After the success of the 11 5G in 2023, OnePlus is ready to beef up its phone lineup with two successors, the flagship OnePlus 12 and the more budget-friendly 12R.
OnePlus has yet to release pricing information for either model, but it’s safe to speculate that the 12R will be less expensive than its more powerful sibling based on the specs. We don't have a release date for the devices either, though we expect them to hit US shelves soon.
We got the chance to spend some time with both phones ahead of their announcement and have some first impressions to share. We weren't able to turn them on, however, so you'll have to check back in for our upcoming reviews to get the full details.
OnePlus 12: The New Flagship
The OnePlus 12 is one of the first few phones to ship with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 system-on-a-chip (SoC) and it packs up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. OnePlus brought back fast wireless charging, a feature that was missing from last year’s phone. The OnePlus 12 can charge wirelessly at 50W using the company’s proprietary technology, or roughly three times as fast as the iPhone 15 Pro (15W). You can also charge the 5,400mAh battery via OnePlus’ wired charger at 100W, nearly four times as fast as what we measured for the iPhone 15 Pro Max (27W).
(Credit: Sarah Lord)You can get the OnePlus 12 in two colors: Silky Black or Flowy Emerald. We received the Flowy Emerald (green) model and were impressed by both its color and design. A curved 6.82-inch display wraps around the edges of the device and molds seamlessly into the aluminum frame. Meanwhile, the back has subtle striations in its pattern, giving it a stone-like quality. This effect is particularly appealing on the round camera module that protrudes slightly from the upper left corner. The space between the lenses is the same color as the back, but the glass covering makes the green finish shine.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)OnePlus’ camera partnership with Hasselblad remains in place and you can see the latter’s branding on the rear camera. This latest model's camera stack is similar to that of the OnePlus 11 but gets some internal improvements. The highlight is a 50MP Sony sensor with an aperture of f/1.6, which OnePlus says is great for low-light environments. Rounding out the camera stack are a 64MP telephoto camera with a half-inch sensor and 3x optical zoom and a 48MP ultra-wide shooter for broader shots.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)A SIM card slot, a USB-C port, and two speaker grilles sit on the bottom edge of the device. A small power button and a longer volume rocker are on the right side; both feel good and make a satisfying clicking sound. The left simply has a small, moveable ringer/silencing switch that operates smoothly. Finally, on the top, we see a small mic cutout to the left, next to another speaker.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)We weren’t able to view the screen in action, but a small round lens for the 32MP selfie camera is visible near the top of it. As for the specs, it's a ProXDR display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 525-pixel-per-inch (ppi) density, and Dolby Vision support. The panel offers 900 nits of typical brightness and up to 4,500 nits of peak brightness. We look forward to evaluating the display’s quality in our full review.
OnePlus 12R: Sensible Compromises
The OnePlus 12R doesn’t quite match the impressive power of the OnePlus 12, but it should still appeal to plenty of people based on its still-solid specs, classy design, and lower price.
To help reduce costs, the OnePlus 12R goes with the slightly older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. You can configure the phone with up to 16GB of RAM, but storage tops out at 256GB. You also don't get wireless charging with this model, though its slightly larger battery (5,500 mAh) still supports fast wired charging at 100W.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The phone comes in either Cool Blue (the variant we received) or Iron Gray. From the outside, the 12R looks almost identical to the 12, with an edge-to-edge display, aluminum frame, and colorful finish. The blue is light and looks almost metallic depending on the lighting. The back is glossy and incredibly slippery, so you’ll need to spring for a case.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The blue accent on the camera cutout looks especially lovely, as the glass casing adds an eye-catching shine. The imaging tech is not as impressive as that of the OnePlus 12, however. This handset comes with a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, a 2MP macro camera, and an 8MP ultra-wide camera.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The phone’s housing includes the same set of ports and controls as the OnePlus 12, including the USB-C connector, the speaker and microphone setup, the clicky power and volume rocker buttons, and the ringer switch.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)One final difference between the 12 and 12R is that the latter comes with a slightly smaller, 6.78-inch display with a density of 450ppi. However, it offers the same ProXDR technology, 120Hz refresh rate, brightness levels, and Dolby Vision support as its sibling.
We plan to publish full reviews of both phones in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, be sure to check out our list of the best phones you can get right now.