OnePlus 12 Review: A Comprehensive Look

 "OnePlus 12 Review: Unveiling the No-Frills Flagship Powerhouse of 2024"

Oneplus 12

Introduction: The OnePlus 12, the latest offering from the renowned brand, continues its tradition of delivering a no-frills flagship experience for its users. While the market is flooded with smartphones boasting generative AI software features, the OnePlus 12 takes a different approach, focusing on nailing the basics. In this review, we will delve into the device's design, specifications, performance, and camera capabilities, exploring whether its absence of AI features is a significant drawback.

Price and Variants: The OnePlus 12 comes in two variants, a departure from the previous OnePlus Open, with a justifiable increase in price. The base variant, priced at Rs. 64,999, offers 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The higher-end variant, retailing at Rs. 69,999, provides 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, maintaining competitiveness in the hardware department. The device is available in Flowy Emerald and Silky Black, and our review focuses on the 512GB variant in the Flowy Emerald finish.

Oneplus 12

Design: Staying true to its design roots, the OnePlus 12 adopts a flat glass rear panel and a circular camera module, showcasing a premium and classy appearance. However, a closer inspection reveals some design and quality oversights, such as sharp corners and misaligned fillers, affecting the seamless integration. Despite these issues, the IP65 rating remains unaffected, providing splash resistance, although it falls short of competitors offering higher dust and water resistance.

The polished metal frame, coupled with the beautifully textured glass of the Flowy Emerald finish, adds grip, and the return of the iconic Alert Slider is a welcome sight. The placement of buttons and sliders mirrors the OnePlus Open in an unfolded state, offering a familiar layout for OnePlus enthusiasts.

Specifications and Software: The OnePlus 12 boasts the latest hardware, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. It features a 5,400mAh dual-cell battery with 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging capabilities. Running on OxygenOS 14.0 based on Android 14, the device promises four years of OS updates and five years of security updates.

While the software experience remains polished, the absence of generative AI software features is notable. OnePlus seems to offer some AI-enabled features like Smart Touch and Smart Imaging Matting but falls short compared to competitors.

Performance: With high-end hardware, the OnePlus 12 delivers a smooth software experience. However, benchmarks reveal a slight lag compared to competitors like the iQoo 12 and Vivo X100 Pro. The phone excels in gaming performance, maintaining high frame rates and keeping cool with its large vapor chamber cooling system. The 120Hz display ensures a responsive and immersive gaming experience.

Battery life proves impressive, with the device enduring a solid 28 hours and 6 minutes in standard video loop tests. Daily usage easily provides around 9 hours of screen-on time, thanks to the efficient battery management. Fast charging capabilities, both wired and wireless, contribute to the overall positive performance.

Cameras: The OnePlus 12 inherits an impressive camera setup from the OnePlus Open, with notable improvements. The primary 50-megapixel sensor captures detailed and sharp images with excellent contrast. The 64-megapixel 3X telephoto camera stands out, delivering impressive photos with natural bokeh. However, the white balance issue persists in the telephoto camera, affecting color accuracy.

The ultra-wide and macro cameras, while functional, fall short of competitors like the Google Pixel 8 Pro. Video recording at 4K demonstrates stability and vibrant colors, but 8K video capabilities may be considered gimmicky due to occasional framerate issues.

Verdict: The OnePlus 12 emerges as a strong contender in the smartphone market, excelling in various aspects and outperforming its predecessor. Positioned between the sub-Rs. 50,000 and sub-Rs. 90,000 segments, it competes favorably with devices like Google's Pixel 8 and Samsung's Galaxy S24. The absence of generative AI features might be a drawback for some users, but those prioritizing value for money, a superior display, powerful performance, flexible cameras, and excellent battery life will find the OnePlus 12 hard to ignore. In a market trending towards AI, OnePlus holds its ground, offering a compelling package for users who prioritize core smartphone functionalities.

Thank You for Reading! 🙏

I want to express my sincere gratitude to each one of you who took the time to read my review. Your support and engagement mean the world to me. I hope you found the content valuable and insightful. If you have any thoughts, questions, or suggestions, feel free to share them in the comments. Thank you for being a part of this community!

Best regards, [DeviceDiveDiaries]