A high-end flagship smartphone with a top-of-the-class chipset, premium design and a great camera for less than ₹75,000? OnePlus is one of the few who can pull it off. Plus, look around, there is barely any competition to the kind of spec sheet that the OnePlus12 has for its price tag.
If are looking to purchase a smartphone with flagship specs, I can confidently guide you towards the OnePlus 12. I know I have given away the climax of the film before telling you the story but to be honest, the OnePlus 12 has everything that matters like a true ‘masala Bollywood film’. It comes with a ‘hero’ of the chipset — the latest and the greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 — and costs ₹64,999 for the base variant in India.
Let’s take a closer look at all the things that matter.
Design-same-same, but different
The design of the OnePlus 12 is not radically different if you compare it to its predecessor, the OnePlus 11. It has the same massive circular module from the OnePlus 11 but only slightly bigger on the new device along with a more subtle Hasselblad branding.
I got my hands on the Flowy Emerald colour variant of the new OnePlus 12 and boy, is it a head-turner! The good thing about the soft matte finish on the back is that it doesn't attract fingerprints or get smudged easily. It also feels premium to hold it in your hands. OnePlus has thrown in a silicone case inside the box, something I am never going to use given the beautiful back. The phone sports the ‘community favourite’ OnePlus alert slider on the left.
Display so bright
OnePlus 12 has a 6.82-inch display with an adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz. One of the things that sets the display apart is that it can hit 4500 nits and is one of the brightest screens out there.
I often read and draft emails on the and like bright displays for the same reason. The legibility of the OnePlus 12 screen was never an issue for me. The curved display looks good and premium too. There is also a tiny punch-hole on the front for the selfie camera.
Flagship level performance
OnePlus 12 is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, paired with up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. In this review, I am trying the 16GB+512 GB variant, which costs ₹69,999.
The performance, as expected, is smooth, efficient and fast. I put the device through multitasking between apps and switching between photos and videos. The device handled everything seamlessly. I did not encounter any lags, stutters or delays either. The best thing is that through everything, the phone runs cool. The device is also very battery efficient.
The OnePlus 12 also comes with the company’s new HyperTouch feature, making the touch more effective, especially during intense gaming sessions.
The device runs OxygenOS 14, based on Android 14. And there are plenty of customisation options.
OnePlus 12 battery and charging
OnePlus always packs a good battery and the OnePlus 12 is no different. The device packs a robust 5,400mAh battery along with 100W fast charging and 50W wireless charging capabilities. The standout feature is the SuperVOOC 100W charging, which takes the phone from 1 to 100 in 26 minutes.
Cameras that impress
Every year, cameras in the OnePlus flagship are getting better. With the OnePlus 12, the company is now in the 4th generation of its partnership with Hasselblad, and it has finally started showing up with this device. The phone has three rear cameras: a 50MP main camera, a 48MP wide-angle and a 64MP telephoto lens camera with 3X optical zoom. In total, 6X optical is available with in-sensor cropping.
I took moon shots from the flight and they looked so good even though the flight was turbulent and landing.
The against-the-sun shots also came out well with no deformations and the silhouettes looked good. The level of detail is high and adequate in good light and to a great extent in low light as well.
The handling of colours is fantastic as well. Some of the Hasselblad Modes — the B&W and XPan, remain unique to the OnePlus users and are delightful.
On the front, there is a 32MP front camera that tends to smoothen skin which I am not a fan of.
Verdict
OnePlus 12 is a true all-rounder and ticks all the boxes. The device looks premium, delivers great performance with a fantastic battery, and good camera capabilities. Also, the phone costs half of what most flagships cost. Hence, if you are looking for an Android flagship without burning a hole in your pocket, the OnePlus 12 should be your choice.
