OnePlus made its name offering flagship Android performance at slightly lower prices, and while the phones have ballooned in price over the last decade, they still do a good enough job of undercutting the big players on value-for-money grounds.
And in 2024, that could be even more stark as OnePlus plans to give the OnePlus 12R a global release. It’s the first time an ‘R’ series handset has been released outside of China and India, and should offer sensible cuts on the full-price OnePlus 12.
Here’s what we’re expecting from the OnePlus 12R.
OnePlus 12R: Price and release date
OnePlus has confirmed both the OnePlus 12 and 12R will launch at the ‘Smooth Beyond Belief’ event. It kicks off at 9 a.m EST or 6 a.m. PST on January 23, 2024. A release shortly after would certainly make sense.
As for pricing, that’s up in the air at the moment. But given this looks like a rival to the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, a price of around $599 doesn’t seem out of the question.
OnePlus 12R: Design and core specs
Thanks to MySmartPrice and the prolific tipster OnLeaks, we’ve had a good idea of the OnePlus 12R’s look and core specs since June — back when it was assumed to be exclusively for the Indian and Chinese markets.
The phone will reportedly have a 6.74-inch, 120Hz, OLED screen with a pinhole camera at the top of its all-screen display.
So far, (screen size aside) so OnePlus 12. But it will apparently diverge from the flagship model on its internals. The main difference is that while the OnePlus 12 is set to get the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, the 12R will instead use last year’s model — the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. That’s still a powerful chipset, but it won’t benefit from the AI smarts Qualcomm is promising from the latest silicon.
Elsewhere, the specs look solid, with the leak suggesting the phone will start with 12GB RAM, and offer configurations of up to 16GB should you feel so inclined. It will reportedly pack a generous 5,500mAh battery, which will offer 100W fast charging out of the box.
OnePlus 12R: Cameras
For the camera specs, we can turn to a more recent reveal from the reliable leaker Yogesh Brar.
OnePlus 12R(Camera specs)- 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor(1/1.56”, f/1.8, 24mm) (OIS)- 8MP Sony IMX355 Ultra-Wide sensor(1/4”, f/2.2, 16mm, 112°)- 32MP Sony IMX709 Telephoto sensor2X optical (1/2.74", f/2.0, 47mm)Video:- 4K 30/60fps- 1080p 30/60fpsDecember 11, 2023
Posting on X (née Twitter), Brar stated that the phone will feature a triple camera array led by the 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor. It will be accompanied by a 32MP Sony IMX709 telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and an 8MP Sony IMX355 sensor for ultra-wide shots. Hasselblad branding, Brar says, will only be for the flagship model.
While the camera will be capable of shooting 4K video at 60fps, these are nonetheless an area of compromise compared to the flagship OnePlus 12, which features a camera array with a 48MP ultrawide sensor and a 64MP 3x telephoto lens.
OnePlus 12R: Outlook
While objectively weaker than the main OnePlus 12, the OnePlus 12R looks like a reasonable compromise for buyers aiming to save a few bucks. The specs look solid, and the cutbacks appear to have been made in sensible areas.
A lot will come down to the price, but if it ends up significantly undercutting the OnePlus 12, this could be one of the best Android phones of 2024.
