ONEPLUS 12
The OnePlus 12 packs in a top camera and blistering performance, while looking better than almost anything else
OnePlus’s new flagship phone is packed with future-proof tech
Display 6.82-inch 3168x1440 120Hz 4,500-nit LTPO Chip Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU Qualcomm Kryo GPU Adreno 750 RAM 12GB / 16GB Storage 256GB / 512GB Camera 50MP wide, 64MP 3x telephoto, 48MP ultra-wide rear; 32MP front Battery 5,400mAh Connectivity
USB-C, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Dimensions 164.3x5.8x9.15mm Weight 220g
The fight to be crowned the best Android phone on the market is always fiercely competitive. We’re now seeing more evidence of that. The Samsung Galaxy S24 range launched a few months back. Now, we have the OnePlus 12, and this looks set to take the fight straight to the Korean brand.
This is an anniversary year for OnePlus, so we were expecting some big things. They’ve delivered, too.
Inside, you’ll find the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset as many of the other top picks for this year. However, the brand has also given that a boost with something called the Trinity Engine. That is a multi-faceted approach that looks to get the most horsepower out of the hardware.
One more headline feature to speak of here is the display. On the face of it, you might think it’s nothing too impressive – a 2K AMOLED panel with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. But dig deeper and you’ll find a whopping 4,500 nits of peak brightness. That’s second sun levels of light, and should make colours vivid and bright.
If you’re familiar with devices like the OnePlus 11, the design probably isn’t going to be anything too alarming. The overall aesthetic
remains fairly consistent, albeit with slightly more curvature on the edges. The camera bump on the back is really good looking, too. With a design based on a luxury watch, the large circular notch is really classy.
Fair warning though – the sleek design has one drawback. This is quite possibly the most slippery phone we’ve ever laid our hands on. We’ve never been quite so cautious using a device, fearing that every time we whip it from our pocket it will launch like a tech-filled discus and take out half of the local seagull population. You’ll want a good case.
A rich menu
Let’s move on to how it handles. That’s a complex topic with this device, as there is a whole heap to unpack.
Let us start with what we can’t tell you – longevity. The Trinity Engine design should ensure this handset remains usable for a long time after purchase, thanks to a range of performance and efficiency enhancements. Now, obviously, we haven’t been able to test that out.
What we can tell you is that on a day-to-day basis, this thing is very powerful. Simple tasks like browsing the web are almost insignificant here, while gaming is a breeze.
Then there’s the battery life. After a full day of scrolling through social media, browsing the web and even a little gaming, we still had around 35% left at the end of the day. That’s really great longevity.
Camera-wise, the brand has been working in conjunction with Hasselblad for a long time, which lends a real air of professionalism to images shot on its handsets.
Here, a strong triple camera setup ensures the full range of shots can be captured. Of particular focus is the telephoto lens. That offers 3x optical zoom, with up to 6x offered in-sensor. Beyond that, the camera can zoom up to 120x with digital zoom. That’s absolutely ridiculous, frankly.
The camera is strong, overall. Results are strong and defined with a really true colour profile. With that being said, there’s a little bit of a lack of vibrancy here, which seems to desaturate really bright colours.
One thing that does irk us though is the distinct difference between sensors. It’s not just the slight perspective change – that’s wholly unavoidable – but there are also differences in the colour palette of each sensor. It just makes the camera feel a little disjointed at times.
As it really is for every generation of the OnePlus range, the big question is this – can it beat the best Samsung phone of the moment? For right now, that’s the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and it’s a tough ask.
If you’re on a tighter budget, the OnePlus is a no brainer. It’s about a third of the price, and offers a lot of tech in return. Overall, it probably comes down to which model you prefer – the sleek, unassuming powerhouse of the OnePlus, or the tried and true behemoth Samsung.