OnePlus 12 – OnePlus’s Latest Flagship for India

OnePlus’s newest flagship, the OnePlus 12, made a splash in late 2023 as the company’s high-end 10th-anniversary phone OnePlus 12 It launched globally in December 2023 (and in India by January 2024) as the successor to the OnePlus 11. The OnePlus 12 packs top-tier specs in a sleek package – a 6.82-inch curved OLED display, the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU, up to 16GB RAM, and a Hasselblad-tuned triple camera system. In India the base 12GB/256GB model debuted at ₹64,999 (₹69,999 for 16GB/512GB), available in eye-catching “Flowy Emerald” marble-green or Silky Black finishes. In short, OnePlus 12 is positioned as one of the best OnePlus phones yet – a smooth, feature-rich OnePlus flagship for Indian users.

Design & Build

The OnePlus 12 looks and feels premium. Its marble-like rear panel shimmers with subtle veining in the Flowy Emerald color, while a matte Silky Black option is also offered OnePlus 12 review. The aluminum frame holds a curved front glass that slopes elegantly at the edges. A circular Hasselblad camera module on the back (inspired by luxury watches) houses all three rear lenses . Despite the big 6.8inch screen, the phone is relatively comfortable to grip thanks to the curved edges. OnePlus even includes its signature alert slider on the left edge. Notably, unlike some past models, the OnePlus 12 carries an IP65 dust/water resistance rating. In short, the build is sturdy and refined – etched glass on back and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on front provide a high-end look and feel.

Display

OnePlus has gone all-out on the 6.82-inch screen. The OnePlus 12 sports a Quad HD+ (1440×3168) AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. More impressively, it hits a peak brightness of 4,500 nits– claimed to be the brightest smartphone panel ever. This is thanks to a new “Blue Diamond” pixel layout and a Display P1 chip, which together boost brightness and color without extra power cost. Daylight viewing is spectacular, with vibrant colors and sharp detail even under the sun. The panel also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for video. In use, the adaptive LTPO technology smoothly shifts from 1 Hz (for static images) up to 120 Hz for gaming and scrolling, giving fluid animations and conserving battery when you’re reading or viewing static content. Tiny bezels frame the display, and a centered punch hole selfie camera keeps distractions minimal. All in all, the OnePlus 12’s screen is a visual treat – smooth, bright, and richly colored – living up to its “Pro XDR” marketing.

Performance

Under the hood, the OnePlus 12 is a powerhouse. It runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – Android’s top chipset as of 2024 – paired with 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB UFS 4.0 storage. OnePlus also added its “Trinity” performance engine and a large vapor chamber cooling system to keep things speedy and cool. In practice, the phone flies. Benchmarks show the OnePlus 12 outperforming many rivals (one test even found it outpaced the Pixel 8 Pro by a factor of two in graphics performance . In day to day use – from gaming to heavy multitasking – the experience is silky and lag-free. During testing, the phone smoothly handled intense 3D games and had no thermal throttling issues. It also offers stereo speakers tuned with Dolby Atmos and “3D Spatial Audio,” so games and movies sound punchy and clear even at low volume.

On the software side, the OnePlus 12 runs OxygenOS 14 (based on Android 14) out of the box. OnePlus promises at least four years of Android updates and five years of security patches so buyers can expect Android 15 (and beyond) support. The customized UI is feature-rich: it includes an always-on display, customizable themes, Edge Lighting notifications, and multiple levels of Dark Mode, plus the option to use or remove the app drawer. Recent updates (OxygenOS 15) are also bringing AI wizardry like photo unblur and voice-to-text features, keeping the software fresh. All told, the OnePlus 12 feels like the best OnePlus phone for raw performance – it’s flagship-fast, smooth, and packed with software perks.

Battery & Charging OnePlus 12 has a big 5400 mAh battery (dual cell 2700+2700mAh) OnePlus 12 Specs , a bump up from the 5000 mAh in the OnePlus 11. Benchmarks show a clear endurance improvement: real world tests report around 25–30% longer battery life than its predecessor. So even with that super bright display and 5G modem, the 12 easily lasts a full day on a charge under mixed use. When you do need power, OnePlus’s fast charging is insanely fast. The phone ships with a 100W SuperVOOC charger (plus 50W wireless AirVOOC support). In practice, it charges from 0% to 100% in around a half hour. One test got 0–100% in just 32 minutes, and OnePlus claims about 26 minutes. Even wirelessly (with OnePlus’s charger), the 12 fills up in about an hour – unheard of for wireless charging. For comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra (with 45W wired) needed over an hour to top up, whereas the OnePlus 12 (100W) can do it in under 25 minutes. In short, the OnePlus 12’s battery life is strong, and its charging speed is flagship-beating – you’ll rarely run out of juice.

Cameras

On paper, the OnePlus 12 camera specs look familiar but refined. It has a triple rear camera system tuned by Hasselblad: a 50 MP main wide angle (Sony LYT-808, f/1.6, OIS), a 64 MP periscope telephoto (3× optical zoom, f/2.6, OIS), and a 48 MP ultra-wide (114° FoV, f/2.2). A 32 MP selfie camera lives in the punch hole up front. In real use, the camera delivers bright, detailed photos. Daylight shots from the main lens are sharp with vibrant colors, while the ultra-wide captures wide scenes without too much distortion. Thanks to Hasselblad tuning and a large sensor, even low-light shots hold decent detail. The new periscope lens is a standout: it quietly improves on OnePlus’s previous zoom, giving clear 3× telephoto shots, and supports up to 120× digital zoom for distant objects. Optical image stabilization (OIS) on both main and telephoto helps keep images sharp, even in shaky hands. For advanced users, there’s a full “Master Mode” and Hasselblad portrait filters for fine-tuning (adjusting tint, saturation, etc.) before you snap. The front camera also does its job, producing crisp 32 MP selfies. Overall, the OnePlus 12’s camera system is a clear step up from older OnePlus phones (especially with its fancy periscope lens) and easily handles most photo needs – from Instagram snaps to wide scenic shots.

Software & Features

Besides the core specs, the OnePlus 12 has some handy extras. It includes an IR blaster for controlling TVs and appliances (a feature unique to some OnePlus phones). Audio is strong too, with a headphone jack (actually, no – OnePlus removed it) but excellent Bluetooth codecs and the aforementioned stereo speakers. The phone supports 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC and all the modern radios, plus dual SIM for India. OnePlus has also filled the 12 with useful software features. In OxygenOS 14, users get a host of customizations: edge-lighting effects, Always-On Display choices, and multiple drawer layouts . Dark Mode comes in three levels of darkness. Future Android 15 (OxygenOS 15) updates will bring new AI gimmicks like AI photo editing, unblur, and even AI note-taking. Together, these make the OnePlus 12 feel mature and versatile – everything “just works,” whether you’re gaming, streaming, or multi-tasking.

OnePlus 12 vs. Previous Flagships

How does the OnePlus 12 stack up against its own family? It’s largely an incremental upgrade over the OnePlus 11. The design is “more-or-less the same” as OnePlus 11 OnePlus 12 , keeping the curved back and camera circle, but the 12 gains a larger 5400 mAh battery (vs. 5000 mAh) and the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 platform . The display is similar in size, but the 12’s panel is much brighter (4,500 nits vs. about 1,300 on the 11). The biggest new hardware change is the telephoto camera – the 11 lacked a periscope zoom, so the 12 finally adds 3× optical zoom and much better long-range shots. It also picks up an official water resistance rating (IP65) that older models didn’t have. In summary, the OnePlus 12 polishes and boosts many specs from past OnePlus flagships: it’s faster, has more RAM/storage, charges quicker, and takes better zoomed photos. Other competitors (like Samsung’s S23/S24 or Apple’s iPhone 15) may offer similar high-end performance, but for many buyers looking at OnePlus, the 12 feels like the most complete package yet in the OnePlus lineup – arguably the best OnePlus phone up to its launch.

Pricing & Availability in India

At launch, the OnePlus 12 was priced competitively. The 12GB+256GB model started at ₹64,999 and the 16GB+512GB at ₹69,999 in India . OnePlus offered pre-orders and bank/exchange offers (₹2,000 ICICI discount, ₹10,000 exchange bonus, etc.)  to sweeten the deal. As of 2025, the price has come down; sales and Amazon/Flipkart have seen the base model near ₹59,999, and bank card deals can drop it to ~₹53,999 . The phone is widely available: you can buy the OnePlus 12 online via OnePlus’s own store, Amazon India, Flipkart or other retailers . It’s also sold through OnePlus Experience Stores and major electronics stores across India (and available on EMI or exchange plans). In short, buying the OnePlus 12 in India is easy – it’s on all the usual platforms with festive-season deals and easy upgrade schemes still running.

Conclusion

Overall, the OnePlus 12 delivers on the promise of a flagship OnePlus phone. It ticks all the boxes for an Indian buyer: striking design, blazing-fast performance, a gorgeously bright display, long battery life with warp speed charging, and a capable camera system. It’s a OnePlus flagship that feels polished and well-rounded. Global reviewers have noted that it offers great value (CNN praised its ~$800 price vs. features , and in India it’s similarly a smart pick for someone wanting top-tier specs without a flagship price. If you’re looking to buy a flagship-level phone in India, the OnePlus 12 is easily one of the best OnePlus phones you can get, offering a smooth, feature-packed experience that should satisfy tech enthusiasts and everyday users alike.