OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R: Main differences to expect

OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R: Main differences to expect،

Introduction

In a slightly surprising move, OnePlus has launched two flagships in 2023… sort of. While the OnePlus 11 was launched earlier this year, its successor took the plunge prematurely and was unveiled in the Chinese market in early December. Of course, the OnePlus 12 will only hit the global market at the end of January 2024, but the point still stands.

However, the flagship product does not come alone: partnering with OnePlus 12 is the OnePlus 12R, which will be a slightly more affordable device with slightly less impressive specs and a lower price, but still the core OnePlus experience.

How would these two compare and which should you consider? Is the OnePlus 12 the essential choice or could the OnePlus 12R prove to be an improbable surprise? Let's explore!

OnePlus 12 compared to expectations of the OnePlus 12R:

6.8-inch 1440 x 3168-pixel OLED display versus 6.7-inch 1240 x 2772-pixel OLED display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 versus Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset
4,500 nits maximum brightness enabled OnePlus 12lower on OnePlus 12R
50MP+64MP+48MP versus 50MP+8MP+2MP
12/16/24 GB of RAM versus 8/16 GB of RAM
Storage 256/512/1 TB versus 128/256 GB
5,000 mAh battery versus 5,500 mAh

Contents:

Design and size

As elegant as possible

Here's a secret tidbit: It looks like the OnePlus 12R will be the global rebranding of the OnePlus Ace 3, which is expected to arrive on January 4, 2024 and has already been leaked extensively. The specs of this phone and the rumors about the OnePlus 12R's hardware match up perfectly, so it's safe to assume that this could be the case.

Both OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R look very similar, with sleek aluminum and glass sandwiches and rather thin bezels on the front, with punch-hole selfie cameras and imposing rear camera islands. The signature and beloved OnePlus ringer switch is found on both phones.

However, the OnePlus 12R might be slightly smaller than the OnePlus 12. The proper flagship comes with a 6.82-inch OLED display, while the OnePlus 12R is expected to come with a 6.74-inch display, which could result in marginal size differences.

Both devices use the general design language that OnePlus devices have been using for a few years now, and that's completely normal: having a recognizable design language these days is pretty important.

THE OnePlus 12 will be available in White, Rock Black, and Eternal Green, while the OnePlus 12R will apparently launch in Grey, Gold, and Blue colors. Pretty solid selection between the two devices, potentially classy and elegant.

Display differences

As we mentioned, the OnePlus 12 will come with a slightly larger 6.8-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1,440 x 3,168 pixels and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are also part of the package.

That’s not all – the OnePlus 12 The screen will be exceptionally bright, with a peak brightness of 4,500 nits (likely at close to 0% APL). Its peak brightness, with the entire screen on, would reach lower levels, but could still reach a record.

Meanwhile, we don't expect the OnePlus 12R to achieve such brightness; we're actually pretty sure the most affordable phone won't set any brightness records. The 6.74-inch OLED display on this phone will still support a 120Hz refresh rate as well as HDR10+ support.

Both phones are likely to feature in-display fingerprint sensors for the ultimate biometric experience. We would expect that OnePlus 12 to provide the best experience, however.

Performance and software

Qualcomm subscriber

THE OnePlus 12 comes with the latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 generation 3, which is currently the best chipset available for Android phones. Learning from its past mistakes with the OnePlus 11, the company has apparently invested heavily in the phone's thermal management, which should hopefully lead to less slowdown under heavier loads.

Meanwhile, the OnePlus 12R will come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, the best available in 2023. It will remain a very capable chipset that should not be overshadowed by its successor. Additionally, you probably won't notice a major difference in day-to-day performance between the two phones, even gaming and heavier tasks shouldn't put the OnePlus 12R at a disadvantage.

THE OnePlus 12 will come with up to 24GB of RAM in the higher 1TB version, while the lower 256 and 512GB versions will come with 12 and 16GB of RAM respectively. Meanwhile, standard 8/128GB and 16/256GB configurations will be found on the OnePlus 12R.

Camera

Not all triple cameras are equal

OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R: Main differences to expect

Well, it looks like both phones will use triple camera setups, but most of the differences will end there.

THE OnePlus 12 uses the innovative Sony LYT-808 dual-stack 1/1.43-inch sensor with an f/1.6 aperture, which should offer considerably better low-light sensitivity. The ultra-wide camera weighs 48MP. Finally, OnePlus is going back to its roots and getting a 3X 64MP telephoto lens. On the front we have a 32 MP selfie camera.

Meanwhile, the OnePlus 12R will come with a 50 MP main camera with a 1/1.56″ sensor with f/1.8 aperture; it is likely that a regular Sony IMX will be used here. ultra-wide will apparently be an 8 MP camera with an f/ 2.2 lens, while the third camera will likely be a 2 MP macro, unfortunately, on the front we will see a 16 MP selfie camera.

Audio and haptic quality

Much emphasis has been placed on OnePlus 12The “invisible” features of , like audio quality and haptic feedback. It looks like the phone will offer excellent audio quality and exceptional haptic feedback.

We expect the OnePlus 12R to have taken a few shortcuts here and there, with sound that's slightly less impressive and haptic feedback that's not that impressive. We will reserve final judgment for the final comparison.

Battery life and charging

Samesias

The OnePlus 12R could come with a 5,500mAh battery on board, while the OnePlus 12 will rely on a 5,400 mAh unit. Such a small difference probably wouldn't result in significantly better battery life from the OnePlus 12R, even when considering the potential efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 generation 3 against 8 Gen 2.

In terms of charging, it looks like both phones will use super-fast 100W wired charging. We expect 100W chargers to be available in the box for both, and these should fully charge the batteries in no time, probably less than 40 minutes for 0-100%.

No wireless charging support on the OnePlus 12R, but the OnePlus 12 gets 50W fast wireless charging with the company's dedicated wireless charger, sold separately.

Specification Comparison

Specifications	OnePlus 12	OnePlus 12R
Height and weight	164.3 x 75.8 x 9.15mm, 220gr
Display	6.8-inch OLED screen Resolution of 3168 x 1440 pixels LTPO1-120Hz Typical brightness of 1600 nits, local maximum brightness of 4500 nits	6.7-inch OLED screen 2772 x 1240 pixel resolution LTPO HDR10+
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 2nd Gen 4nm	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM, storage and price	12 GB LPDDR5X RAM + 256 GB UFS 4.0 16 GB LPDDR5X + 512 GB UFS 4.0 16 GB LPDDR5X + 1 TB UFS 4.0 24 GB LPDDR5X + 1 TB UFS 4.0	8/128 GB 16/256 GB
Software	Oxygen OS 14.0 (Android 14)	Oxygen OS 14.0 (Android 14)
Cameras	Wide: 50MP LYT-T808 1/1.43 inch f/1.6 Ultra-wide: 48MP Sony IMX581 f/2.2 Telephoto: OmniVision OV64B 3.0X 64MP f/2.6 telephoto lens Front: 32MP f/2.2	Wide: 50MP f/1.8 1/1.56″ Ultra-wide: 8Mp f/2.2 1/4.0″ Macro: 2 MP Front: 16 MP
Battery	5,400mAh	5,500mAh
Charging Speeds	USB-C 100W wired 50W wireless 10W inverted	USB-C 100W wired

Summary

Overall, the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R would probably end up being pretty decent offerings for the ultra-premium and upper-midrange markets, respectively.

While the OnePlus 12 is an unapologetic flagship, the OnePlus 12R's rumored price of around $600 would put it in a strange situation with a lot of competition from existing and upcoming phones. With so many competitors, who knows if the most affordable phone will really shine.

Overall, the verdict is clear: if you want a true flagship, look no further than the next OnePlus 12. Meanwhile, those on a tighter budget might consider the OnePlus 12R, which would likely still offer more than a decent experience at a fraction of the price.