Last month OnePlus launched the next generation of flagship smartphones in the country. OnePlus 12 5G and OnePlus 12R 5G were announced during a ‘Smooth Beyond Belief’ event in New Delhi. While the OnePlus 12 5G is a premium flagship offering, the 12R 5G offers a top-notch OnePlus experience at a slightly more affordable price. It looks similar to its elder OnePlus 12 sibling and comes with specs like an alert slider, AMOLED panel, 50MP rear camera setup, and more. We have already reviewed the OnePlus12 5G (review) and true to its name it does give a top-notch performance. However, is the OnePlus 12R capable of giving a flagship-level performance at a cheaper price? Read out a review to find out.
OnePlus 12R 5G Review Snapshot
Editor’s rating: 4/5
Design
Display
Software
Performance
Camera
Battery
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Pros
- Excellent AMOLED display
- Reliable Performance
- Large battery
- 100W charging speed
- Clean UI
- Primary camera performance
Cons
- Smudge magnet
- Feels thick in the hand
- Underwhelming thermal performance
- Only 2 promised software updates
- Ultra-wide camera needs improvement
- No Hasselblad association
OnePlus 12R 5G Price & Availability
OnePlus 12R 5G will be available in 2 storage configurations in India-
- 8GB RAM+128GB storage- Rs. 39,999
- 16GB RAM+256GB storage- Rs. 45,999
The India sale will begin tomorrow, February 6 at noon. It comes in Cool Blue and Iron Gray shades.
The launch offers include a 1000 INR discount for ICICI and One Card holders. OnePlus 12R users will get a six-month Google One subscription and a 3-month YouTube premium subscription.
OnePlus 12R 5G Review: Design and Build
OnePlus 12R 5G follows a design language that is similar to the OnePlus 12 5G however, there are tiny differences as well. The phone has a metal frame with a curved back as well as a front. There are slim bezels around the display at the front while the back panel features a circular camera module and the OnePlus logo. The back panel is glossy and smooth and the camera module is even glossier. It looks inspired from a watch design and there are 4 camera cutouts inside the module, out of which 3 are sensors.
The device is available in 2 shades- Cool Blue and Iron Gray. I received the Blue model for review and though it looks beautiful when held in hand, its biggest downside is that the back panel attracts smudges a lot. This problem can be solved using the same color protective cover the OnePlus has bundled inside the box.
The Gray model might deal better with fingerprints as it has a matte finish. OnePlus 12R has an aluminium build which makes it lightweight but when held in hand, the device feels thick. With the cover put on, it feels even thicker. This can be because it is 8.80mm thick. Although its weight is also 207 grams OnePlus 12R never felt bulky.
The right edge houses the volume rocker and power button while the left edge has the iconic Alert Slider. The bottom edge includes the SIM tray, USB-C port, and speaker grille while the top edge has an IR blaster, secondary microphone, and a speaker. The device is IP64 for protection against water and dust.
All in all, apart from thickness and smudge magnetism, the OnePlus 12R has a decent design.
OnePlus 12R 5G Review: Display
The display on the OnePlus 12R is slightly smaller than the OnePlus 12. While the flagship has a 6.82-inch panel, the OnePlus 12R has a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The refresh rate keeps adapting itself according to tasks being run on the screen but when it is 120Hz, the scrolling experience is buttery smooth.
The display has slim bezels around it and the visuals on the display are vibrant and detailed. Every color is well differentiated from the other and the dynamic range is decent. Viewing angles are good and since it is a premium-grade display, the videos with 2160p resolution are also well supported on this one.
OnePlus claims that the display supports 4500 nits peak brightness while HDR content can get up to 1600 nits brightness. The effect of high brightness levels can be felt while using the device outdoors. Even under direct sunlight, the screen was legible and easy to work on, unlike many other devices.
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Also, the OnePlus 12R has a wet-touch capability for its display. I tested it by using the device when it was slightly wet and it worked fine. This means the display was responsive even when it got wet. Moreover, 1.5K resolution, 1000Hz touch sampling rate, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 ensure that there is no room for complaints in terms of display.
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OnePlus 12R 5G Review: Performance
OnePlus 12R 5G is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. It is not the latest and fastest SoC but it is still better than many others in the segment. The chipset offers fast and impressive performance, handling everyday tasks seamlessly as it is paired with up to 16GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. Switching between apps, multitasking, opening, and loading apps, everything is quick on this one. I did not feel any lags or stutters. 512GB onboard storage offers ample space to store anything you want.
In terms of gaming, heavy titles like Genshin Impact and BGMI Mobile run well in high frame rates and HD graphics. I gamed for half an hour and there were no lags or issues during the session. The phone did get warm as the gaming session was going on, which was a bit of an issue. Otherwise, the gaming experience was immersive with an LTPO panel and dual stereo speakers.
In terms of software, OnePlus 12R 5G runs Android 14-based OxygenOS 14 out of the box. The UI is simple, user-friendly, and colorful with various customization options available. The best part is that the OnePlus 12R mostly offers a clean experience with very little bloatware. Even if some apps are pre-installed, you can remove them if not needed. The only drawback is the absence of AI features that are seen on Pixel and Galaxy S24 devices.
OnePlus also offers 2 years of software and 3 years of security updates for the OnePlus 12R 5G. Connectivity options also include NFC for online payments, Bluetooth 5.3, dual-band WiFi 7, IR Blaster, and GPS navigation.
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OnePlus 12R 5G Review: Cameras
The OnePlus 12R 5G has a large circular camera module at the back that looks like a watch dial. It has 4 camera cutouts, out of which 3 have sensors. The module protrudes as well which makes the balance a little wobbly when kept on a flat surface. The smartphone has a 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor with Optical Image Stabilization, an 8MP Ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro sensor.
The 50MP main sensor clicks amazing images in daylight. The colors in the shots are crisp, rich, and vivid. They don’t look over or under-saturated. The images are filled with details that don’t get lost when you zoom in. Shots of moving people or objects are well captured due to image stabilization.
In low light or we can say at night time too, the main camera clicks good photos. The images are accurate with no blurriness or lack of brightness and even the details are well captured in areas where artificial lighting is appropriate.
The 8MP ultrawide sensor captured a good amount of area as it has a FOV of 112 degrees. The landscape shots captured with ultrawide sensors come out to be decent in natural light. Though the details are not as good as the 50MP sensor, they aren’t completely lost too. The pictures do look brighter than usual sometimes, but otherwise, the shades are well captured.
The 2MP macro sensor is just about ok and offers social-media-worthy shots.
Talking about the 16MP selfie sensor takes perfect selfies in daylight. The face of the subject looks natural and the skin tone is close to reality when AI filters are switched off. The focus is kept on the subject in the frame and the background isn’t blurred out but still, it looks secondary. For people like me who don’t like to enhance selfies with filters and effects, the OnePlus 12R selfie camera is impressive as it captures every detail of the face as it is, without jeopardizing what’s natural.
OnePlus 12R 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging
OnePlus 12R packs a large 5500mAh battery under the hood. The large size of the battery ensures an impressive battery life. For moderate users whose usage includes calling, texting, social media browsing, gaming, watching videos, listening to music, and some sort of editing, it easily lasts a day and a half. Even if you are a heavy user with long gaming sessions and hours of creating content, the battery breezes you through the entire day without needing a charge. This makes the device convenient to use when you are away from home and don’t have access to a charging port at all times.
Adding to battery size, OnePlus is also offering 100W wired fast charging capability. It ensures that the device charges from 0 to 100% in less than 30 minutes. For me, it took around 26 minutes to charge the device from 0 to 100% using the 100W charger. If you are in a hurry to leave and don’t have much time, you can get 50% battery life in just 10-12 minutes, which is good.
Review Verdict: Should you buy the OnePlus 12R 5G?
The OnePlus 12R 5G is a premium-level offering by OnePlus, that too for a price that is lesser than the OnePlus 12. The OnePlus 12R 5G has an 8 Gen 2 chipset, LTPO AMOLED display, 5500mAh battery, 100W charging, and a Clean UI experience. All these features ensure that the device can function seamlessly as your daily driver. Although the design attracts smudges, feels thick in hand, and has a slightly underwhelming thermal performance, these are slight niggles that can be countered easily. Overall, the OnePlus 12R has most of the top-notch features that make it a smart choice for a price starting at Rs. 39,999. If you want to get the reliability of OnePlus within your budget, you can opt for the OnePlus 12R over its elder sibling which costs 26,000 more.
Reasons to buy
- Reliable performance
- Large battery
- 100W charging speed
- AMOLED display
- Clean UI
- Primary camera
Reasons to not buy
- Smudge magnet
- Feels thick in the hand
- Underwhelming thermal performance
- Only 2 promised software updates
- Ultra-wide camera needs improvement
- No Hasselblad association
