The OnePlus 12 remains to be a powerhouse in 2025 – and it is on sale for a restricted time

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The OnePlus 12 usually sells for a beginning value of $799.
• It was the corporate’s most full handset in 2024, with the quickest charging speeds available on the market (each wired and wi-fi), a flagship digital camera system, premium construct high quality, and dependable efficiency.
• The shortage of generative AI options is felt, however for a lot of, that might not be an issue.

extra shopping for decisions

OnePlus is holding a brand new promotion for its outdated flagship cellphone. By getting into the promo code “SPRING25” at checkout, you shave $150 off the OnePlus 12’s price ticket. Remember that this deal solely applies to the $900 mannequin, which has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

Whereas final yr’s focus for smartphone makers was unquestionably on AI — it was the cellular development of the yr — the OnePlus 12 is unabashedly a cellphone first, AI companion second type of machine. As an alternative of prematurely leaping onto the AI bandwagon, selling its telephones with options that are not available, the Shenzhen producer prioritized points that mattered extra, akin to charging tech, battery life, and efficiency.

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The end result? A smartphone that excels on the stuff you really need and wish. I discover it very tough to suggest another cellular machine in 2025.

My fondness for the OnePlus 12 is a part of a much bigger story. The machine is essentially the most full handset from an organization infamous for settling in small however invaluable areas — whether or not it is the omission of wi-fi charging, a greater low-light digital camera, or an official IP score. The OnePlus 12 has all three of these options and a really aggressive value, particularly in in the present day’s market. Costs begin at $799 (sans offers).

Whereas that value is a $100 bounce from the older OnePlus 11, the distinction in consumer expertise is very noticeable, from the texture and polish of the marble-like Flowy Emerald end to the way in which the machine optimizes its RAM, of which it has loads of (as much as 16GB). The OnePlus 12 appears to be like and feels higher to me than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and Google Pixel 9 Professional, for instance. The machine’s edges are curved to make it sit easily in my hand, and I do not battle to press any of the buttons.

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Correction: I do not battle to press any of the buttons besides for the alert slider, which has now been moved to the higher left aspect of the cellphone. For one thing that requires a toggle as a substitute of a press, bodily switching from “Ring” to “Vibrate” to “Silent” feels extra cumbersome than it ought to. In any other case, I am a fan of OnePlus’ industrial design, which is a bit more distinct now that each Samsung and Google have formally ditched the curved glass type issue.  

The OnePlus 12 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which brings improved day-to-day efficiency and higher effectivity of on-device AI purposes. I’ve had no downside placing the cellphone by means of its paces, whether or not it is modifying movies on Premiere Rush, taking part in demanding video games like Fortnite and Genshin Impression, or multitasking with a PiP (Image-in-Image) video taking part in. Whereas the marketed peak brightness of 4,500 nits places even the Galaxy S24’s 2,600 worth to disgrace, I solely discovered it to be barely brighter when outside.  

Except for Google’s inventory AI options, akin to Magic Compose and Photomoji, this mannequin has no killer generative AI service, as I alluded to within the introduction. That is not a nasty factor, particularly for those who do not issue generative AI into your way of life anyway. Having cycled between the OnePlus and Samsung’s AI-heavy Galaxy S24 collection, I have not discovered myself lacking the assisted options a lot.  

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That stated, the newest Android 15 replace for the OnePlus 12 introduces some acquainted generative AI instruments that put the machine nearer to its opponents, akin to Circle to Search, AI Unblur, AI Assistant for Notes, and extra. The brand new software program model additionally brings Open Canvas to the cellphone, a multitasking function that deploys floating home windows for faster navigation between apps.

One space that I do want OnePlus flexed its machine-learning muscle mass extra is with the cameras — particularly, the telephoto lens. Whereas the Sony LYT-808-backed, 50MP primary digital camera does a implausible (and dependable) job of reproducing lighting and colours in a really pure tone, the telephoto lens falls brief for me in two methods: distance and edge detection. 

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As a result of the telephoto lens is capped to 3x optical zoom, taking pictures topics which are additional away tends to provide footage that seem extra washed out and missing intimately. You may view a few of my digital camera samples right here.

For photos captured with Hasselblad Portrait Mode, the cellphone can battle to use a bokeh impact behind folks with fuzzy and springy hairstyles. In each instances, a visible engine that may assist amplify or higher detect topics can be immensely useful.

Finally, one of the compelling causes to purchase a OnePlus cellphone is its battery life and charging velocity. For the previous, the OnePlus fields a 5,400mAh battery, the most important on a mainstream smartphone. I’ve comfortably gotten a superb day and a half’s price of utilization earlier than needing to cost the machine. 

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For the latter, the OnePlus 12 is the quickest in its class, each wired and wi-fi. The 80W charger that is included within the field has spoiled me, and the 50W wi-fi charging assist — which solely works with OnePlus’ first-party dock, to be clear — outpaces the wired charging fee of competing flagship telephones.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

At a beginning value of $550, the OnePlus 12 is the most effective cellphone at its value level. It has essentially the most well-rounded function set ever, 5G assist for each main service (Verizon included), the quickest charging available on the market, and an industrial design that screams premium. It is also an awesome cellphone for customers who aren’t absolutely purchased into the AI craze.

The trade-offs are extra of a blur this time round, however from my months of utilization, I would nonetheless listing the subpar telephoto lens and IP65 score — which simply misses the mark for the business normal for water and mud resistance — as essentially the most notable causes to suppose twice concerning the machine. When you can shoulder the compromises, that are extra delicate than ever, then I’ve no downside recommending the newest cellphone from OnePlus, particularly at its Black Friday value.

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