OnePlus 12 review

Competition

OnePlus phones are often priced rather differently in various regions making them a better deal in certain contexts than others. To some extent, such is the case with the 12 as well, its MSRP placing it in a much better spot against competing Samsungs and Pixels in India, while numbers make it a bit tougher in Europe, with the US being a separate case in itself. Numbers fluctuate, though, and rivals should be more or less similar.

We're thinking of the Pixel 8 Pro first, whose MSRP may be higher, but discounts aren't unheard of. The OP12 snatches a couple of objective victories - important ones, too - like battery life and charging speed. This battle would likely be settled on more abstract terms like software preferences (ColorOS vs. Google's own Android, one company's made-up number of updates vs. the other's) and the photo and video 'look'. Then again, if you capture your life at 3x, which we've been hearing some people do, the OnePlus makes a ton more sense.

The brand new Galaxy S24 goes for about OP12 money, and it too has a 3x telephoto camera. While we're yet to review one, we're fairly confident the 24 isn't going to be nearly as versatile a cameraphone as the 12 (meh zoom, AF-less small-sensor ultrawide), though it could make a case for itself with better selfie video capabilities (AF, 4K60). Pocketability is also in the Galaxy's favor, though the OnePlus, in turn, wins if you'd prefer a large screen - the S24+ might offer a counter argument, albeit at a higher price.

A less obvious option would be the Honor Magic5 Pro. That one has a proper zoom camera around the 3-ish times mark and capable imaging hardware all around, including a standout ultrawide selfie unit. However, you'll have to do with a year-old Snapdragon, and battery life and charging speed won't be as good on the Honor. Similarly to the Pixel above, the Honor may not be available in all markets though, potentially helping with decision making.

The iQOO 12 is in a similar position of limited global availability, but if you're in India it's a bargain. It offers top-class results on the fundamentals - excellent display, solid battery life, super-fast charging, great cameras, and the same top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 - for a significantly lower price than the OnePlus. iQOO's 12 is not quite as water-resistant as OP's 12, but that's about its only real disadvantage.

In the US, OnePlus 12 money buys you an iPhone 15 Plus, whose camera prowess is nowhere near the OP's, but the iPhone has its own virtues - even beyond its obvious iPhone-ness. Its premium build has the best waterproofing in the business, its selfie camera is superior, battery life is superb.

Google Pixel 8 Pro • Samsung Galaxy S24 • Honor Magic5 Pro • vivo iQOO 12 • Apple iPhone 15 Plus

Verdict

OnePlus may have lost its distinct character as the brand grew into maturity, but that doesn't mean they're not making great phones still. Sure, OxygenOS is now just another name for Oppo's ColorOS, but why should ColorOS be a bad thing. Certain issues we had with the OnePlus 11 have been resolved on the 12 and its only the sub-standard water protection that remains - essentially all other high-end phones are rated for submersion, while the 12 isn't.

We're not quite fond of the 12's video output during the day, though we're almost convinced that the spectacular stabilization makes up for shortcomings elsewhere. Selfies are also unusually good, but more important, we feel, is the overall great stills performance from all rear cameras in all conditions.

Excellence on the fundamentals should go without saying at this level. Even in this context, however, the OP12 is among the better ones in terms of battery life, charges faster than just about anything else mainstream, and has a display that does more HDR than a lot of competitors.

In the end, the OnePlus 12 makes it quite easy for us. It's so great in many ways and only has small-ish missteps in just a couple of areas - that sounds like grounds for a recommendation.

Pros

• Excellent display, with Dolby Vision too.
• Great battery life, super-fast charging, wireless option is back.
• Universally great stills camera performance from the rear cameras, particularly good in low light.
• Selfies are better than most.
• Superb video stabilization.

Cons

• IP65 rating when submersion-grade IP68 is the prevalent spec in the high-end segment.
• Daylight video quality somewhat unimpressive.