OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R

OnePlus announced two rather compelling smartphones for global markets last month. We’re here to compare those phones, the OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R. We’ve reviewed both devices, and both are available in both the US and Europe, in addition to other markets. The OnePlus 12 even launched back in December originally, as it arrived to China way before it made its way to global markets.

Having said that, the two devices do look quite similar, but they’re not identical in terms of design. There are also quite a few differences when it comes to their internals. There’s a reason the OnePlus 12R is considerably more affordable in comparison. We’ll first list their specifications, and will then move to comparing their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance.

Specs

OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R, respectively

– Screen size:
6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED display (curved, 120Hz LTPO, HDR10+, 4,500 nits)
6.78-inch LTPO4 AMOLED display (Curved, 120Hz LTPO, HDR10+, 4,500 nits)
– Display resolution:
3168 x 1440
2780 x 1264
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
– RAM:
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
8GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
128GB/256GB (UFS 3.1)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (f/1.6 aperture, 23mm lens, 1.12um pixel size, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, 14mm lens, 114-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture, 0.8um pixel size, PDAF), 64MP (periscope telephoto, 0.7um pixel size, OIS, PDAF, 3x optical zoom, 6x “in-sensor” zoom)
50MP (f/1.8 aperture, 24mm lens, 1.0um pixel size, OIS, PDAF, Laser AF), 8MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 16mm lens, 1.12um pixel size), 2MP (macro, f/2.4 aperture)
– Front cameras:
32MP (f/2.4 aperture, 0.8um pixel size)
16MP (f/2.4 aperture, 26mm lens, 1.0um pixel size)
– Battery:
5,400mAh
5,500mAh
– Charging:
100W wired, 50W wireless, reverse wireless (charger included)
100W wired (charger included)
– Dimensions:
164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm
163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8mm
– Weight:
220 grams
207 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.4/5.3
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) & facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) & facial scanning
– OS:
Android 14 with OxygenOS 14
Android 14 with OxygenOS 14
– Price:
$799.99+
$499+
– Buy:
OnePlus 12 (Best Buy)
OnePlus 12R (Best Buy)

OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R: Design

As you can see, the two phones are quite similar. The OnePlus 12 does have a larger camera island on the back, but not much else is different. Both smartphones include a curved display with very thin bezels around it. They both have a centered display camera hole too. The power/lock button sits on the right-hand side, right below the volume up and down buttons. All the physical buttons are on the right.

On the left side, you’ll find an alert slider on both phones. That’s a physical switch, not a button. It’s a three-level switch, as per usual. If we flip them around, there’s a circular camera island in the top-left corner on both of them. As already mentioned, the one on the OnePlus 12 is larger. The camera sensors are different, but they do sit in the same spots when you compare the design of the two camera islands.

The OnePlus 12 is slightly larger than its sibling, by 1mm, and it’s also a bit wider (less than 1mm). On top of that, it’s 0.4mm wider. The OnePlus 12 does have a slightly larger display than its more affordable sibling, so that size difference is to be expected. Despite having a slightly smaller battery, however, the OnePlus 12 is also heavier at 220 grams. The OnePlus 12R weighs 207 grams.

The OnePlus 12 comes with an IP65 rating for water and dust resistance. The OnePlus 12R has an IP64 rating for water and dust resistance. Both phones feel really good in the hand, but both are very slippery as well.

OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R: Display

OnePlus flagship, the OnePlus 12, features a 6.82-inch QHD+ (3168 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. That panel is curved, and it can show up to 1 billion colors. It has a refresh rate that goes up to 120Hz, and it supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ content. The theoretical max brightness of this display is 4,500 nist. The panel that OnePlus used here is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 by Corning.

The OnePlus 12R, on the other hand, has a 6.78-inch 2780 x 1264 LTPO4 AMOLE display. That panel is also curved, and it can show off up to 1 billion colors. It has a refresh rate that goes up to 120Hz, and HDR10+ content is also supported here. The display also has Dolby Vision support and a maximum theoretical brightness of 4,500 nits. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is here to protect the OnePlus 12R’s display.

Both of these displays are great, in all honesty. These are the same displays, basically, but are different in size and resolution. You won’t really notice either the difference in size or resolution, and both panels get more than bright enough. The colors are vivid, and the viewing angles are great too. The touch response is also really good on both panels. Both smartphones also offer PWM dimming of 2,160Hz, which is worth highlighting. You’ll be happy with either one of these displays, that’s for sure.

OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R: Performance

The OnePlus 12 has more powerful performance-related hardware specs, that’s for sure. It is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor from Qualcomm. That chip is backed by up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM globally, and up to 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM in China. UFS 4.0 flash storage is used here. The OnePlus 12R, on the flip side, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. That phone has up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and utilizes UFS 3.1 flash storage.

So, the OnePlus 12 does have a more powerful processor and faster storage. That’s not something you’ll notice all that much during regular performance, however. Both smartphones are extremely snappy in day-to-day use, regardless if we’re talking about launching apps, switching between them, or processing images. Yes, the OnePlus 12 will occasionally get there slightly faster, but the difference is not big at all.

What about gaming? Well, the OnePlus 12 is the phone that is more suitable for gaming due to its more powerful processor, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside the OnePlus 12R is still extremely capable. In all honesty, you’ll be able to play any game from the Play Store on the OnePlus 12R too. The difference is not all that big, but the OnePlus 12 is the better choice. OnePlus also included considerable vapor chambers in both devices, so heating up during gaming is not an issue.

OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R: Battery

There is a 5,400mAh battery included inside the OnePlus 12, while the OnePlus 12R packs in a 5,500mAh unit. Both of these battery packs are quite large, and both should be more than enough to keep these phones powered on during your busy days. Are they, though? Well, yes, but the OnePlus 12 managed to hold a charge for considerably longer than its more affordable sibling, despite the fact the OnePlus 12R has a larger battery pack.

That was the case in our battery drain test, and also during usage, actually. We were able to cross the 9-hour screen-on-time mark with the OnePlus 12 a number of times while getting well over 8 hours of screen-on-time was not a problem at all. The OnePlus 12R had good battery life, but it was closer to around 7 hours of screen-on-time. Do note that these numbers go for days when gaming was not a part of our usage, but various other tasks were, and the phones were used quite a bit. We’re not sure why the OnePlus 12 has such an advantage, as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is very power efficient, but there you have it. Regardless, it does offer really good battery life too.

Both of these smartphones support 100W (80W in the US) wired charging. Getting them to 100 percent to a full charge will take less than half an hour, and maybe a couple of minutes over 30 minutes if you’re charging them in the US. The OnePlus 12 also supports 50W wireless charging, which will charge the phone in less than an hour. The flagship model does offer 10W reverse wireless charging too. A charger comes included with both phones.

OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R: Cameras

The OnePlus 12 includes a 50-megapixel main camera, along with a 48-megapixel ultrawide unit (114-degree FoV), and a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). The OnePlus 12R, on the flip side, has a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide unit (112-degree FoV), and a 2-megapixel macro camera. OnePlus had to cut corners somewhere, and it definitely did that in the camera department.

The OnePlus 12 has better cameras overall, it goes for all three camera sensors, even the main one. Yes, it does provide better images in pretty much every situation, in our experience. The OnePlus 12R managed to do a better job during the day, at times, but those occasions were rare. The OnePlus 12 generally offered more vibrant images with a bit more detail when it comes to the main camera. The ultrawide and telephoto cameras were a lot better than what the OnePlus 12R has to offer. That phone doesn’t even have a telephoto camera, by the way.

Something similar can be said for low light too. The OnePlus 12 managed to attain more detail and balance the shots better. The ultrawide camera did a considerably better job too. That 2-megapixel camera on the OnePlus 12R is not something you’ll want to use, during the day or night. You’ll get far better shots with the main camera. 2-megapixel macro cameras should not be a thing in phones at this point.

Audio

Both devices feature stereo speakers. What is a bit surprising is that the OnePlus 12R’s speakers ended up being a bit louder. The difference is not big, but it’s there. Both sets of speakers are well-balanced, and both are more than loud enough.

If you were hoping to get an audio jack on either phone, well, you won’t. Neither one has it. You can always make use of their Type-C ports and connect your headphones that way. The OnePlus 12 supports Bluetooth 5.4, while the OnePlus 12R offers Bluetooth 5.3 support for wireless connectivity.