After arriving in China last December, the OnePlus 12 range is finally available. This year’s release also marks a milestone – ten years since OnePlus launched its very first phone.
With a high-end build, the latest flagship processor and an impressively bright screen, the OnePlus 12 is one of the best smartphones you can buy.
There’s also the OnePlus 12R, a more performance-focused and affordable smartphone. Here’s everything you need to know about both handsets.
When was the OnePlus 12 released?
After an initial Chinese announcement, the OnePlus 12 launched globally on 23 January 2024, and went on sale on 6 February 2024.
It’s now available to buy for $799.99/£849 directly from OnePlus or via Amazon US and Amazon UK, where there are sometimes discounts on offer.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
For the first time, a OnePlus R series phone is available outside China and India.
The OnePlus 12R was unveiled alongside the OnePlus 12 on 23 January. It’s now available to buy, having been released on 13 February 2024.
It’s available $499.99/£649 from OnePlus, but also via Amazon US and Amazon UK.
However, there won’t be a OnePlus 12 Pro anywhere. OnePlus confirmed to Android Authority in 2023 that the Pro line has ended permanently.
How much does the OnePlus 12 cost?
Here’s how much the OnePlus 12 costs:
- 12GB/256GB – $799/£849
- 16GB/512GB – $899/£999
That’s a $100/£120 increase on last year’s flagship, the OnePlus 11. However, this phone does have better specs, and there’s also inflation to consider.
What specs and features does the OnePlus 12 have?
The OnePlus 12 is the main focus of this article, but we’ll also be covering the more affordable OnePlus 12R, considering it’s also coming to the UK and US. But let’s start with the main phone.
OnePlus 12
The OnePlus 12 comes in two colours: Flowy Emerald and Silky Black. The latter looks nearly identical to the OnePlus 11, but the green variant is a bold colour that truly stands out from the crowd. The phone has a textured back, though there is some variation depending on the colour you choose.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
One major design change is the traditional alert slider moving from the right to left side. This is apparently a significant change, with OnePlus stating that it allows the antenna to be optimally placed and so benefits performance. According to the company, it delivers a 3dB improvement to signal strength and a 15% reduction in gaming latency.
Talking of performance, the OnePlus 12 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Qualcomm’s most powerful phone chipset. You have options to pair it with 12- or 16GB of RAM, which is paired with either 128- or 256GB of internal storage. Sadly, there is no support for expandable storage.
OnePlus has also shared this OnePlus 12 video on its YouTube channel:
There’s also some upgrades to the display. The first is the size of the panel, which is now 6.82-inches rather than 6.7-inches. That gives it a slightly higher 1440 x 3168 resolution, though it’s still a 120Hz AMOLED with LTPO tech to automatically adjust all the way down to 1Hz.
The OnePlus 12 also has an industry-leading 4500nits of peak brightness, making it bold and colourful for watching videos on.
The variable refresh rate will help conserve battery life, though the larger 5400mAh capacity (as opposed to 5000mAh) is also welcome. The 100W wired charging is retained, but it’s also now joined by wireless charging (at 50W).
Then there are the cameras. The main rear lens is still 50Mp, but it’s now an f/1.6 sensor, and joined by an upgraded 64Mp, f/2.6 telephoto and subtly tweaked 48Mp ultrawide lens.
If sample shots that have already been shared online are anything to go by, it looks like being a very good camera phone:
There are also upgrades to the selfie lens, with its megapixel count doubled to 32Mp and a slightly different f/2.4 focal length.
On the software side, the OnePlus 12 will ship running OnePlus’ OxygenOS 14 skin over Android 14.
Support matches the OnePlus 11 with four years of Android version updates and five years of security updates. That takes it through to Android 18 and 2028.
OnePlus 12R
Positioned as a more budget-friendly yet still feature-rich alternative to the recently launched OnePlus 12, the OnePlus 12R shares a lot of similarities with its flagship sibling.
Here’s a look at the two colour variants of the 12R:
Real-life photos of the OnePlus 12R from a launch event which Tech Advisor attended show a striking resemblance with the regular OnePlus 12, including the distinctive camera module.
It’s set to be launched in two colour options: a glossy ‘Cool Blue’ and a matt ‘Iron Gray’. Both colourways come with a matte metal frame, while the alert slider has been repositioned to the left side of the phone.
The OnePlus 12R will feature a fourth-generation LTPO 120Hz ProXDR display. This advanced LTPO technology allows the screen to dynamically adjust its refresh rate even faster and more intelligently than before, with new options like 90Hz and 72Hz.
The OnePlus 12R will also boast the largest battery ever seen in a OnePlus phone, with a capacity of 5,500mAh. Additionally, the device will supposedly feature 100W fast charging and incorporate OnePlus’ Battery Health Engine technology.
The 12R is fitted with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. Whilst this is no longer Qualcomm’s latest and greatest, it remains a very capable 5G chipset. This is paired with 16GB RAM and 256GB worth of storage.
The camera array is led by a main 50Mp Sony IMX890, which is a downgrade compared to the flagship OnePlus 12 – but that is to be expected. Software will be the same though, with OnePlus’ OxygenOS 14 skin over Android 14.
You can also check out our top picks of the best Android phones and best OnePlus phones to see what else is out there.