OnePlus 12: for its 10th anniversary, the brand is aiming for ultra-premium

One of the first ambassadors of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is official, at least in the Chinese market. After Xiaomi’s 14 series and a first model from Vivo, it is the turn of OnePlus, traditionally one of the first to adopt new chips from Qualcomm, to formalize its latest addition. It is therefore the OnePlus 12 which is making its debut in the Middle Kingdom, with availability scheduled from December 11, 2023. The manufacturer is used to subsequently launching its flagships internationally, and we can hope to find it in Europe by the end of the first quarter of 2024. For the record, the OnePlus 11 was announced on the Old Continent at the beginning of February 2023.

Record brightness in sight

The OnePlus 12, which interests us here, is classified in the high-end smartphone segment and, like its predecessor, is not accompanied by any Pro version. This “anniversary” model, since it appears for the tenth anniversary of OnePlus, brings together all the constituent criteria of a premium smartphone. We therefore find a screen that is not flat, which seems to be the trend announced for 2024, but curved, and displaying a QHD+ definition of 3168 x 1440 pixels on a diagonal of 6.82 inches. As is often the case with the brand, it is an Amoled panel, which benefits from LTPO technology, promising a refresh rate varying between 1 and 120 Hz. Added to this is an announced brightness of up to 4500 nits, nothing less.

Under the hood – elegant, judging by the photos shared by the brand – of this OnePlus 12 sits Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, flanked by 12, 16 or 24 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. As usual, the manufacturer skips the microSD port, but does not skimp on storage: we find 256 GB to 1 TB of internal space within this terminal. Focusing largely on power, the smartphone is logically equipped with an improved cooling system; OnePlus opts for an enlarged vapor chamber (9140 mm²), if we compare it to that of the OnePlus 11. The smartphone nevertheless displays a contained thickness of 9.15 mm, despite the integration of a 5400 mAh battery, more substantial than that of the 11 (5000 mAh). This is compatible not only with fast charging at 100 W, like its predecessor, but also with wireless charging at 50 W, which was not offered on the OnePlus 11.

The beginnings of a new photo sensor

The photo component constitutes one of the main elements of high-end smartphones, and OnePlus always relies on its partnership with Hasselblad to stand out from its competitors. The settings established by the Swedish apply to a triple module. The first includes a 50 megapixel sensor (Sony LYT-808) flanked by an f/1.6 wide-angle lens; this sensor, indicates the Chinese brand, was co-developed by it with Sony, and promises to capture 55% more light if we compare it to the IMX890 of the OnePlus 11; the second, 48 Mpx, is accompanied by an ultra wide-angle (f/2.2) and a 64 Mpx sensor with 3x optics equivalent to 70 mm (f/2.6). Many shooting modes and settings are mentioned, as well as an improvement in the smartphone’s performance in low light.

The smartphone, finally, benefits from compatibility with WiFi 7, provided by its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and comes with Android 14. Two slight drawbacks should still be noted: it benefits from IP65 certification, and is therefore not entirely waterproof, and does not accommodate an e-SIM. The smartphone will be priced from 4,299 yuan, or around €560 excluding taxes, while the starting price of the OnePlus 11 was set at 3,999 yuan, for a launch at €849 in France; we can therefore hope that it will be available below €1000 in our regions. In its best-equipped version (24 GB/1 TB), it will cost 5799 yuan, or around €755 excluding tax.