Without being a fireworks display, the brand new OnePlus 12 impresses with its performance, its large, bright screen and its battery life. Its small flaws: Despite the manufacturer's claims, the camera is not the best and it is not waterproof.
Published at 11:37 am.
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OnePlus has carved out an enviable place in North America after Apple and Samsung by offering devices with features worthy of high-end models at very competitive prices. The economy is still present here with the OnePlus 12, which sells from $1,199.99 for the model we tested with 16GB of RAM, making it cheaper than competitors like the Pixel 8 Pro or the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
First test: Calibration with Geekbench 6 to see what the OnePlus 12 has under the hood. Undoubtedly, it is one of the leading models and even offers a remarkable graphics processing capacity that makes it very efficient for gaming or video streaming.
Specifically, this gives us an ultra-fast phone that responds instantly, connects to our headphones almost instantly via Bluetooth, closes and opens apps in a jiffy and has no moments of interruption. Don't hesitate to start a video. Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor is the one that equips the best Android models and the management of its 5400 mAh battery is efficient. Over a full day of testing, the value dropped to 47% and it took us a second day to reach it.
It also accepts 80-watt fast charging (with an included charger, a rarity in 2024) and even 50-watt magnetic charging if you have such a charger.
At 80 watts in wired mode, we charged our phone from 0% in 31 minutes for testing.
Its larger-than-standard 6.8-inch screen is worth a detour. This model, called ProXDR 2K, offers a refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz and reaches a maximum brightness of 4,500 nits, “the brightest screen ever on a smartphone,” says OnePlus, a claim we don't disagree with could. This screen is undoubtedly great, and the animations that OnePlus has added for the launch and the wallpaper make it stand out at all times.
A good mark also for the general design of the OnePlus 12, which has significantly more character than the often very generic previous models.
Let's talk about photos
OnePlus has gone bold with a series of lenses on the back grouped in a large glass circle, making for a very futuristic but highly visible look. The main lens is Sony's 50MP LYT-808 with an OV64B telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom and 64MP photos, as well as a 48MP ultra-wide angle.
The question now: What does this system, developed in collaboration with Hasselblad, bring? We compared it to an iPhone 15 Pro and a Pixel 8 Pro and got some expert opinions.
The good news for OnePlus: It handled low-light photos much better. However, all too often the result was washed out, boring colors. Here are two examples that illustrate its qualities and shortcomings. Due to the optimization of the photos for publication on LaPresse.ca, the differences here are less obvious than in the original formats.
The OnePlus 12 at its best
PHOTOS KARIM BENESSAIEH
Low light scene captured with an iPhone 15 Pro.
PHOTO KARIM BENESSAIEH.
Low light scene taken with a OnePlus 12, which turns out to be a winner here.
PHOTO KARIM BENESSAIEH
Low light scene captured with a Pixel 8 Pro.
1/3
The updated OnePlus 12
PHOTO KARIM BENESSAIEH
Photo taken with an iPhone 15 Pro on the Montreal subway. In our opinion, it is the best of the three devices tested.
PHOTO KARIM BENESSAIEH
Photo taken with a OnePlus 12 in the Montreal metro. The colors are more washed out and the contrast is less pronounced.
PHOTO KARIM BENESSAIEH
Photo taken with a Pixel 8 Pro.
1/3
The big winner in our tests is the iPhone 15 Pro. The Pixel 8 Pro and the OnePlus 12 were tied, which is still honorable for the OnePlus.
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The OnePlus 12 has an IP65 rating, which means it is protected from water jets and dust, but not completely submerged. However, in high-end models it has become a basic feature. The Pixel 8 Pro, for example, has a significantly higher protection class IP68.
OnePlus guarantees four years of updates for its Android-based operating system called OxygenOS and a fifth year of security updates. That's slightly less than competitors Google and Samsung, which offer up to seven years.
You buy ?
The OnePlus 12 is a good buy as it offers the best components of more expensive models at a competitive price. It doesn't have the aura of a Samsung Galaxy or an iPhone, its photos aren't stunning, but it does its job well and the efficiency of its processor is remarkable.
OnePlus 12
- Manufacturer: OnePlus
- Price: $1199.99 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage, pre-sale and available February 6)
Rating: 8 out of 10