After the OnePlus 12 was launched in Malaysia, many people asked where are the reviews by the Malaysian media? If you are one of the individuals asking this question, here is a full review article for this device.
Although I received this device a little late, I am still satisfied with it. Last year, the OnePlus 11 came third for the Best Device 2023 – Best Value Smartphone award. How about this year? Read my full review below.
Read: Review – OnePlus 11 is Reliable enough to rely on
SPECIFICATION AND DESIGN
OnePlus 12
6.78″ AMOLED screen, 3168 x 1440 QHD+,
120Hz ProXDR, LTPO, 4500 nits,
Gorilla Glass Vistus 2
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor (4 nm)
1x 3.3 GHz Cortex-X4
3×3.2 GHz Cortex-A720
2x 3.0 GHz Cortex-A720
2×2.3 GHz Cortex-A520
Adreno 750 Graphics Chip
RAM 16GB LPDDR5X
12GB Virtual
512GB UFS 4.0 storage
Main Camera 50MP LYT-808, f/1.6, OIS/EIS (Wide Angle)
64MP, OmniVision OV64B, f/2.6, OIS/EIS, 3x + 6x zoom (Telephoto Periscope)
50MP IMX581, f/2.2, EIS (ultra wide angle)
Hasselblad Camera for Mobile, 4K Dolby Vision
Front Camera 32MP, IMX615, f/2.4
5400mAh battery
100W SuperVOOC + 50W AirVOOC
5G Dual-SIM Sim/Telephony
Dolby Atmos Stereo Speaker Audio
WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth WiFi 7, Yes, Bluetooth 5.4,
Infrared Yes
Waterproof None
Under Screen Fingerprint Scanning System
Sale Price RM4,599 (16/512 GB)
The OnePlus 12 is a complete device with almost perfect specs. Premium and sexy design and build, a beautiful and attractive screen despite being curved, a Hasselblad camera that does not disappoint, a large battery with fast charging and the Oxygen OS software that still has the fast and smooth elements it was famous for.
Curved screens do look premium but now flagship devices should use flat screen designs because they don't interfere with the user experience. The rest of the device looks the same as the OnePlus 11 and OnePlus 12 are recycled third-generation devices. The design changes are very small such as the finish of the back panel, the pattern on the camera bump and the position of the buttons only.
I still like the design of the OnePlus 12 but don't “love” it. This device is easy to handle, easy to use with one hand, feels premium and luxurious and during use I really got the experience of using an expensive device.
The volume and power adjustment buttons are nice to press, then the notification drop-down switch is still my favorite because it was introduced a long time ago. For fans of OnePlus devices, this feature is considered a must-have.
The biometric system included is an under-screen fingerprint scanner and a face scan. It works really fast and doesn't make me feel awkward to activate it all the time.
A possible drawback is the lack of IP68 waterproof guarantee which is standard on flagship devices in 2024. In the American and Indian markets the device is listed as passing the IP65 standard but in Malaysia it is not shown on the official site. OnePlus has a habit of only offering certain features in select markets. For example last year 100W charging was supported in Malaysia but not in America.
SCREEN
OnePlus 12 uses a 6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED 120Hz screen. With a peak brightness of up to 4500 nits, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ content can be displayed at the right settings. The screen protection is Gorilla Glass Victus 2. What is a bit strange is that the OnePlus 12R (which is cheaper and has lower specifications) uses a much more advanced screen technology which is LTPO4 with support for touching the screen when wet.
In my usage, the OnePlus 12 screen is one of the best. Netflix and Disney+ content can be streamed at the highest settings. Editing in Canva or Adobe Express is very bright and satisfying. The OnePlus 12 in my opinion has the closest screen quality to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra except in the area of avoiding light reflection glare.
USE – OXYGEN OS 14 + ANDESGPT
Although Oxygen OS is not as close to stock Android as it used to be, it still maintains smooth and fast elements until it is integrated into Color OS for Oppo and Realme devices. The Oxygen OS 14 used on the OnePlus 12 remains as fast, simple and I didn't encounter any issues during the review period of around 4 weeks.
OnePus 12 still supports many interesting customization features, the use of AI background images, color theme changes according to the background image, the always-on Display feature and still maintains many features and functions from Oppo devices to make this OnePlus 12 pleasant to use as a daily device. All the applications I use on a daily basis are able to operate at a smooth rate and without lag issues.
The device will receive operating system updates up to 4 versions of Android and 5 years of security patches. This is satisfactory but Samsung and Google have started offering support for 7 versions of Android and 7 years of security patches on their latest devices. I'm still waiting to see when other Android manufacturers will follow in the footsteps of Samsung and Google as it ensures that devices last longer.
Fast performance, groundbreaking experience, does the OnePlus 12 also feature generative AI like the competition? Yes, OnePlus is using AndesGPT just like Oppo and the one given on Oxygen OS 14 so far is the AI Eraser feature. Here is an example of what AndesGPT can do on the OnePlus 12;
AI Eraser, Smart Lasso.
Use the smart selection tool to select objects either to be removed or replaced or to add objects to the selected area.
AI Eraser, Paint Over
Use the manual selection tool to perform the same feature above.
PERFORMANCE AND BENCHMARKS
OnePlus 12 is another flagship device with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. After lab tested many smartphones with this chip, iQOO 12 is the device with the highest and smoothest performance, then Xiaomi 14 Ultra, then ASUS ROG Phone 8, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Xiaomi 14 and OnePlus 12 at the bottom.
Despite the low benchmark score of the OnePlus 12, the actual use of the device as I said earlier has no problems at all. This may be due to high memory usage or many applications running in the background to make things easier for users. Here is a benchmark comparison with competing devices using AnTuTu 3D, Geekbench 6 and 3DMark;
Antutu 3D
OnePlus 12 – 1,579,634
Xiaomi 14 Ultra – 2,000,434
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – 1,768,765
iQOO 12 – 2,075,821
Xiaomi 14 – 1,773,520
ASUS ROG Phone 8 – 1,953,486
Geekbench 6
OnePlus 12 – 967/5020
Xiaomi 14 Ultra – 2221/6632
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – 2278/7016
iQOO 12 – 2181/6631
Xiaomi 14 – 1741/6313
ASUS ROG Phone 8 – 2032/6373
3D Mark Wildlife Extreme
OnePlus 12 – 4632/27.74 fps
Xiaomi 14 Ultra – 4717/28.25 fps
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – 4657 / 27.89 fps
iQOO 12 – 5045/30.22 fps
Xiaomi 14 – 4499/26.94 fps
ASUS ROG Phone 8 – NONE
3DMark Solar Bay
OnePlus 12 – 8452/32.14 fps
Xiaomi 14 Ultra – NONE
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – 8564 / 32.56 fps
iQOO 12 – 8528 / 32.43 fps
Xiaomi 14 – 7722/29.36 fps
ASUS ROG Phone 8 – NONE
Playing games such as Call of Duty Mobile, Marvel Snap, CarX Street and many more also provide a satisfying experience. What I'm thankful for is, OnePlus is smart in managing power consumption so that the device doesn't heat up when heavy tasks are done.
CAMERA
Since last year with the OnePlus 11 I have been very excited and in love with the capabilities of Hasselblad cameras. This year with the OnePlus 12 it's the same, I'm still surprised that this sub-brand device that people are increasingly forgetting is still beautiful and great.
From the auto mode with the 50MP main sensor, the neat and beautiful portrait capabilities, the stunning night mode, the drool-worthy OnePlus ultra-wide angle and the zoom capabilities approaching the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Daytime auto mode with ProXDR looks beautiful and full of details.
Auto mode in a restaurant with one light beaming directly onto the subject, appetizing results despite the not-so-palatable food.
Dusk time with auto mode that still preserves details even in low light.
Good OIS system, take pictures while walking without shaking.
A fast and smooth focusing system, even moving babies can focus well.
Professional looking portrait mode as if taken with a real expensive camera.
Many LED lights do not have a serious reflective effect.
Even the night mode still has a good HDR effect.
Portrait selfies also look neat and consistent.
This moving and colorful ceiling decoration looks beautiful and satisfying.
Don't be surprised if this is a flower on a tree swaying in the wind and taken with 6x zoom.
Auto mode in dark areas no noise effect.
I was also very surprised by the zoom capabilities of the OnePlus 12, as it has a good quality that approaches the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. The samples below are 1x, 6x, 10x and 60x modes – they look nice and clear.
Videos
The video recording quality also no longer makes me complain, why is the iPhone camera more beautiful on social media than Android? The 4K Dolby Vision recording capabilities, OIS support, and focus made me confident in this device until the main vlog for Hisense last month I used the OnePlus 12 100%. *The result above was recorded in 4K Dolby Vision mode, but has been edited to reduce the size for easy viewing.
AUDIO
The stereo speaker system on the OnePlus 12 is powered by Dolby Atmos. It offers balanced, loud audio and every singer's voice regardless of gender is quite melodious. OnePlus also has a Holo Audio feature that allows users to listen to audio from different applications in a more immersive way. For example you are watching a movie on Netflix using the OnePlus Buds 2 Pro, the notification sound will sound as if it is behind the user or above. If using another TWS that supports spatial audio, it can also activate this feature.
BATTERY AND CHARGING
The 5400mAh battery is one of the big ones for a OnePlus device. Over almost a month of use, I received endurance of up to 7 hours SOT for light use and around 5-6 hours for heavy use. The 100W SuperVOOC charging period from 0% to 100% is also very fast, it takes around 26 minutes. If you have AirVOOC, wireless charging can be fully charged in 55 minutes.
More interesting with this OnePlus 12 is that they continue the battery saving technology to guarantee longer battery health. There are some AI features that control the charging power during sleep and also have an iPhone-like feature that can display battery health.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
OnePlus is starting to follow in the footsteps of Apple and Samsung, as the OnePlus 12 no longer has a charger.
1x OnePlus 12
1x SIM Pin
1x USB-A to USB-C Cable
1x Appreciation card and sticker set
1x Set of manual and safety book
CONCLUSION
OnePlus 12 this year with a higher selling price than last year. Then only one model and variation is offered at a price of RM4,599 which is RM1000 more expensive than OnePlus 11. But when compared to Xiaomi 14 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra I feel OnePlus is still very competitive in price.
The camera capabilities are great, the screen quality is impressive (with Dolby Vision), the software is smooth, the battery lasts and the audio is also satisfactory. I did not compare with vivo X100 Pro because the price is more than RM4000, there are still advertisements displayed.
This device is a near perfect flagship device. All the shortcomings of the OnePlus 12 such as wireless charging have been included. AI features are also there for more interesting photo editing and updates are also given for 4+5 years. If you're looking for a flagship device with a great Hasselblad camera, easy-to-use software – trust me you won't regret buying the official OnePlus 12 set Malaysia.
PRO
Screen quality comparable to more expensive flagship devices.
Oxygen OS performance and a satisfying first.
An amazing Hasselblad camera.
Balanced and nice stereo speakers.
AI Eraser by AndesGPT is an interesting feature.
Long lasting battery with fast charging.
CONS
The screen is still curved.
Video recording controls are too basic.
There aren't as many AI features as competitor offerings.
No charger in the box.
There is no official waterproof protection in Malaysia.