OnePlus 12R Review: The Combination of Performance and Affordability Upon Which the Company Was Built

Judie recently reviewed the new flagship from OnePlus, the OnePlus 12. It is a superb phone that is markedly less expensive than competing flagship devices. Still, at a starting price of $800, it’s still a bit pricey. Thankfully, the company’s roots shine through with the OnePlus 12R. It’s a great device at a shockingly affordable price.

Judie began her excellent review of the OnePlus 12 by revisiting her first encounter with the company. When it initially burst on the scene, purchasing that first OnePlus device required an invitation. I’m still unsure if this approach was due to supply availability or a brilliant marketing ploy. I suspect the latter, but it worked.

The buzz around the first OnePlus phone was like nothing I’ve ever seen. I was fortunate enough to score an invitation, so Judie and I had two of the first OnePlus phones. It was something else. It looked, felt, and functioned like a premium device but carried a price tag that was more in line with “value” phones of its day.

In the years since, OnePlus phones have continued to improve. Along the way, however, the price of their phones has also increased. The OnePlus 12 is a bit of a return to the company’s roots. It is a premium flagship phone with a price significantly less than the phone I carry daily. A starting price of $800 for a premium phone like the OnePlus 12 is a rarity in 2024.

But if the OnePlus 12 is a rarity, the OnePlus 12R, released alongside it, is a unicorn. At about $500, it is a fantastic phone with a similar design and many of the same features as the OnePlus 12.

The OnePlus 12R is available in either Iron Gray or Cool Blue.

Sure, there are a few compromises to keep the price down — including the use of last year’s top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor instead of the latest 8 Gen 3 chip in the OnePlus 12, a slightly less capable camera array, and the exclusion of wireless charging — but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a more than competent phone.

Unboxing the OnePlus 12R

The OnePlus 12R comes with a SUPERVOOC Power Adapter, a USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable, a SIM ejector tool, a Type-A to Type-C USB dongle, a sheet of OnePlus logo stickers, a quick start guide, a welcome letter, a Red Cable membership card, and a safety information and warranty card.

As is usual with OnePlus, there is also a pre-applied screen protector.

Checking Out the OnePlus 12R

Let’s start with the look and feel of the OnePlus 12R. This phone may carry a mid-range price tag, but it has the look and feel of something premium.

The front is a large slab of curved glass. Bezels are all but non-existent, and the gentle curve at the edges of the screen makes using it an absorbing experience. The phone basically melts away, and all you see is the content of the screen.

The 6.78″ AMOLED ProXDR display is bright and crisp. A 16-megapixel pinhole front camera sits in the toolbar along the top. It’s noticeable but a vast improvement from the huge cutout Apple has opted to employ. Sure, the Dynamic Island has its uses, but adding to the iPhone’s aesthetics isn’t one of them.

The back and sides of the phone are metal, and the large glass camera bump has the same premium appearance as the one on the OnePlus 12.

The volume and power buttons on the right side are metal.

The three-position mute toggle on the left side is likewise made of metal. I appreciate OnePlus bringing back the mute toggle and especially love that you can now quickly and easily select between silent, vibrate, and ring.

If you are getting the sense that the OnePlus 12R shares a great deal with the flagship OnePlus 12, you are correct. In many ways, this is the difference between an excellent phone (the OnePlus 12R) and its slightly even better “Pro” version (the OnePlus 12); you can get a good sense of the 12R if you read Judie’s review of the 12.

So what ARE the differences? And do they matter in a material way?

The OnePlus 12 has a massive 6.82″ screen, while the 12R has a respectable but slightly smaller 6.78″ screen. The 45o pixel per inch (PPI)  of the 12R is slightly less than the 12’s 510 PPI but is still incredibly crisp!

The OnePlus 12 offers 256GB or 512GB of storage, while the options with the OnePlus 12R are 128GB or 256GB.

The 12 has a 32-megapixel front camera, while the 12R has a smaller 16-megapixel shooter. The 12R is also slightly smaller than the 12 at .3″ deep and 6.4″ tall, compared to the 12’s .4″ depth and 6.5″ height.

And while the 12 offers fast-wired and wireless charging, the 12R only offers 80W fast charging. I miss the wireless charging, but I understand that compromises had to be made to keep the price down.

Interestingly, while the 12 has a 5400mAh battery, the 12R has a larger 5500mAh battery.

Let’s look at how those differences stack up.

The OnePlus 12R’s screen is slightly smaller, has a lower pixel density, and offers less peak brightness. Does it matter? Not really.

The screen is still large, bright, and crisp. The waterfall edges make it seem even larger than it is. I have no complaints whatsoever about the screen, and unless you placed the two phones side by side, I don’t think you would ever notice.

Although I’ve never been a fan of using it on phones, the screen is still large enough that you can take advantage of the split screen option in the settings.

The storage on the OnePlus 12R is half of what you can get on the 12, but considering the easy access to cloud storage these days, I don’t see this as an issue either.

Last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and reduced RAM options are an issue on paper, but having used the phone for a few weeks, I don’t see this as an issue either.

The OnePlus 12R is fast; I can easily multitask and jump between apps, and I have not noticed any slowdowns or choking of the device. So while the 12 is more “bleeding edge,” the 12R is more than respectable and, at no time, has it felt like a compromise.

The biggest difference, and the only one that might be an impactful compromise, can be found in the cameras.

The OnePlus 12R’s 16-megapixel front camera is significantly smaller than the 12’s 32-megapixel shooter. Still, a 16-megapixel front camera is nothing to sneeze at.

The OnePlus 12R also has a pared-back camera setup, featuring a 50-megapixel primary camera with a 1/1.56″ sensor and an f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 2-megapixel camera with a macro lens.

While that’s not too shabby, it is a bit of a downgrade from the OnePlus 12’s Hasselblad-tuned, dual-stacked 1/1.43-inch sensor with f/1.6 aperture, 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and 64-megapixel 3X telephoto camera.

But again, while the differences here seem significant on paper, especially since the camera is one of the most important features on today’s smartphones, the proof is in the images a phone takes, and there’s good news here. I’ve been impressed with the camera on the OnePlus 12R.

Photos Taken with the OnePlus 12R

Here’s an example of using the digital zoom.

There are a few other features that this “budget” OnePlus 12R has that might come as a surprise.

The OnePlus 12R includes a 100W (80W in the US) SUPERVOOC charger, a USB-C to USB-A dongle, and a charging cable.

Among them are the IP64 water resistance, a fast, accurate, in-screen fingerprint scanner, 80-watt fast charging (In the UK, it offers even faster 100W charging), and a vapor-chamber cooling system to keep the processor zipping along even when under load.

So, having read Judie’s review of the OnePlus 12 while also spending time with the OnePlus 12R, here are my thoughts.

The two phones offer the same design language and, as always, I’m impressed. Both are quality phones that look and feel like premium devices. I love the simplicity of the design, the quality of materials used, and the refined fit and finish.

The OnePlus 12 may be the flagship phone, but the OnePlus 12R still feels quite premium. The 12 is blazing fast, but the less expensive 12R is no slouch. Power users might want to sport the faster processor and increased RAM, but the 12R is more than capable for everyday use.

The only main difference I can see is that, thanks to the newer processor and additional year of promised updates, the OnePlus 12 may remain a viable phone a bit longer than the 12R. If, however, you tend to upgrade your phone every year or two, this difference is immaterial.

The Hasselblad-tuned camera on the OnePlus 12 is clearly superior to the setup on the 12R. That will make a difference for people who are serious about their mobile photography. For most people, myself included, however, the camera on the OnePlus 12R is more than capable and will do a nice job capturing memories on the go.

I do wish the 12R had the telephoto capabilities and wireless charging of the 12, but, at least for me, neither is a dealbreaker.

The bottom line is this: If you are looking for a flagship Android phone, check out Judie’s review of the OnePlus 12 and then grab one for yourself. You’ll save some money compared to buying one of the other flagship Android devices currently available and won’t have to compromise.

If, however, you are not looking to spend anywhere near $1000 on a phone but don’t want to compromise on a cheap “budget” device, check out the OnePlus 12R.

The OnePlus 12R sports a mid-range price but delivers a premium experience in almost every way. In this regard, I see the OnePlus 12R as keeping the original OnePlus legacy alive. They built their reputation by delivering excellent phones at an accessible price and, with the OnePlus 12R, that’s precisely what they have done.

The OnePlus 12R starts at $499.99; it is available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Excellent design and build quality; Premium materials; Gorgeous waterfall display is crisp and bright; Speedy, and I’ve encountered no lags or lockups; Fast 80W charging with included wall adapter; 5,500mAh battery; IP64 Dust and water resistance; Looks, feels, and functions like a premium phone but at the price of a mid-range device

What Needs Improvement: Slightly smaller display and lower pixel density than the OnePlus 12; Last year’s top-of-the-line processer and less RAM than the OnePlus 12; No wireless charging; Does not have the Hasselblad camera tuning offered on the OnePlus 12