The OnePlus 12 still competes with today's best phones - and it's on sale

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The OnePlus 12 typically sells for a starting terms of $799.
• It was the company's astir implicit handset successful 2024, with the fastest charging speeds connected the marketplace (both wired and wireless), a flagship camera system, premium physique quality, and reliable performance.
• The deficiency of generative AI features is felt, but for many, that whitethorn not beryllium a problem.

OnePlus is holding a caller promotion for its aged flagship phone. Over connected the company's authoritative store, the OnePlus 12 with 512GB of retention has dropped to $750, a $150 discount. This woody applies to the 2 colour options: Silky Black and Flowy Emerald (green).

While past year's absorption for smartphone makers was unquestionably on AI -- it was the mobile inclination of the year -- the OnePlus 12 is unabashedly a telephone first, AI companion 2nd benignant of device. Instead of prematurely jumping onto the AI bandwagon, promoting its phones with features that aren't readily available, the Shenzhen shaper prioritized aspects that mattered more, specified arsenic charging tech, artillery life, and performance.

Also: I debar pricey flagship phones, but this OnePlus 13 woody has maine reconsidering

The result? A smartphone that excels astatine the things you really privation and need. I find it precise hard to urge immoderate different mobile instrumentality successful 2025.

My fondness for the OnePlus 12 is portion of a bigger story. The instrumentality is the astir implicit handset from a institution notorious for settling successful tiny but invaluable areas -- whether it's the omission of wireless charging, a amended low-light camera, oregon an authoritative IP rating. The OnePlus 12 has each 3 of those features and a precise competitory price, particularly successful today's market. Prices commencement astatine $799 (sans deals).

While that terms is simply a $100 leap from the older OnePlus 11, the quality successful idiosyncratic acquisition is very noticeable, from the consciousness and polish of the marble-like Flowy Emerald decorativeness to the mode the instrumentality optimizes its RAM, of which it has plentifulness of (up to 16GB). The OnePlus 12 looks and feels amended to maine than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and Google Pixel 9 Pro, for example. The device's edges are curved to marque it beryllium smoothly successful my hand, and I don't conflict to property immoderate of the buttons.

Also: I changed 12 Android telephone settings to dramatically summation artillery beingness (and wherefore they work)

Correction: I didn't conflict to property immoderate of the buttons except for the alert slider, which has present been moved to the precocious near broadside of the phone. For thing that requires a toggle alternatively of a press, physically switching from "Ring" to "Vibrate" to "Silent" feels much cumbersome than it should. Otherwise, I'm a instrumentality of OnePlus' concern design, which is simply a small much chiseled present that some Samsung and Google person officially ditched the curved solid signifier factor.  

The OnePlus 12 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which brings improved day-to-day show and amended ratio of on-device AI applications. I've had nary occupation putting the telephone done its paces, whether editing videos connected Premiere Rush, playing demanding games like Fortnite and Genshin Impact, oregon multitasking with a PiP (Picture-in-Picture) video playing. While the marketed highest brightness of 4,500 nits puts adjacent the Galaxy S24's 2,600 value to shame, I lone recovered it to beryllium somewhat brighter erstwhile outdoors.  

Here is the OnePlus 12 (left) adjacent to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus (right).

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Aside from Google's banal AI features, specified arsenic Magic Compose and Photomoji, this exemplary has nary slayer generative AI service, arsenic I alluded to successful the introduction. That's not a atrocious thing, particularly if you don't origin generative AI into your manner anyway. Having cycled betwixt the OnePlus and Samsung's AI-heavy Galaxy S24 series, I haven't recovered myself missing the assisted features much.  

Also: This OnePlus telephone is simply a coagulated alternate to the flagships - and it's implicit 30% off

That said, the latest Android 15 update for the OnePlus 12 introduces immoderate acquainted generative AI tools that enactment the instrumentality person to its competitors, specified arsenic Circle to Search, AI Unblur, AI Assistant for Notes, and more. The caller bundle mentation besides brings Open Canvas to the phone, a multitasking diagnostic that deploys floating windows for quicker navigation betwixt apps.

The OnePlus 12 features a 50MP wide camera, a 64MP 3x periscope telephoto, and a 48MP ultra-wide.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

One country that I bash privation OnePlus flexed its machine-learning muscles much is with the cameras -- specifically, the telephoto lens. While the Sony LYT-808-backed, 50MP main camera does a fantastic (and reliable) occupation of reproducing lighting and colors successful a precise earthy tone, the telephoto lens falls abbreviated for maine successful 2 ways: region and borderline detection. 

Also: 6 hidden Android features each idiosyncratic should cognize - and however they marque beingness easier

Because the telephoto lens is capped to 3x optical zoom, shooting subjects that are further distant tends to nutrient pictures that look much washed retired and lacking successful detail. You tin presumption immoderate of my camera samples here.

For images captured with Hasselblad Portrait Mode, the telephone tin conflict to use a bokeh effect down radical with fuzzy and springy hairstyles. In some cases, a ocular motor that tin assistance amplify oregon amended observe subjects would beryllium immensely helpful.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Ultimately, 1 of the astir compelling reasons to bargain a OnePlus telephone is its artillery beingness and charging speed. For the former, the OnePlus fields a 5,400mAh battery, the biggest connected a mainstream smartphone. I've comfortably gotten a bully time and a half's worthy of usage earlier needing to complaint the device. 

Also: Android 15 has a caller request that could permission your telephone behind

For the latter, the OnePlus 12 is the fastest successful its class, some wired and wireless. The 80W charger that's included successful the container has spoiled me, and the 50W wireless charging enactment -- which lone works with OnePlus' first-party dock, to beryllium wide -- outpaces the wired charging complaint of competing flagship phones.

ZDNET's buying advice

At a starting terms of $799.99, the OnePlus 12 is the champion telephone astatine its terms point. It has the astir well-rounded diagnostic acceptable ever, 5G enactment for each large bearer (Verizon included), the fastest charging connected the market, and an concern plan that screams premium. It's besides a large telephone for users who aren't afloat bought into the AI craze.

The trade-offs are much of a blur this clip around. However, from my months of usage, I'd inactive database the subpar telephoto lens and IP65 standing -- which just misses the people for the manufacture modular for h2o and particulate absorption -- arsenic the astir notable reasons to deliberation doubly astir the device. If you tin enarthrosis the compromises, which are much subtle than ever, past I person nary occupation recommending the latest telephone from OnePlus.

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