OnePlus 12/Wala!
Technology, Bnei Aharon
In an age where phone manufacturers are competing with each other for sophisticated AI features, the new OnePlus 12 brings with it a breath of fresh air.
The device, whose price starts at NIS 3,999 (about NIS 900 cheaper than the Galaxy S24 Ultra), emphasizes strong performance, an advanced photography setup, a sleek design and a clean user experience, without unnecessary extras.
And what is still worth knowing and where are the compromises?
We received it for in-depth testing from Cell-Now, the official importer of OnePlus in Israel, and came back with conclusions that you should (very) know.
Design
The OnePlus 12 presents a design largely similar to the previous generation.
On the front we find a 6.82-inch screen, with a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 coating that protects the display, next to a "hole" that houses the selfie camera at the top.
However, although Samsung also parted ways with the curved bezel trend with the Galaxy S24 series, the OnePlus 12 brings it back to life.
A sloping screen does give the impression that the device is thinner, but it makes the work area smaller, distorts the display and sometimes causes unwanted pressure on the screen when holding it.
In short, it was possible to give it up.
The OnePlus 12 presents a largely similar design to the previous generation/Vala!
Technology, Bnei Aharon
On the back, a fairly large camera unit stands out surrounded by Gorilla Glass 5 with a unique matte finish, while the green-hued model I received for review boasts a wavy pattern that I quite like.
In addition, the volume buttons have been moved to the same side as the power button, making them more comfortable to use with one hand, while the characteristic OnePlus mute switch now occupies its own place on the left side.
In terms of durability, One Plus is not at the top, but not far behind either.
The device is made of aluminum, similar to many of the competitors, except for the flagship devices of Samsung and Apple, which switched to titanium.
In addition, the device has an IP65 resistance rating against dust and water,
although not the best on the market
, but still provides protection against rain and splashes.
The OnePlus 12 next to the Galaxy S24 ultra/walla!
Technology, Bnei Aharon
The brightest screen?
About
As mentioned, the screen here is 6.82 inches, with an LTPO AMOLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate and support for Dolby Vision, and it is one of the best screens I have seen recently.
According to One Plus, this is the brightest screen ever on a smartphone, with a brightness record of no less than 4,500 nits.
On paper, that means it's brighter than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra and almost twice as bright as the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
However, these are data measured under laboratory conditions.
In fact, in a direct comparison, the difference between the iPhone and the OnePlus 12 is not very huge.
In any case, as expected from a flagship device it is excellent for movies and games and the high brightness makes it great for use outside the home, especially for the Israeli summer days.
According to OnePlus, this is the brightest screen ever on a smartphone/wallah!
Technology, Bnei Aharon
Performance and interface
While the design of the OnePlus 12 does not show a significant change, its performance is one of the best in the Android market today.
The device comes with Qualcomm's innovative Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, alongside a working memory (RAM) of 12 gigabytes or 16 gigabytes and internal storage of up to 512 gigabytes.
In practice, even after running a bunch of tests, I could quickly go back to recent apps in the list and go right back to where I left off, almost instantly.
Games load and run without stuttering and I had a hard time finding anything that slows down the device.
The device comes with the Android 14 operating system and the company's Oxygen OS interface on top of it.
The interface is easy to use, more stylish than clean Android, and is also suitable for new users and not only experienced ones.
OnePlus also added a "smart island" called Fluid Cloud that is very reminiscent of Apple's Dynamic Island.
Right now it only works with specific apps like a clock (timer) or recording.
The company promises software updates for four years and security updates for another five years, but that falls short of competitors like Google and Samsung who now offer software updates for seven years.
Also, although the processor supports artificial intelligence capabilities, the Chinese manufacturer chose to forgo AI tools that exist at Samsung.
The device comes with the Android 14 operating system and on top of it the company's Oxygen OS interface.
Technology, Bnei Aharon
Camera
OnePlus is not known as a leader in photography, but its efforts to produce quality camera systems have led to some successes.
The OnePlus 12 is a good example of this, with a camera setup developed in collaboration with the Swedish company Hasselblad.
A total of three cameras can be found here: a 50-megapixel primary camera with a wide f/1.6 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS);
A wide format camera with a resolution of 48 megapixels, and a 64 megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
How does the array perform?
Well, good ones.
The big advantage here is the natural colors and sharp details, even when enlarged.
In daylight, the imaging setup delivers excellent images that can compete with cameras from other flagship devices.
In addition, the resulting bokeh effect looks great and the 3x optical zoom lens provides clear, high-quality images.
In fact, thanks to the partnership with Hasselblad, the colors and contrast seem to be among the best in the industry.
The big advantage here is the natural colors and sharp details.
Photography in natural light/Wala!
Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan
Photography with the OnePlus 12/Walla!
Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan
Photography with the OnePlus 12/Walla!
Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan
Photo with the One Plus 12/Walla!
Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan
Photo with the One Plus 12/Walla!
Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan
Night photography with the OnePlus 12/Vala!
Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan
On the other hand, at night, performance drops significantly.
Images from all lenses are surprisingly dark, especially images from the ultra-wide camera which come out very dark.
And an important tip: don't forget to cancel the Hasselblad watermark on the first launch of the camera application
.
battery
The batteries in leading Android devices have been stuck at 5,000mAh for years.
It became a kind of unwritten rule, a norm that no one bothered to change.
The OnePlus 12 takes the first step in changing the format, with a capacity of 5,400mAh - about 10% larger than that of the previous generation, the OnePlus 11. At the same time, the device offers incredibly fast wired charging - up to 80 watts (you will need to purchase a compatible charger , which does not come in the package).
In day-to-day use, the OnePlus 12 easily managed to last a full day (between 15 and 17 hours), with extensive use of apps, games and web browsing.
Even with intensive use, the device lasted until the late evening hours.
In the bottom line
While major smartphone manufacturers flock to advanced AI applications, the OnePlus 12 offers a simple alternative and delivers what most people want.
It is a successful flagship device with excellent performance, a quality camera and a strong battery and at the price it is offered, it is difficult to find a smartphone of similar quality.
It doesn't try to be too clever, and it delivers the pure Android experience that many users are looking for at an attractive price.
However, it includes some trade-offs worth keeping in mind, such as not being fully water and dust resistant and updates *only* for 5 years.
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