OnePlus 12R Review: The Budget-Friendly Flagship Phone!

Some companies release their series at a high price, while OnePlus releases their series at both budget-friendly and high prices. In my opinion, it is a good things, that different kinds of people can purchase flagship phones at both budget-friendly and high prices. This time, the same thing happened. In the OnePlus 12 series, they launched the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R.

Today, I will review the OnePlus 12R for those who are looking for a budget-friendly flagship phone. By reading through this article, you will gain proper knowledge about the OnePlus 12R. Here, I am going to share my user experience, and at the end, I will tell my opinion on which category of people this phone will be best suited for, and more. If you have any questions in your mind, I hope by reading through this article you will find your answers. You will also learn about my user experience and the phone in detail.

So, let’s delve into the OnePlus 12R Review.

Design & Build Quality

The interesting thing is that most companies didn’t change their design much. From the past series to the present series, they made only a few changes in their design. This way, people can easily identify from a distance that they are using a OnePlus phone. Not only OnePlus, but also other brands and companies are doing the same with their designs. So, in the design section, there weren’t many changes. Overall, it carries the previous series’ design.

In the Build Quality section, there are some changes. Last time, they used a Plastic frame, which has been replaced this time with an Aluminum frame. This is good for a premium feel when touched. In my first impression, when I first touched the phone, the premium feel I got was satisfying enough. The back panel of the OnePlus 12R is slightly curved at the edges to provide durability when holding it in hand for a long time. In my experience, the slightly curved back panel made it easy to hold for a long time, and I used it without any trouble. For glass protection, they are providing Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which offers durability for scratch-free use and protection.

Compared to the past variant, the OnePlus 11R, the weight of the OnePlus 12R has increased by 3g. With a weight of 207g, the phone didn’t feel much heavier. At this weight, I used the phone for a long time in my daily drive and work without facing any major issues.

Just like the OnePlus 12, it also has an IR Blaster. With this, you can use your phone as a remote for your TV or Air Conditioner, meaning the phone is not just a phone anymore, but also a remote.

It also provides an IP64 water and dust resistance rating, which is good for use in light rain and dusty environments. With this rating, your phone will be dust-free and will handle light water exposure.

Display

In my opinion, the display we’re getting at this price is top-notch. Some reviewers have said the same also. This time, we can see an upgrade in the display section. The OnePlus 12R features a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with a 1.5K resolution (2780 × 1264 pixels). It supports a 120Hz LTPO 4.0 refresh rate, allowing for smooth transitions and adaptive refresh rates between 1Hz and 120Hz, improving battery efficiency. This makes it easy and hassle-free for my daily and heavy usage. The performance I experienced while using it at this price is good enough.

OnePlus 12R showing the initial video playback screen

OnePlus 12R showing vibrant colors with high brightness during video playback

The display also boasts HDR10+ and a peak brightness of 4,500 nits, making it exceptionally bright even in outdoor conditions. With 10-bit color depth, it delivers vibrant colors and deep contrasts, enhancing the overall viewing experience while streaming YouTube or Netflix videos. When I was streaming 4K videos on YouTube, I had the best experience, and it was very satisfying. The 10-bit color didn’t give me any trouble while watching videos; I enjoyed well-balanced colors and contrasts. Also, the flat display makes it more enjoyable while watching videos.

OnePlus 12R unlocking process using the in-display fingerprint sensor

OnePlus 12R successfully unlocked with the in-display fingerprint sensor

In the last series, the fingerprint position was slightly lower on the screen, but this time, it has been upgraded a little higher. The position is perfect, and everyone can unlock their phone easily. Though the fingerprint sensor works fast and smoothly, you won’t get the same haptic feedback as the OnePlus 12 provides. On the contrary, you will get the same live wallpaper feature as the OnePlus 12. In my daily use, the fingerprint position was perfect for me to unlock every time. The live wallpaper makes it more enjoyable to unlock the phone.

However, I didn’t feel the same haptic feedback that I felt while unlocking the OnePlus 12, which I already mentioned. Overall, the fingerprint position and sensor were good enough and its respond was fast and also it was unlocked smoothly.

Camera

Though OnePlus’ performance can compare with high-value flagship phones, But at the camera section, it didn’t match. Let’s see this time what new improvements have been made in the camera section.

The OnePlus 12R has a triple camera setup: a 50 MP primary camera, an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2 MP macro lens.

OnePlus 12R Photos

OnePlus 12R camera real Life photography.

After taking photos and experiencing the camera, I would say that this time the photos are good but not the best. At this price, many phones provide better cameras than the OnePlus 12R. As I mentioned before, OnePlus’ performance can compare with high-value flagship phones, but it can’t match in terms of camera quality. The photos’ color, contrast, sharpness and subject detailed are good but best. Sometimes, it blurs the background too much and even the hair. The OnePlus 12R will be best for performance, but if you’re also looking for better camera quality, then you can go for the OnePlus 12. The OnePlus 12 has a telephoto lens, and its camera is much better than the OnePlus 12R.

For video recording, the primary camera supports 4K at 30/60fps, 1080p at 30/60/120/240fps, and the front camera provides 1080p at 30fps. From my experience, the video quality is good but could be better.

Hardware & Performance

The OnePlus 12R is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which was last year’s flagship processor. Despite not using the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, this chip still delivers top-tier performance, handling heavy tasks and gaming with ease. Also, it comes with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, ensuring fast multitasking and app loading speeds. The base model starts at 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, while the higher variant offers 16GB RAM + 256GB storage.

OnePlus 12 Checking Performance by playing PUBG Games. Gaming Experience

OnePlus 12 Checking Performance by playing Car Games. Gaming Experience

OnePlus 12 Checking Performance by playing Fitting Games. Gaming Experience

I will say the gaming experience I got from this phone is top-notch. For its Adreno 740 GPU, the OnePlus 12R provides excellent gaming performance. I played many games on this phone, from BGMI to Call of Duty Mobile, at high frame rates. Every time, it was providing a very satisfying performance. Overall, it didn’t give me any chance to complain about its performance, and you won’t get either while using. At this price, the performance I got from gaming and in my regular uses to heavy uses, in my opinion, in performance it can easily compare with a high-value flagship phone. It will be the best choice for gaming if you’re looking for a gaming phone.

Software

The OnePlus 12R runs on OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14. The experience I got while using it was impressive. The RAM management was very good, and every time I used it, I got a smooth, clean, and fast user experience. The app animation while opening the app was good enough. Overall, it runs smoothly in multitasking, heavy usage, and gaming. It provided me with the best user experience at this price.

For software updates, OnePlus has promised 3 years of major Android updates and 4 years of security updates for the OnePlus 12R.

Battery Life & Charging

The battery capacity they are providing at this price range is the best. They are providing a 5500mAh battery with the OnePlus 12R. Battery life is excellent—you can easily get a full day or more on a single charge, even with heavy usage. If you’re just using it for casual browsing, social media, and calls, it could last up to 1.5 to 2 days.

Charging is another strong point. The 100W SUPERVOOC fast charging can take the phone from 0 to 100% in about 26 minutes, which means if I’m in a hurry and forget to charge my phone, in a short time, I will get hours of battery backup.

However, they are not providing a wireless charging system with the 12R, which is a negative side of the charging system. Overall, the wired charging system and the battery backup are much satisfying to use in daily life for a long time.

Verdict

OnePlus 12R will be the best phone for only some categories of people, and it will not be worth buying for some categories of people. Here’s why:

If you’re looking for a phone that will have a good battery backup, best performance at a mid-range price, and are not interested in the camera section and also don’t bother whether it has a wireless charging system or not, then at this kind of price, the phone is definitely worth buying.

On the contrary, if you are those category of people who want performance, camera, and enjoy the wireless charging feature, then this phone is not worth it for you. Rather, you can go on with the OnePlus 12 by adding a little bit of money.

Overall, the OnePlus 12R is the best phone for performance, but it will not satisfy those people who also want a camera because the OnePlus 12R’s camera is not good enough. At this price, you can have a better camera and also performance.

In my opinion, the OnePlus 12R will be the best flagship phone for some categories of people. But if you’re not in that category, then you should go on with the OnePlus 12 by adding some money. On the other hand, if the OnePlus 12R vibe matches you, then you should definitely go on with the OnePlus 12R. It will not be a waste of money. Rather, you will have the best budget-friendly flagship phone.

And here my OnePlus 12R review ends. Let me know which one you have decided for your daily use journey—OnePlus 12, or are you definitely going with the OnePlus 12R? I hope my article will help you to make your decision.

Have a great day! Goodbye!