Christine Romero - Chan / Digital Trends
OnePlus is still quite newfangled to me , as I was a lifelongiPhoneuser until I joined Digital Trends . However , OnePlus has a pretty solid reputation in the wandering world , and now I can see why , as theOnePlus 12is one of myfavorite smartphonesthat I ’ve used so far this year .
But the OnePlus 12 is n’t the only earphone that OnePlus launched in 2024 . There is also the more affordable value alternative , the OnePlus 12R , which even comes in a coolGenshin Impact Edition .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
While Joe Maring , Digital Trends ’ Mobile editor in chief , reviewed the OnePlus 12R , I ’ve been using the phone for the preceding week in the first place for the television camera , but for other thing as well . Is it as good as everyone says ?
There’s so much to like about the 12R
I ’m a grown devotee of the OnePlus 12 ’s overall pattern , and the OnePlus 12R is somewhat much identical to it — aside from someminor remainder .
For one , the Al frame on the OnePlus 12R is matte rather than glossy , like on the OnePlus 12 . The other departure is that the OnePlus 12R is a bantam bit smaller than the 12 at 6.78 inch liken to 6.82 inches . But other than that , they see very similar .
That say , I really enjoy the OnePlus 12R ’s pattern , especially the Genshin Impact Edition that I have . OnePlus telephone set have always remain firm out to me among the contest because of their unequaled appearance , and the Genshin Impact Edition , in fussy , is one of the most stunning telephone I ’ve used . It ’s definitely a conversation starter .
Despite being the “ budget - friendly ” choice , the OnePlus 12R really does find like a flagship phone that you’re able to get for a fraction of the cost . The presentation is on par with the OnePlus 12 — everything looks bright and vivid , the text is crisp and sharp , and the scrolling is implausibly smooth thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate .
I ’m also a devotee of how vivid the OnePlus 12R can get — up to 4,500 nits — just like the OnePlus 12 . When you ask to habituate your telephone outdoors in bright sunlight , that ’s a big bonus .
Another strength of the OnePlus 12R is its performance . I ’ve had bad experiences with some budget telephone set before , but the OnePlus 12R has been an out-and-out pipe dream .
The 12R has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 , 16 GB RAM , and 256 GB of storage . The Genshin Impact Edition also has some optimizations made specifically for better mobile play , though I have n’t had a prospect to really quiz that out since I ’m not a big mobile gamer .
Everything I do on the OnePlus 12R is fast and smooth . I have no fuss opening up apps , look on video , multitasking , and more . The telephone keeps up with me without breaking a fret , and I do n’t experience any number of stutter or lag . In fact , it feels on par with the OnePlus 12 in terms of public presentation . Even though it ’s using 2023 ’s flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon chip , it ’s still a beast .
One of the rank best things about the OnePlus 12R is the battery animation . It has a massive 5,500mAh battery within , which is even bigger than the OnePlus 12 ’s 5,400mAh battery . flux that with the power efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 , and this is easily a two - day smartphone .
Once it is eat , it does not take long at all to get it full again since it back up 80 - James Watt wired charging in the U.S. Unfortunately , the OnePlus 12R does not have wireless charging , but when you could plug it in and charge up in around 30 minutes , I do n’t suppose radio receiver charging really matter .
But it’s not perfect
There ’s definitely a fate to love about the OnePlus 12R as a midrange phone . However , it ’s not gross .
One of the military issue I have with the OnePlus 12R is the cameras . issue forth from the OnePlus 12,the OnePlus 12R is a spot unsatisfying . Since the OnePlus 12R does not have the Hasselblad colouration standardisation that the OnePlus 12 does , I found the photograph coloration to be a fleck of a letdown .
I still get decent results , but when you compare an image to a similar one taken with a OnePlus 12 , photo look a bit washed - out and boring with the OnePlus 12R. sour out , Hasselblad does matter . Plus , while the OnePlus 12R has a 50MP chief television camera , the ultrawide lens is only 8MP , and it has a 2MP macro lens of the eye or else of any kind of telephoto camera . It ’s also very tender to any form of movement , so if the matter move even the slight bit , the photo will be blurry . It ’s far from the better choice out there if you in reality care about your photographs .
As much as I be intimate the presentation , I ’m not in love with the curved edge of it , like with the OnePlus 12 . I do like that it makes it feel a bit more “ immersive ” than a plane show , but I ’ve noticed a mickle more accidental touches on the sieve than I ’d like . It ’s not a complete deal breaker , but does get annoying when it happens .
Still an incredible value
Even with those complaints , the OnePlus 12R is an telling piece of kit for just $ 500 .
Like we originally order in our reexamination , it has almost all of the makings of a 2023 flagship phone for just a few hundred buck . The display is beautiful , the performance is fast , and there is plenty of power with up to 16 GB random-access memory and 256 GB storage .
I just wish well that the cameras were a morsel better . Even for a phone this affordable , OnePlus could have done a serious chore on the tv camera front . And though I can deal with minimum accidental touching cause by the curved display edges , I personally would like to see OnePlus go with flatter displays in the future for easiness of use .
I honestly believe the OnePlus 12 is deserving the extra hard cash if you require great photos as a outcome of the Hasselblad partnership . But if you want a swell phone without breaking the bank — and you do n’t mind the shortcoming of the camera — then the OnePlus 12R remains one of the out-and-out best midrange phones you’re able to get right now .
