Syed Imran Haider 
OnePlus has made a name for itself in the smartphone market steadily by offering devices that are competitively priced and undercut flagship devices of companies like Google and Samsung. But, the OnePlus 12 is not as cheap as its predecessor and some new features have been added to justify the price hike.
Design and build
The OnePlus 12 is 9.15mm thick and weighs 220g, which makes it a weighty and big flagship device that you are unlikely to miss. The massive circular camera module that was introduced with the 11 has been retained, which comes with inscriptions detailing the specifications of every camera. The back is glass and it fools smooth, just like the curved display. The front is covered with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and the back comes with Gorilla Glass 5.
The phone does not have a headphone jack, which has become quite common for flagship phones. The SIM tray is next to the USB-C port on the bottom, while the power and volume buttons are on the right-hand side. Haptics on the phone are some of the best you will come across, as there are different patterns offered for calls, messages and alerts.
Screen and speakers
The OnePlus 11 had an AMOLED 6.7-inch panel, which has now been increased to 6.82-inches and the resolution has been increased to 1440 x 3168. LPTO tech has been used in the device with a 120Hz refresh rate that can be adjusted down to 1Hz for saving battery power. The phone supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision and it is responsive, bold and colorful.
As far as biometrics are concerned, it has a fingerprint sensor under the display and also offers face recognition. The stereo speakers are also excellent, as they support Dolby Atmos. They are clear and produce good sound. There are four sound profiles under the Dolby Atmos section, which are Music, Gaming, Movie and Smart.
Support for ‘holo audio’ and spatial audio is also provided, as long as you have compatible apps and earbuds for these features. The former allows you to have different sounds come from different directions.
Specs and performance
The OnePlus 12 has been fitted with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and it comes with 12 or 16GB RAM and 256 or 512GB storage. Needless to say, the performance is more than exceptional for doing day-to-day tasks. The phone boasts a Dual Cryo-velocity VC Cooling System to improve heat dissipation. It keeps the device cool when you are playing demanding games.
Camera
OnePlus has continued its partnership with Hassleblad for its devices’ cameras. The main 50Mp camera boasts OIS and uses Sony’s LYT-808 1/1.4 sensor, which allows a lot of light in. The phone makes it easy to take impressive photos, even in dark environments. The colors are quite realistic and textures are also lifelike. There is an upgraded 64Mp telephoto camera that offers 3x optical zoom, 120x digital zoom and 6x ‘lossless’ zoom. Next is a 48Mp wide-angle camera that offers less flair, but softer edges. There is also a 32Mp front-facing camera for selfies.
The Verdict
The OnePlus 12 is downright fantastic and you will find the phone a joy to use. The design is disctintive and stunning and the performance is downright excellent. The long battery life, top-notch main cameras and the bright screen make it a worthy investment.
