DOUBLE THREAT
OnePlus releases two phones to compete with Android.
OnePlus positions itself as a smartphone-maker that sells flagship-quality Android handsets at prices that undercut the better-known names. This year, the Chinabased company has a double threat: the OnePlus 12, its top-tier offering with the same processor as Samsung’s latest models, and the lessexpensive 12R.
This year I’m on the hunt for a flagship Android phone for a possible switch. The OnePlus 12 almost vaults to the top of that list. In this column, I’ll offer mini-reviews of both phones. Depending on your needs and your budget, either would be an excellent choice off the Android shelf.
OnePlus 12
$800 for 12 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage
$900 for 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage
I fell in love with the OnePlus 11 last year, saying it was a phone that I could definitely live with should I shift allegiances to the Android camp (see houstonchronicle.com/oneplus11). It was fast, stylish and sported an excellent camera system.
The OnePlus 12 is all that and more, and it fixes one drawback that made the 11 less-than-perfect: The 12 brings back wireless charging, which the 11 lacked, working with any pad or stand that uses the Qi wireless charging standard. OnePlus is known for offering super-fast wired charging, going from zero to full in about about 30 minutes. Now, the OnePlus 12 supports zippier-than-usual wireless charging at 50 watts if you use the company’s Warp charging stand ($50), which can fully charge the 12 in about an hour. Battery life is stellar, lasting almost two full days in my tests.
Its OxygenOS variant of Android 14 even looks a lot like iOS, making it the perfect device for would-be iPhone switchers. Owners get four years of OS updates and five years of security patches, not as impressive as Google’s and Samsung’s seven.
The OnePlus 12 is an iterative improvement over its predecessor. It features a similar design: curved edges on its 6.82-inch, 3168-by-1440pixel, AMOLED display that’s capable of a stunning 4,500 nits, making it easy to see in the brightest of sunlight. The camera system on the back, as with the 11, is mounted in a round frame that is strikingly different from other phones. It comes in two colors: Silky Black and Flowy Emerald, the latter being the one I was loaned. The back glass has a matte finish, so it’s resistant to fingerprints.
Inside is Qualcomm’s latest
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the same system-on-a-chip processor found in Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup. This is one fast phone, fluid and stutter-free whether scrolling, gaming or watching video. It’s cooled using a vapor-filled chamber, so it doesn’t run hot when playing games or doing wired fast charging. It supports all three major U.S. carrier 5G networks, as well as the latest WiFi 7 standard.
My only complaint with its performance is that its onscreen fingerprint reader is balky, making it a chore sometimes to unlock the phone. Unlocking with face recognition isn’t much better.
In some ways, the three cameras are a little better than the OnePlus 11’s, but in one way they’re a step back. There’s a 50-megapixel wideangle camera; a 64-MP periscope telephoto; and a 48-MP ultrawide. Quality of photos in daylight and bright indoor light from all there are excellent, walking a nice line between the ultra-natural colors found on iPhones and the saturation-boosted style of Samsung models. I like the 12’s images better than those taken with my iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Sadly, low-light photography can be problematic. So long as one light source isn’t particularly strong, the image is fine. But it’s too easy for a bright source to get blown out; the camera’s Hasselblad imaging system doesn’t do the best job of light balance in that scenario.
OnePlus 12R
$500 for 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage
$600 for 16 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage
The Android universe is chock-full of lower-priced
smartphones, affordable alternatives to flagship devices that can approach and blow past the $1,000 mark. In the past, OnePlus has offered such devices in the U.S. typically designated with a “T” in the name, the last being the OnePlus 10T. This year, the OnePlus 12R is the cheaper offering and it’s worth considering if you’re on a budget.
Like the more expensive 12, it runs on the OxygenOS version of Android 14, but it will only get three years of new Android versions and four years of security updates. The 12R is powered by last year’s top-line processor, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which remains a powerful piece of silicon. Scrolling, gaming and video are all as smooth as on the more expensive 12.
The 12R doesn’t include wireless charging, but still boasts the uber-fast wired charging that the OnePlus is known for. Battery life is as good as the 12, lasting about a day and half; the 12R’s battery is slightly larger than the 12’s. Also worth noting: Both the 12 and 12R are among the few phones left that still ship with a charger, one that pushes 80 watts of power.
The 6.78-inch display boasts a 1264-by-2780 resolution on an AMOLED display. Like the 12, and most flagship phones, it has a variable refresh rate up to 120 Hz, which is rare for a lower-tier phone. It also matches the 12’s claim of 4,500 nits of brightness, and was very easy to see in bright Houston daylight.
Some good news: the under-screen fingerprint scanner works better in the 12R, though face recognition seems just as iffy as on the 12.
Not so great news: The camera system on the 12R is good, but not stellar. You get a 50-MP wide, 8-MP ultrawide and a 2-MP macro camera. There’s no optical zoom, which means many manually zoomed shots get noisy and pixelated.
But the colors are natural and in bright light, images are full of detail. Still, this is a snapshot smartphone, not one for those who love getting fancy.
Both phones can be found with decent discounts: OnePlus will give you at least $100 off on any phone, in any condition, when you order through the company’s website, for example.