel periscope 3x optical zoom telephoto camera, an upgrade from the 32-megapixel telephoto in the OnePlus 11. The main camera remains a robust 50-megapixel, complemented by a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, maintaining the high-quality imaging standard set by its predecessor.
Internally, the OnePlus 12 showcases significant improvements. Fueled by Qualcomm’s top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, it boasts performance enhancements over the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The introduction of on-device generative AI is noteworthy, though specific features remain undisclosed. Storage has been doubled to a minimum of 256GB, with the baseline RAM upgraded to 12GB, providing a substantial boost from the OnePlus 11’s 128GB storage and 8GB RAM. The upper limits have also increased to 1TB of storage and 24GB of RAM, surpassing the previous flagship’s 512GB storage and 16GB RAM, yet availability outside China remains uncertain.
Pushing the boundaries of phone specs, the OnePlus 12 outshines rival premium phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, in hardware capabilities. While impressive on paper, performance comparisons will be crucial, especially considering Samsung’s history of outperforming OnePlus in benchmarks.
The OnePlus 12 features a robust 5,400-mAh battery, an upgrade from its predecessor’s 5,000 mAh. Charging speeds have been enhanced to 100W wired (compared to the OnePlus 11’s 80W in the US version) and 50W wireless, a notable advancement as most phones typically top out at 15W for wireless charging. However, proprietary chargers may be required, as popular third-party models seldom exceed 25W. The true test of the OnePlus 12’s capabilities awaits, and users worldwide are eager to experience the touted advancements in performance, photography, and charging technology.
