It was an age ago that OnePlus seemed like the natural “other” option to the Google Pixel series. The days of “Never Settle” being a core ethos are behind the BBK-led behemoth. The OnePlus 12 signifies this better than any other. Here’s what it’s like to live with for an extended period.
Table of contents
Design and hardware
When we look at the OnePlus 12 versus its own lineage, it feels right at home. Sticking with the smooth satin finish and curvy shape means it’s an enhanced OnePlus 11. It is way more top-heavy than its predecessor, thanks to the larger camera section. This is the most “Oppo” that a OnePlus has felt to me. By that, I mean it feels like a high-end phone in just about every aspect. Thick, chunky, and hefty in your hands.
The satin finish glints and the matte black doesn’t age – the OnePlus 11 highlights this. I agree with my colleague Ben’s sentiments that this OnePlus hasn’t broken any new ground here, and it’s admittedly safe visually. However, it’s clean and beautifully put together – like many of the best devices.
Moving the power button to the same side as the volume rocker actually makes sense to me as a Google Pixel user. The excellent alert slider has the left side all to itself. I’ve been using this a ton, and with Apple ditching this in favor of a multi-use button, I’m hoping that OnePlus can continue to improve the toggle and make it their own moving forward.
The screen is absolutely gorgeous. It’s easily one of the biggest selling points and with soft curves, the entire package is superb. I did ditch the pre-applied screen protector. It felt awfully cheap and although I haven’t replaced it or used a case over the past few months, my screen is holding up well with zero marks, scuffs or nicks to speak of. I have the luxury of lots of test devices, but using the OnePlus 12 without a case has been a lovely experience.
Back to the display, though, and it’s one of the best I’ve used. Period. It’s smooth like silk, massive, and the rich colors make everything look incredible. I kept it at FHD resolution, too, because without pixel peeping, the QHD option isn’t enough of a step up in my opinion. It gets incredibly bright.
The curves don’t bother me all that much, but I agree that a flat screen here would elevate the display even further. Does it detract from the experience of watching videos and generally using this panel? In my opinion, it’s not enough to ruin the panel.
The fingerprint scanner is also insanely fast. I’ll stop short of calling it the fastest I’ve used because I’m actually not sure. That said, it’s refreshing that you don’t need to register a thumb or finger multiple times to get reliable unlocks. The crisp vibration when you unlock is also a joy when I power the screen back on.
I have fallen in love again with the OnePlus haptics. Every single tap, swipe, and interaction that has vibration-based feedback is incredible when O-haptics steps in. For years, people have lauded iPhone haptics. On Android, the Google Pixel was King here for a while. For the past few years, OnePlus and Oppo have left everyone behind. I cranked up the settings here to be even more intense. Do the same and thank me later.
Daily experience
Let’s be honest for a second. OxygenOS isn’t OxygenOS any more. OnePlus can try and tell us otherwise, but that is blatant fabrication. The clean, but feature-packed AOSP-like builds from the OnePlus 8-era are long gone. I can understand how and why this has been one of the number one reasons many long-time brand fans have ditched OnePlus.
ColorOS—because this is ColorOS—is still a very acquired taste. That said, despite the obvious iOS influences, it has grown on me over the past couple of months. In fact, I’d like to see more unique options that help differentiate Oppo and OnePlus phones. I wish the “Shelf” were an alternative option for Discover, like the Samsung News feed. Maybe OnePlus could allow more app widgets in this section as allow the preset options are slim, I’ve found myself using it more often to get a quick glance at some key daily information like weather and global times.
I’m surprised that OnePlus didn’t try and shoehorn in some AI functions, but to be honest it feels great without them. You can use Gemini, or use Magic Eraser in Google Photos, there really isn’t anything that really would improve the experience all that much. Maybe Circle to Search would be nice. That said, it’s nice to see that OnePlus is focusing on the core experience first and foremost.
Visuals aside, this is one hell of an experience day-to-day. Coming from the Pixel 8 Pro, the OnePlus 12 feels so much snappier. It’s super fluid and responsive. I haven’t seen a single bit of lag, even with lots of apps loaded up and installed. Lots of updates have come since launch to sweep up any bugs and issues, and the entire experience is just refined for speed and performance. It’s easily on par with the Galaxy S24 Ultra in terms of raw power and fluidity.
A cursory glance at complaints from people using the OnePlus 12 is that you can get thermal throttling when playing games if the heat exceeds 35-40C or about 10-20 minutes of a game like Call of Duty Mobile. I saw some framerate drops when testing this out, and in some cases, it was up to 10FPS. even when using the dedicated “Pro Gamer Mode.” It doesn’t overheat, but you need to work out if it is a problem for you.
Real-world lifespan
One of the standout features of the OnePlus 12 is its remarkable battery life. That massive 5,400mAh battery means the phone can easily power through a full day of intensive usage on a single charge. I’m wowed at how infrequently I need to charge my phone when using as my main or sole device.
I love not thinking about charging or the next time I need to charge. I can charge randomly and get a couple of days. I thought this would dip over time, but it’s still a beast. I have barely ever had a full, heavy day where the battery dips below 20%. I can count on one hand how many times over the past few months that has happened too.
Even the standby time is impressive. Leave your phone idle and it’ll just sip away and barely make a dent. Leaving overnight knocks off just one or two percent battery life. I haven’t used an Android phone that can do that for a long time.
Using the camera
OnePlus has historically lagged behind Samsung and Google in terms of camera quality, but the OnePlus 12’s camera system has made significant improvements. Before I delve into the image quality specifics, I must admit that the Hasselblad color tuning is my favorite profile on any modern smartphone. It has also improved drastically since the partnership was first confirmed back in 2021.
Ordinarily, you’d get a good main sensor and competent secondary. The tertiary sensor was always lacking or had a major bugbear. Not this year. The zoom lens is better than the Pixel 8 Pro and even competes with the Galaxy S23/S24 Ultra.
The zoom range of 3x optical to 60x digital provides ample flexibility and outstanding image quality. Sharp, detailed, and without too much sharpening. Of course, zooming in beyond the 30x level starts to wash out photos, and digital sharpening can be strong. I do think that the quality above 20x is better than the Pixel 8 Pro in my own testing though. Annoyingly, the camera software occasionally exhibits bugs, such as lens-switching issues, but luckily this doesn’t detract from the results.
Full-resolution image samples can be viewed here.
Low-light images using the “Night mode” look really natural rather than synthetic. Lots of other alternatives can feel fake or hyper-realized. I haven’t felt like that with the OnePlus 12 when taking shots at night or in poor lighting. If you prefer something that doesn’t look like it was made by software, then you might like the OnePlus 12 camera system when it gets dark.
OnePlus has stuffed the camera full of added extras and functions that you can play around with. In tandem with the Hasselblad tuning, it’s one of the most fun to use camera systems out there. The XPan and “Film” modes are the icing atop the cake. As you can take ultrawide stills and anamorphic-esque videos right there on your phone.
On the front, the OnePlus 12 features a 32-megapixel selfie camera. This high-resolution sensor takes exceptional selfies and facilitates high-quality video calls. The improved software algorithms provide more accurate colors, refined portrait mode photos, and enhanced computational photography features, making the OnePlus 12 one of the best camera phones on the market. For the first time probably ever, the OnePlus 12 goes toe-to-toe with the biggest and best. Some times it even beats the big guys too.
Final thoughts
While I do miss the cleaner software aesthetic of the pre-Oppo OnePlus, you can see why this merger has benefitted the quality of the brands hardware efforts. While it’s hard to call the OnePlus 12 a “flagship killer” it’s one of the most impressive smartphones released in 2024.
The team behind the updated brand has been quietly working away behind the scenes, and the result is one of the best phones of the year with little to no fanfare. Maybe older OnePlus phones were overhyped, but the recent releases now seem to be a little underappreciated.
My minor concerns with the visual aesthetic of the software stack aside, if I were spending my own cash on a device, the now-discounted OnePlus 12 would be top of the list. Whenever I put my SIM back into the Pixel 8 Pro, I wonder if I have been too hasty. It’s the first time in a long time that I have felt that way about a flagship OnePlus phone.
I’ll go one further and stick my neck out and say that the OnePlus 12 is the most improved phone in about every area—particularly the camera. The result is the most “complete” OnePlus phone to date, with a few compromises, but less than ever. I’d even consider it a great, cheaper alternative to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Is it the best phone I’ve used in 2024 so far? It’s a resounding yes.
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