It does everything very well but lacks the spark that makes it special. It seems strange, but despite churning out first-class smartphones, impeccable in hardware and excellent in speed and responsiveness, OnePlus struggles to convince with its flagship model. While the OnePlus 12 R is undoubtedly a top for the mid-range, the OnePlus 12 leaves some uncertainties despite a spec sheet with no weak points. Display, photography, performance, and fast charging have little to envy the other premium smartphones on the market, yet in the end, they did not convince me 100%.
The progress made by the brand, which in 2021 passed under the control of Oppo (both part of the large Chinese group BBK, which also includes vivo and realme), is evident, as is the end of the glorious start-up that began quietly in 2013 thanks to the enterprise of co-founder Pete Lau and Carl Pei (who left the company in 2020 to found Nothing), who with the first unknown smartphone managed to sell almost a million units compared to the 50,000 hoped for at the beginning.
From a small company to a manufacturer capable of marking important milestones, excelling in crucial markets such as India and conquering the market with a cheaper range such as OnePlus Nord, the company has grown quickly, but since Pei’s exit has shown a strategy that has not always been very clear, also visible in the evolution of the functionalities available on its various terminals.
Strong points: hardware and fluidity
The first impact with the OnePlus 12 is surprising because in the box there is a 100W charger, an opportune choice also because the SuperVooc charging system needs a specific power supply to unleash the maximum power; otherwise, it reaches 40W, but the cover to protect the phone is missing. Looking at the design, there is continuity with the OnePlus 11, although measurements count, and here they make themselves felt: the smartphone is 9.2 millimetres thick and weighs 220 grams, which is not a few grams when you put it in your pocket. These are details, but they can make a difference in everyday life for many.
The back of the Silky Black model (the other colour is Flowy Emerald) with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage that I tested is nice to look at but less so to touch because the ergonomics are not the best, and the phone tends to slip out of your hands. Although quite thick, the circular shape of the camera block denotes elegance. It is also satisfying in terms of shooting quality, thanks partly to the collaboration with Hasselblad. This historic Swedish photography company has been working hand in hand with OnePlus for several years to optimise photos and videos. A convenient confirmation is the side slider, which allows you to switch from ringer to vibration and silent mode with a single touch.
A highlight is the 6.82-inch LTPO Oled display with a resolution of 1440 x 3168 pixels, which stands out for its maximum brightness of 4500 nits, a number that indicates ease of viewing in outdoor environments, although the actual viewing under the summer sun should be evaluated. Like all high-end smartphones, the OnePlus 12 also has a 120 Hz refresh rate, automatically adapting to the command required to manage power consumption and extend battery life. A discordant note is the curved edges, a choice in contrast to most competitors, which makes the phone susceptible to random touches, sometimes causing it to skip the chosen application.
If there is something that has never changed with OnePlus, it is the fluidity of the software, which is flawless and among the best in terms of response time, thanks also to the performance of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. With Android 14, the Oneplus 12 offers OxygenOS 14 customisation in European markets, while it shares with Oppo ColorOS 14 in Asia. The Zen mode for disconnecting and Shelf, which allows all the widgets to be managed, is good; a pity the lack of a few other features that could make the smartphone stand out.
With Hasselblad’s photos and videos are top
As the standard now demands, the OnePlus 12 is also a gaming smartphone because of a Dual Cryo-velocity VC cooling system that uses a 3D capillary dissipation structure, reducing overheating enabling the device to withstand prolonged gaming sessions and professional-level video editing. At the beginning of my test, I struggled with the 5400 mAh battery life, which was later solved with an upgrade, even considering that the 100W fast charge takes about 25 minutes to charge from 1% to 100%.
One of the hallmarks of the OnePlus 12 remains the Hasselblad-signed camera, which on the rear features a 50-megapixel main camera with a Sony sensor, a 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a 64MP periscope camera with 3X zoom. The shooting quality is common between the three lenses, which drops when using the 32MP front camera, especially in dimly lit environments.
Buy it or not?
An important aspect of high-end smartphones is updates, and OnePlus guarantees 4 years of OS upgrades and 5 years for security patches. A time period that is now too limited because if competitors like Google and Samsung guarantee seven years of updates, support must necessarily be matched, although very few users will keep the same phone for such a long time. Available in two versions, 12GB+256GB and 16GB+512GB, in Flowy Emerald and Silky Black colours, the OnePlus 12 is on sale for €969 in the first configuration and €1,099 in the second.
The price is high, but the smartphone has no weak points. It seems to lack a killer app or other distinguishing feature, making it preferable to its better-known rivals. That is why I would not be surprised if the company registers more success with the OnePlus R, which comes with a slightly lower profile in terms of processor and camera but also with a price tag of €699 that will catch the attention of OnePlus fans and its user experience.
