At a glanceExpert’s Rating
ProsOutstanding displayTrue two-day battery lifeStrong sustained performance100W quick chargingConsNo wi-fi chargingStill not fully waterproofMediocre secondary camerasOur VerdictIt would possibly feel and look acquainted, however the OnePlus 12R provides an excellent display and epic battery life for a less-than-flagship value. There are a few unlucky omissions, however this can be a good repurposing job at a eager value.
Price When ReviewedFrom $499 | Model reviewed $599
Best Prices Today: OnePlus 12R
$499
OnePlus hasn’t provided a pair of world flagship telephone choices because the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 in 2021. Also in that yr, the OnePlus R-series made its debut, supplying a stripped again and extra inexpensive flagship expertise to chose Asian markets.
These two historic occurrences converge within the OnePlus 12R, which is the primary time that the model’s keenly priced R-series has been provided globally. While the OnePlus 12 provides you a nearly compromise-free expertise, the 12R will get you a lot of the approach there for £200 much less.
An preliminary look would recommend that this can be a return to the Pro/non-Pro double act in all however identify. In follow, the OnePlus 12R provides an identical bundle to final yr’s OnePlus 11, with a couple of upgrades that nod to the passage of time and a few downgrades that allow a less expensive value level.
Design & Build
Slightly thicker than OnePlus 11
Alert slider as welcome as at all times
Bumped as much as IP65
The OnePlus 12R appears to be like and feels an terrible lot just like the OnePlus 11. It’s one other bigger telephone that feels deceptively slender, because of the selection to curve the longer edges on each the entrance and the again of the telephone. Flat screens are typically extra sensible, however the curvaceous strategy actually appears to be like good.
It’s really a fraction thicker than final yr’s mannequin at 8.8mm, and likewise a few grams heavier at 207g. But it nonetheless feels good and modern, actually in comparison with all these blocky flat-edged telephones on the market in search of to emulate Apple’s iPhone design.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
We additionally get the return of the OnePlus 11’s distinctive digital camera module design, although it doesn’t fairly soften into the aspect body so seamlessly right here. There’s a transparent seam, although your eye will seemingly be drawn away from this by the placing ridged round ring that encompasses the three digital camera sensors and flash.
…the OnePlus 12R provides an identical bundle to final yr’s OnePlus 11
My take a look at unit is the Iron Gray mannequin, which adopts a charcoal tone with a brushed, barely grainy-looking metallic end. It appears to be like trendy and is enjoyable to the contact, but it surely’s not the grippiest materials on this planet. The different color on provide is Cool Blue, which appears to be like to be far shinier and doubtless no much less easy.
OnePlus has really upgraded sure parts of the OnePlus 12R’s design in comparison with final yr’s pricier mannequin. The show is roofed in harder Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – an enchancment from Victus – whereas the physique is IP65 rated reasonably than IP64. It’s nonetheless not the IP68 that we’ve come to anticipate from our flagship telephones, but it surely’s extra proof against water than the OnePlus 11 at any fee, and it feels extra acceptable right here than within the $799/£849 OnePlus 12.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
The left fringe of the telephone packs the model’s signature alert slider, which might manually flick you between silent, vibrate, and loud modes. It’s as welcome right here as at all times, although nonetheless has the annoying quirk of opening the ‘Find in web page’ search discipline once you use it when looking the net in Chrome.
One different noteworthy exterior addition from the OnePlus 11 is an IR blaster on the highest edge. Using the pre-installed IR Remote app, I used to be ready to make use of the OnePlus 12R to manage my historical Denon stereo. Having damaged the unique distant management a couple of decade in the past, this proved genuinely helpful, although I think that mine is a reasonably area of interest case in lately of good and multi-room audio system.
Screen & Speakers
6.78-inch AMOLED
1-120Hz dynamic refresh fee
Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos
The OnePlus 12R’s show is a formidable piece of package. At 6.78-inch, it’s slightly larger than the OnePlus 11 equal, and it utilises upgraded LTPO 4.0 panel expertise to flit between 1 and 120Hz extra effectively.
OnePlus has scaled again the decision slightly from the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 11, each of which pack 2K screens. However, it hasn’t regressed all the way in which again to 1080p. Rather, we get a decision that some producers have taken to calling ‘1.5K’.
This decision of 2780 x 1264 falls between FHD+ and QHD+, and appears to me to be a wonderful compromise. You nonetheless get a pleasant sharp picture with a crisp pixel density of 450 ppi, however with much less of the useful resource hogging methods of a full 2K show.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Colour accuracy is actually glorious, and I discovered it to be particularly pleasing as soon as I flipped it from Vivid to Natural mode. It will get good and vibrant, too, with OnePlus quoting a peak brightness of 4500 nits in HDR situations and 1600 nits in outside situations. With autobrightness turned off, I recorded a most brightness of 787 nits, which is extraordinarily spectacular.
One attention-grabbing addition ties in neatly with that improved IP65 ranking. Aqua Touch boosts display responsiveness within the rain, although with out full IP68 safety I nonetheless discovered myself hesitant to place this to the take a look at.
You get the standard OnePlus provision of twin stereo audio system within the earpiece and on the underside fringe of the telephone, which stay loud and clear even at high quantity. They do lack the depth and area of a very top-end performer just like the iPhone 15 Pro, although. Dolby Atmos help can also be offered.
Specs & Performance
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
8/16GB of RAM
128/256GB storage
While the OnePlus 12 will get the leading edge Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the OnePlus 12R has to make do with final yr’s flagship chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. This implies that it primarily performs the identical because the OnePlus 11, particularly with the beneficiant 16GB of RAM on board on the assessment unit I examined.
We described the OnePlus 11 as an “extremely fast telephone” in our assessment, and a yr has executed little to boring those self same elements. For all of the efficiency advances caused by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the OnePlus 12R continues to be able to operating essentially the most demanding 3D video games (like Genshin Impact and Wreckfest) at silky easy body charges on high settings.
Indeed, whereas it’s no gaming telephone, OnePlus has given the OnePlus 12R some gaming-focused consideration. There’s a big vapour chamber protecting issues cool, which implies that you’ll get robust sustained efficiency. In the 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test, which simulates high-end gaming efficiency over a sustained 20 minute interval, the OnePlus 12R maintained its stage in addition to a devoted gaming telephone just like the Red Magic 9 Pro.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Away from uncooked efficiency, the OnePlus 12R is a well-equipped telephone. The sole mannequin out there within the UK comes with 256GB of UFS 3.1 reminiscence, whereas another areas solely get a 128GB mannequin. Elsewhere, there’s help for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3.
OnePlus 12R Benchmarks
Our common suite of benchmark outcomes suggests a slight edge for the OnePlus 12R over the OnePlus 11, however that may seemingly be put right down to the show being much less pixel-packed.
That may additionally clarify why the 12R falls behind a telephone just like the Galaxy S23 on such ‘on display’ checks, because the latter pairs the identical chip with a much less demanding FHD+ show. All in all, I believe the OnePlus 12R strikes a pleasant stability.
Cameras
Same robust essential sensor as OnePlus 11
Decent leads to all lighting
No Hasselblad enhancements
OnePlus has introduced the identical essential 50Mp Sony IMX890 sensor throughout from the OnePlus 11. This is a decent-sized 1/1.56-inch sensor that has change into an occasional decide for flagship telephones that need to get flagship-approximating photographic outcomes when the funds is stretched, or when the producer’s priorities lie elsewhere like with the Asus ROG Phone 8.
Backed by OIS, the OnePlus 12R is ready to seize good pictures in respectable lighting, and completely satisfactory pictures even in lesser lighting situations. The daylight pictures that I captured have been moderately pure, packing an appropriate quantity of element and color depth.
Despite the shared elements, nonetheless, it’s not fairly the match for the OnePlus 11’s essential digital camera. There’s none of digital camera accomplice Hasselblad’s enhancements on board right here, which means you don’t get the corporate’s punchy color science, its pleasing digital camera UI, or its customized taking pictures modes.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
More consequential than this can be a downgrade in the remainder of the digital camera set-up. There isn’t any telephoto digital camera this time round, which means any zoomed-in pictures will probably be crops from that succesful essential sensor. To this finish, I discovered that 2x pictures seemed fairly good, however that the noise actually began to encroach at 5x.
Out too goes the OnePlus 11’s 48Mp ultra-wide digital camera, in favour of a extra humble 8Mp unit. It broadly captures the tone of the primary sensor (although it’s maybe a tad cooler), however clearly suffers by comparability in terms of element and dynamic vary.
There’s additionally a 2MP macro digital camera right here, but it surely’s undeserving of something greater than an compulsory point out. It’s a bit disappointing to see OnePlus resort to this space-filling, box-ticking element, to be trustworthy.
There’s a 16MP entrance digital camera that captures satisfactory selfies, although I discovered my pores and skin tones to be slightly smudgey and missing in texture, even with none of the standard freaky pores and skin tone-enhancing modes lively.
If you need extra spectacular digital camera expertise, then I recommend choosing the dearer OnePlus 12.
…it’s not fairly the match for the OnePlus 11’s essential digital camera
Battery Life & Charging
5500mAh battery for two-day energy
100W quick charging
No wi-fi charging
Right up there alongside its beautiful show, by far the OnePlus 12R’s standout function is its stellar battery life.
With a larger-than-usual 5500mAh cell and a few robust optimisation work from OnePlus (and perhaps additionally Oppo, which provides the bottom software program), I discovered that I used to be routinely capable of get via two full days of average utilization on a single cost.
If you need some numbers to go together with that, I used to be capable of take the telephone off cost at simply after 8am, run via two full working days with a mixed 8 hours of display on time, and nonetheless be left with 20% within the tank at gone midnight on the finish of the second day.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
To be clear, this was with each the decision and refresh fee set to High. If each have been set to regular, you’ll have the ability to anticipate much more life out of a single cost.
Talking of charging, OnePlus has bundled in a 100W wired charger, similar to with the OnePlus 11. In my expertise, this was adequate to get the telephone from empty to full in simply 27 minutes.
Sadly, OnePlus has additionally introduced the OnePlus 11’s wi-fi charging provision throughout. That is to say, there isn’t any such factor. You’ll must splash out for the OnePlus 12 if this can be a significantly vital function for you. There’s at all times the Pixel 8 should you don’t need to spend the additional cash on a totally wi-fi telephone.
…the OnePlus 12R’s standout function is its stellar battery life
Software & Apps
Android 14
OxygenOS 14.0
Four years of Android updates
The OnePlus 12R provides Android 14 straight out of the field, however the days of the model’s modern ‘stock-on-steroids’ customized UI have sadly handed. What you’re getting now could be primarily a tweaked model of father or mother firm Oppo’s ColorOS.
Disappointment apart, OxygenOS 14.0 isn’t a foul expertise by any means. It’s purposeful, quick sufficient, and customisable. It simply isn’t as sharp or slick as Google’s inventory software program, nor these customized UIs that stick nearer to it (see Motorola, Asus, and Sony for particulars).
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Jon Mundy / Foundry
The fashionable OnePlus/Oppo strategy entails huge, vibrant icons and toggles, with a barely charmless (however once more completely purposeful) drag-down notification pane.
On the constructive aspect, the Settings menu isn’t fairly the labyrinth of rival efforts from Samsung and Xiaomi, and Oppo’s promise of 4 years of software program updates is respectable. Or not less than, it will have been in earlier years.
Google and Samsung has considerably spoiled issues for different producers with their seven-year guarantees. Still, most individuals most likely received’t have their telephones for longer than a couple of years, whether or not via common put on and tear or as a result of they’re on an inclusive contract.
Price & Availability
The OnePlus 12R is obtainable now. When shopping for outright, right here’s how a lot it value at launch:
Here’s the costs for the telephone:
8GB/128GB – $499 (not out there within the UK and Europe)
16GB/256GB – $599/£649/€699
You can purchase the telephone from OnePlus or Amazon within the US and OnePlus or Amazon within the UK. No retailers and carriers are promoting it contract, so that you’ll have to purchase outright and pair with a SIM-only deal.
Those within the US can get an actual steal with the OnePlus 12R, with the telephone ranging from simply $499. That’s a whopping $300 cheaper than the OnePlus 12, and $200 cheaper than the Pixel 8, which provides a superior digital camera and software program expertise, in addition to wi-fi charging and IP68 certification, however an inferior show and battery life.
In the UK, the one model you should purchase is the 16GB model. That’s £80 cheaper than the equally specced OnePlus 11 from 2023, and £200 cheaper than the OnePlus 12 that launched alongside it.
The OnePlus 11 has additionally come down in value because it first launched, making this one other various – although it’s nonetheless dearer than the 12R. You can try extra choices in our round-ups of the most effective smartphones in addition to finest mid-range telephones.
Should you purchase the OnePlus 12R?
If the OnePlus 12R feels in any respect acquainted, that’s as a result of it carefully resembles the OnePlus 11. It’s bought a really acquainted design, the very same processor, and the exact same essential digital camera.
However, the 12R’s show – whereas technically a slight step again in sharpness – provides a fabulously vibrant and colour-accurate image. The new telephone’s battery life, in the meantime, is straight out of the highest drawer.
There’s nonetheless no room for wi-fi charging or true waterproofing, which is a disgrace, and the digital camera system isn’t essentially the most versatile in the marketplace. If these issues matter to you, there’s a OnePlus 12 on the market with the entire mandatory bells and whistles, albeit at the next value.
While it’s simple to really feel underwhelmed with the OnePlus 12R and its combination of reheated and made-to-order parts, there’s no denying it provides a compelling flagship-ish expertise that undercuts many rivals – particularly within the US.
Specs
Android 14 with OxygenOS 14
6.68in, 1.5K, OLED, 120Hz, curved show
In-display fingerprint sensor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
16GB LPDDR5X RAM
256GB UFS 3.1 storage
50Mp, f/1.8 essential digital camera
8Mp ultra-wide digital camera
2Mp macro digital camera
Up to 4K @ 60fps rear video
16Mp front-facing digital camera
Stereo audio system
Dual-SIM
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be
Bluetooth 5.3
5500mAh battery
100W charging
163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8 mm
207g
Launch colors: Iron Gray, Cool Blue
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