OnePlus says you should ‘upgrade from your Pixel’ and switch to OnePlus 12R

Ben Schoon | Mar 15 2024 - 8:15 am PT

The OnePlus 12R is a really good “budget” phone, but in a new ad campaign, OnePlus says that users should “upgrade from your Pixel” for it.

OnePlus 12R debuted in February as an affordable smartphone designed to offer a flagship experience. It did that by relying on an older processor and making some other minor cuts to the camera and also removing wireless charging, but it’s a really good device at its $499 price tag.

Our Jordan Floyd praised it for its performance, features, and overall quality for the price in his review (above).

But in a new ad, OnePlus is directly challenging Google, saying that Pixel owners should “upgrade from your Pixel” by switching to OnePlus 12R. The ad, which we spotted on Facebook, brags on the OnePlus 12R’s “More Bang, Less Bucks” and advertises it starting at $399. That price, notably, only applies when you trade in another device, though. OnePlus will give a minimum of $100 for any smartphone.

In the case of upgrading from a Pixel, that $100 trade-in deal is actually quite stellar, as many older Pixel phones have super low resale values at this point. That said, OnePlus’ lesser cameras tend to be a step down even from older Pixels, and OxygenOS is not everyone’s cup of tea, so whether or not this is an “upgrade” is a personal matter, and it’s certainly bold of OnePlus to challenge so directly.