OnePlus 12R: In a market where the price of flagship systems are inching above ₹80k, the OnePlus 12R comes in like a breeze of fresh air.
With nearly-flagship hardware and cleanliness of software and a great display to accompany it, it’s a taste of the premium at a price tag that’s easier to stomach.
Is it really the “flagship killer” OnePlus once promised or just another well-crafted compromise?
Let’s break it down.
Design and Construction: Big, Bold, and Premium
The OnePlus 12R continues that OnePlus design DNA — curved edges, smooth finish, and a huge camera ring that immediately catches your attention.
Thanks to its aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, it feels solid and premium to hold. With Iron Gray and Cool Blue to choose from, you have subtle diversity to choose from.
It’s definitely on the large side, given its expansive display and large battery (5,000mAh plus), but the curved back panel compensates for the size a bit. The alert slider has also thankfully made a return — users will love it.
Display: Beauty to Behold
And here’s where the 12R really comes into its own. You’ll receive a 6.78-inch AMOLED ProXDR display with 1.5K resolution that reaches 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and peak brightness of 4500 nits. In real-world use? It looks fantastic.
Whether I’m bingeing Netflix or scrolling through Instagram, everything feels smooth, colorful and sharp.
Support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision sweetens the deal, and thanks to the LTPO 4.0 tech, you can get some dynamic refresh rate when you want it in a bid to save battery but not at the expense of how smooth everything looks.
Performance: The Flagship Heart at Its Core
And here’s the big one too – the OnePlus 12R runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
Combined with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, this thing flies through tasks. Be it games, multitasking or power intensive apps, it can handle it all with aplomb.
Content-rich games such as BGMI, Genshin Impact and Asphalt 9 play on high settings without any hiccups or frame drops.
Now couple that with the Cryo-Velocity cooling system, and you have a phone that remains cool even during marathon gaming sessions.
Software: OxygenOS — Mostly Clean, Mostly Smooth?
It runs on OxygenOS 14, a skin built on top of Android 14, and it’s clean, fast and very close to stock Android.
Bloatware is scarce and animations seem fluid. You also receive four years of major updates and five years of security patches, so that is value over time.
Critics may say that OxygenOS has lost a bit of its magic after OnePlus started developing it alongside ColorOS, but most people still seem to find it to be snappy and smooth.
Camera: Good, But Not Great
Now, here’s where the trade-offs come in. The main Sony IMX890 sensor has 50MP resolution and takes fantastic shots in daylight: they’re sharp, colorful and well-balanced.
The 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro, on the other hand, are disappointing. Ultra-wide photos are barely sharp, the macro mode feels like more filler.
Night mode works reasonably well, but it’s not on par with the flagship 12 or Pro models.
Selfie and video calls are just fine with the 16MP front camera, unless you’re sensitive about skin tones, as it a little softens the skin tones.
Battery and Charging: Advertised All-Day Power, Advertised Super-Fast Charging
The 12R is powered by a 5500mAh battery, so it coasted through a full day of use even with ample abuse. And the best bit: 100W SuperVOOC fast charging.
Fastest 30 minutes charging 0 to 100%. No wireless charging though — that’s probably a compromise to ensure the price doesn’t creep up.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in to bring performance at the top tier
Stunning AMOLED screen with 1.5K resolution
Great battery life with 100W fast charging
Premium build and design
Pure and simple OxygenOS experience
Cons:
Decent ultra-wide and macro Average ultra-wide and macro cameras
No wireless charging
Big and a bit heavy for certain people
Not officially IP rated (only splash-proof)
OnePlus 12R: Conclusion- A return of the flagship killer?
OnePlus 12R It’s a damn good compromise between performance, display quality, battery life, and price. It might skip the camera and wireless charging, but everything else absolutely screams premium.
If you are looking for a phone that offers 90 percent of the flagship experience for nearly half the price, the 12R is one of the smartest buys of the year hands-down.
It’s not just a budget beast, it’s a sign that OnePlus hasn’t forgotten how to shake up the market.