This year marks the 10th anniversary of OnePlus, and they have put all their efforts into creating their latest phone, the OnePlus 12. As someone who has reviewed many OnePlus phones, I can confidently say that the OnePlus 12 is the best OnePlus phone to buy in the past two years. I'm glad to see OnePlus back in action.
Design
The camera module design on the OnePlus 12 may not be everyone's cup of tea, but personally, I find it unremarkable. When I first laid eyes on the phone, I immediately recognized it as a new OnePlus release.
Some early adopters have reported a gap between the camera module and the back cover on their OnePlus 12. However, we did not encounter this issue with our unit. OnePlus CEO has addressed this concern, stating that it does not affect the phone's waterproofing. Future phones will have this area filled with glue, so it should not be a significant problem.
Speaking of waterproofing, it is disappointing that the OnePlus 12 only supports IP65. As a flagship phone, it would have been preferable for it to have an IP68 rating. This decision is quite perplexing.
Fortunately, IP65 seems to be the only weakness of the OnePlus 12. The fingerprint area is conveniently placed, USB 3.0 makes a comeback, and the alert slider is still present. Additionally, the vibration motor is one of the best among Android phones. Overall, unless you are someone who frequently exposes their phone to water, the OnePlus 12 is an excellent choice.
Display
While the screen on the OnePlus 11 was decent, it was not particularly eye-friendly. The OnePlus 12 addresses this issue and does an excellent job of displaying and protecting your eyes simultaneously. Furthermore, the 4500nit peak brightness is impressive, and the full-screen brightness surpasses that of other phones.
The ability to adjust the color temperature in the Display Setting provides more freedom, and a feature similar to True Tone is also available. The viewing angle of the panel is slightly inferior to TCL's C8 but far superior to the Samsung E6.
As an LTPO screen, the OnePlus 12 offers 2160Hz PWM dimming at low brightness and 360Hz DC-like dimming at high brightness. The black stripes on the OnePlus 12 are noticeably thinner, indicating better flicker control. If you value both display quality and eye protection, the OnePlus 12 is the ideal choice.
Benchmark & Gaming
The OnePlus 12 is powered by the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which is familiar to many of us. It is unnecessary to delve into the details as the scores speak for themselves. It is worth noting that the OnePlus 12 does not seem to prioritize aggressive performance, as it starts downclocking in the fourth minute of the CPU Throttling Test and downclocks twice.
However, in gaming scenarios, the OnePlus 12 will allow you to play continuously for 20 minutes before downclocking, which is normal for non-gaming phones. The frame rate is locked at 50fps, so if you are a dedicated gamer, you may want to consider a dedicated gaming phone for extended gaming sessions.
Camera
All three cameras on the OnePlus 12 are impressive, with none of the sensors being small in size. While they may not have the massive 1-inch sensors found in phones like the X100 Pro, they still capture decent photos.
It is difficult to provide a detailed breakdown of the pros and cons of the OnePlus 12 cameras without a proper comparison. Therefore, we will be creating a video comparing the OnePlus 12 to the realme GT5 Pro. In that video, you will find all the information you need to know about the OnePlus 12 cameras. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Battery & Charging
The wired charging power of the OnePlus 12 remains unchanged at 100W, allowing for a full charge in just 23 minutes. However, the biggest surprise is the addition of wireless charging, which operates at 50W. Furthermore, the OnePlus 12 boasts impressive battery life. Compared to the K70 Pro, which also has a 2K screen, the OnePlus 12's 400mAh larger capacity gives it a significant advantage. Well done, OnePlus.
Conclusion
Upon reflection, the OnePlus 12 stands out as a OnePlus phone with minimal flaws. Apart from the camera design and the IP65 rating, which may not concern many users, it is challenging to find any other faults. Furthermore, its price is relatively affordable compared to other flagship phones.
While I hesitate to dub the OnePlus 12 as the new flagship killer of the year due to the realme GT5 Pro, it remains an incredibly worthwhile phone that is almost perfect. I hope you enjoy OnePlus' 10th-anniversary gift to its fans.
