Newsletter
The OnePlus 12 launched on December 5, 2013. That is the phone’s initial launch in the company’s homeland, China. The global launch will follow in January 2024, after which we’ll update the article with relevant information. That being said, OnePlus once again launched only one device, though two are rumored to arrive globally. The phone in question is actually quite powerful, and it does resemble the OnePlus 11 that arrived at the beginning of this year. It does bring a number of improvements in comparison, across the board. A much brighter display is used here, with a more powerful processor, and more powerful cameras. Wireless charging made a comeback with this phone, after skipping the OnePlus 11, and so on. There’s plenty to talk about here, so let’s get to it, starting with the specifications.
OnePlus 12 specs
The OnePlus 12 features a 6.82-inch QHD+ (3168 x 1440) AMOLED display. That panel is curved, and it has a centered display camera hole. We’re looking at an LTPO AMOLED display here with an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). Its max brightness is 4,500 nits, and high-frequency 2,160Hz PWM dimming is also a part of the package. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects this display. The screen-to-body ratio here is also quite high at 93.5%.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 fuels this handset, Qualomm’s most powerful chip. OnePlus offers 12GB, 16GB, and 24GB LPDDR5X RAM variants of the phone. 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage flavors are available. A 5,400mAh battery is included in the package, along with 100W wired charging. 50W wireless charging is also on offer, and the same goes for 10W reverse wireless charging. Do note that a 100W charger is a part of the package too.
A 50-megapixel main camera (Sony LYT-808 sensor) sits on the back, with a wide-angle lens. A 64-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (OmniVision’s OV64B camera, 3x optical zoom, 6x in-sensor zoom) is also included, as is a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (Sony’s IMX581 sensor, 114-degree FoV). A 32-megapixel selfie camera sits on the phone as well. Android 14 comes pre-installed here with OxygenOS 14 on top of it.
OnePlus also included advanced cooling here, with a larger vapor chamber. The phone is IP54 certified for water and dust resistance, while it supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. OnePlus also included USB 3.2 Gen 1 here, and a new vibration motor. The OnePlus 12 measures 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.15mm, while it weighs 220 grams.
How much does the OnePlus 12 cost?
The OnePlus 12 launched in China only for now, so that’s the only pricing structure that we have at the moment. The OnePlus 12 is available in four different configurations in China. The most affordable model includes 12GB of RAM + 256GB of storage. The next model in line has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while the one after that includes 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The most expensive model includes 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. All models have LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage.
Those four different models are priced at CNY4,299 ($607), CNY4,799 ($677), CNY5,299 ($748), and CNY5,799 ($819). Do note that the 24GB RAM variant likely won’t make it to global markets, and it’s quite possible that OnePlus will stick with a 16GB RAM model only. We’ll see. Also, the pricing of the OnePlus 12 will be considerably higher outside of China.
Where can I buy the OnePlus 12?
The phone is currently available to purchase in China only.
What carriers does it work on?
Considering that it’s currently available in China only, it’s made to work with Chinese carriers.
What colors does the OnePlus 12 come in?
The OnePlus 12 was announced in three color variants, black, green, and white. The black variant combines a black frame with a black backplate. The green model has a green frame and a green backplate, though its backplate has a rather interesting pattern on it. The white model has a metallic silver frame and a white backplate, which is also the only model that has a glossy backplate. All three variants combine metal and glass, by the way, and the colors of their camera modules on the back are in line with the smartphone colors. We don’t know if all three variants will be offered globally.
What new upgrades does the OnePlus 12 have over the OnePlus 11?
The OnePlus 11 was, and still is, a great smartphone. There’s no denying that. However, the OnePlus 12 is better in a number of ways, at least on paper. OnePlus decided to cut corners with the OnePlus 11, to a degree, when it omitted wireless charging, for example. The same did not happen with the OnePlus 12. It really does feel like the company went all out this time around, and the OnePlus 12 is stacked with top-of-the-line specs and features. Let’s see what are the improvements here, shall we?
Much brighter display
The OnePlus 12 comes with an LTPO AMOLED display like its predecessor, but this one has one major advantage. It is much, much brighter. The OnePlus 11’s brightness peaked at 1,300 nits, while the OnePlus 12 goes all the way up to 4,500 nits. Realistically, that is a level of brightness that you’ll never reach, but the point is, this display gets super bright. It gets more than bright enough for usage in direct sunlight, and at the time of the announcement, that was the brightest display in any smartphone. It does have an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz), high-frequency PWM dimming (which Samsung, Google, and Apple lack), and more.
More powerful SoC
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 comes included in the OnePlus 12. That is Qualcomm’s most powerful chip to date. That chip is more powerful than its predecessor, and allegedly also 20% more efficient, at least based on benchmarks and what OnePlus said. It seems to be heating up a bit more, but that’s what OnePlus’ advanced cooling is here for, so that realistically should not be an issue. The point is, the company used basically the best SoC it could get its hands on.
Wireless charging
Unlike the OnePlus 11, the OnePlus 12 does support wireless charging. In fact, it supports 50W wireless charging, just like the OnePlus 10 Pro did. That wireless charging is still faster than what most of the competitors offer. It’s a far cry from what Apple, Google, and Samsung have to offer. On top of that wireless charging, the OnePlus 12 can also be recharged via 100W wired charging, which is another plus, not to mention that a charger is included in the box.
Reverse wireless charging
For those of you who are wondering, yes, reverse wireless charging is included too. That’s another feature that is making a comeback, after being omitted with the OnePlus 11. The OnePlus 12 supports 10W reverse wireless charging, which is plenty for charging up your wireless earbuds, smartwatch, or something similar. Most people seem to be using it to recharge their truly wireless earbuds, though.
More compelling camera setup with a periscope telephoto lens
The OnePlus 12 basically picked up its camera setup from the OnePlus Open. The phone has an immensely capable LYT-808 main camera, which is backed by a periscope telephoto camera from OmniVision. That periscope camera is, in addition to the main camera, a true upgrade over the OnePlus 11, which offered 2x optical zoom. This camera offers 3x optical zoom, and 6x in-sensor zoom. Those 6x shots are actually really good, if the OnePlus Open is any indication. The ultrawide camera is nothing to write home about, but it proved itself in the past. It’s a really compelling camera setup as a whole.
Faster storage across the board
The OnePlus 11 did offer UFS 4.0 flash storage too, but not in all models. The phone with 128GB storage had UFS 3.1 storage, while the other models offered UFS 4.0. Well, there’s no such division here. All variants of the OnePlus 12 offer UFS 4.0 flash storage. On top of that, all of them offer LPDDR5X too, in case you were wondering. So you won’t get an inferior phone just for getting less RAM or storage.
Advanced cooling system
OnePlus is using an advanced cooling system inside the OnePlus 12. OnePlus is using a big vapor chamber and a dual-cycle heat dissipation structure inside the OnePlus 12. That is way more advanced than most of its competitors are using. It should help keep the phone at a good temperature at all times, even when you want the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to show its muscles in a demanding game or something.
New vibration motor
On top of everything else I’ve listed here, the OnePlus 12 also comes with a new vibration motor. OnePlus wanted to improve the haptics inside the OnePlus 12, and this should definitely help with that. OnePlus is using a new ‘N54 magnetic material’ here, and it remains to be seen how good it actually feels to use.
What cases are available for the OnePlus 12?
We still don’t have any information about the cases for the phone. We may have to wait until the global variant launches.
Should I buy the OnePlus 12?
Is the OnePlus 12 the right phone for you? Well, it’s difficult to say at this point, as the global variant didn’t launch just yet, so we didn’t get a chance to play around with it just yet. We will circle back to this after we get to use the device. However, based on what OnePlus shared, there are a number of considerable improvements here. Many people wanted wireless charging, well, it has it, and it’s fast. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 heating concerns have been shared by some people. OnePlus has a handle on that thanks to its advanced cooling. You didn’t find the haptics to be good enough in the OnePlus 11, or the camera? Well… you get where I’m going with this. It remains to be seen how well all that works in practice, though.