OnePlus 12: Forget iPhone 15 - this is the phone Samsung and Google should fear most

OnePlus 12: Forget iPhone 15 – this is the phone Samsung and Google should fear most،

As I wrote in a recent historyOnePlus really seems to be back on track after a few years of experimentation with its product line.

First with the excellent OnePlus 11, which is one of the best value for money flagships of 2023; then with the brilliant OnePlus Nord 3, which is one of the best mid-range phones of the year; and more recently with the stopping of the show OnePlus Open, which is now considered by many to be the best foldable phone on the global market.

OnePlus has shown great consistency across three perfectly different price segments ($400, $700, $1,700), and it’s almost time to spin the wheel again, starting again with the OnePlus 11’s successor, the OnePlus 12.

However, while the 11 marks a long-awaited return to the “flagship” formula that OnePlus has become famous for, the 12 is shaping up to be a real Galaxy S24 Ultra and The Pixel 8 Pro challenger. December 19 marks OnePlus’ 10th anniversary as a phone maker, which might explain why the company is aiming to create something more ambitious. With that in mind, I’m going to tell you why the OnePlus 12 could prove to be the dark horse in the 2024 race for best Android flagship, but also the one thing that could stand in the way of OnePlus’ success.

OnePlus 12 could do it Galaxy S24 Ultra And Pixel 8 Professionals Look Bad: OG Flagship Company Goes All-In

Starting with arguably the most important part of any phone, the OnePlus 12 is expected to offer a record-breaking display, as the company already showed off at a recent event in China.

According to sources close to the matter, “the OnePlus 12 will probably have the best screen in the world in 2024”. The BEO-made panel is seen as a “big blow to Samsung” in two main ways.

On the one hand, the South Korean company, known for many years for making the best displays in the industry, could start to cede its leadership position to BEO (many other phone makers are now expected to switch to BEO panels) . And of course that would mean that Galaxy S24 Ultra could be rightly challenged in the one department that Samsung had “in the bag” all along.

OnePlus and BEO promise a display with better color accuracy, a higher level of eye protection, better viewing angles, longer battery life, lower power consumption and noticeably higher brightness in the range 3,000 to 4,000 nits, which seems pretty crazy.

Of course, we’ll have to see the OnePlus 12 to believe all this, but if these claims prove true, it could be one of the biggest improvements in display technology in some time (excluding the panel foldable), and if you follow the industry you’ll know that this doesn’t happen often.

OnePlus is preparing a special camera system for the OnePlus 12, which could (technically) make it the best camera phone on the market

The OnePlus 12 looks super sleek and badass in black. The brilliant camera island has been growing on me since the launch of the OnePlus 11. - OnePlus 12: Forget the iPhone 15 - this is the phone Samsung and Google should fear the most

The OnePlus 12 looks super sleek and badass in black. The brilliant camera island has been growing on me since the OnePlus 11 launched.

To be clear, the whole “best camera phone” debate is largely subjective and has no clear answer. For example, right now I find the The iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the best camera phone on the market thanks to Apple’s big improvements in image processing and the iPhone’s eternal dominance in videography (for normal users and professionals).

But the brand new OnePlus Open (yes, the foldable phone) just proved that OnePlus is an integral part of the great camera race. It takes some of the most natural-looking photos on the market (via Hasselblad color mode), class-leading ultra-wide photos, and even incredible 10x zoom shots with just a 3x zoom camera, rivaling the 10x shooter Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The OnePlus 12 is expected to have a very similar camera setup to the Open, but don’t let that fool you. It’s not that the OnePlus 12 will have an inferior camera system coming from a foldable phone – it’s the other way around. The real takeaway here is that OnePlus managed to squeeze this flagship camera setup into a foldable.

Below are the leaked/rumored specs according to usually reliable tipster Yogesh Brar. I’ve said it before, but the Open’s 3x zoom camera and ultra-wide shooters are among the best on the market, while the unique “stacked” main camera promises to deliver the same amount of light than a 1. -inch thanks to its ability to collect almost twice as much light as a traditional 1/1.4 inch sensor.

What could turn these cutting-edge camera sensors into one of the best camera systems in 2024 is the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Remember that despite using an identical camera system, the The OnePlus Open’s image processing relies on the year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. SoC. And as has been proven many times before, a new chip with improved processing can make a huge difference in the quality of photos and videos.

3x zoom – OnePlus Open (left), Galaxy S23 Ultra (right). OnePlus’ photo has better exposure, more detail, and a more DSLR-like look thanks to the larger sensor and aperture.

10x zoom – OnePlus Open (left), Galaxy S23 Ultra (right). OnePlus’ photo has better exposure and as much detail as the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

OnePlus 12 camera specifications according to leaks/rumors:

OnePlus 12 main camera

Sony IMX966 48MP (1/1.4-inch sensor)
OIS, f/1.7, 84° (FoV), 23mm

OnePlus 12 telephoto camera

64MP OmniVision OV64B (1/2-inch sensor), 3X optical zoom (70mm), 6x lossless zoom, 120x digital zoom
OIS, f/2.5, 33° (FoV)

OnePlus 12 ultra-wide camera

Sony IMX581 48MP (1/2 inch sensor)
f/2.2, 114° (FoV), 14mm, autofocus with macro mode

OnePlus 12 could be the best value flagship phone of 2024 (if OnePlus can control the price)

The OnePlus 12 is expected to deliver an incredible battery/charging experience thanks to OnePlus’ commitment to super-fast charging and a very large 5,400mAh battery. Wireless charging is also returning. With this, and the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with up to 24GB of RAM (rumored), the OnePlus 12 should be one of the most powerful and durable phones in the world.

But, but, but… The million dollar question, and “the one thing that could stand in the way of OnePlus’ success” that I mentioned in the introduction, is whether or not OnePlus will manage to control the price of the OnePlus 12. But what does that mean?

The OnePlus 11 launched at $699, which turned out to be a great price for what the flagship offered. However, with significant improvements and cutting-edge hardware across the board, the OnePlus 12 is shaping up to be a “true flagship”, missing nothing other than an official IP rating for water resistance. water (at least according to rumors).

Overall, with all the upgrade rumors, I think a $100 price increase wouldn’t be shocking and should be expected. Especially considering the high price of flagships from Samsung, Apple and even Google, starting at $900 and going up to $1,200.

Of course, if OnePlus managed to deliver the rumored upgrades at the old $700 price, I’d tell you to place your pre-order immediately when the phone is announced. But even at the price of $800 (which I think is a much more realistic estimate), the OnePlus 12 will undercut all major premium flagships, even Google’s $1,000. Pixel 8 Pro.

Looks like we’re ready for OnePlus’ first “premium flagship killer.” And that’s an important distinction to make, because “premium” is written all over the spec sheet of this Android beast.