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Official OnePlus 12R Reveal Gives Us Our First Glimpse At Its Design

OnePlus 12R shown in Cool Blue and Iron Grey.

Call it a launch countdown, we're less than a month away from the OnePlus 12 global launch event where we'll hear official details about the company's upcoming flagship phone. Not to be overshadowed by the flagship, we will also be learning a lot more about the OnePlus 12R — which interestingly enough we're getting our first official look ahead of the event.

The company unveiled the first official image of its upcoming OnePlus 12R, complete with the two color options it'll be available in: Cool Blue and Iron Gray.

A cursory look at the image reveals its similarities to the OnePlus 11, partly due to the circular camera housing on the back of the phone. Cool Blue has a glossy finish that gives it a bit of shine, while Iron Gray features a matte feel. Although, it does give off OnePlus 10 Pro vibes because of the patterned design of the rear casing.

Given that the OnePlus 12R is squished in the middle of its lineup, it's impressive it borrows a lot from the flagship series. Don't get us wrong, the Nord series feels incredibly well built for phones under $500, but they lack the premium materials and finish of the flagship series.

OnePlus 12R official photo.

Rounding out the design is a matte metal frame and a OnePlus staple in the Alert Slider on the left edge. It's been repositioned from its usual placement on the right side, so it might take some getting used to if you're coming from the OnePlus 11 or OnePlus Open. The reasoning for this is due to the new integrated antenna system that OnePlus is implementing to deliver enhanced performance for online gaming.

Aside from that, the official first look at the OnePlus 12R pretty much matches leaked renders we've seen of the phone previously — albeit, the Alert Slider was on the right edge. And even though OnePlus doesn't cough up any details around the hardware, a recent specs leak indicates it will be running a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, packing a 6.74-inch OLED with a 120Hz refresh rate, and a triple camera system.

We're also eager to learn more about pricing because it should theoretically come in between the Nord series and its flagship kin in the OnePlus 12. Whatever price it ends up being, it could make some noise in the mid-range space to battle against phones like the Google Pixel 7a and Samsung Galaxy 23 FE.

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What Is The OnePlus R Series Phone, And Is It Really A 'Flagship Killer'?

Back in 2021, OnePlus extended its smartphone offerings, debuting a new R series of devices titled similarly to its mainline flagships. But these R series devices have never released globally, so for many users, they've remained an enigma. Dubbed "flagship killers" by OnePlus itself, the R series devices will see their first global release in 2024. But what exactly are these devices? Are they even worth considering? Here's what you need to know.

The R series explained

The easiest way to explain the R series of OnePlus devices is to point towards another similar option from a different manufacturer. If you've followed Android devices at all, then you're probably at least somewhat familiar with Google's Pixel A series smartphones. These devices build off the new tech seen in the tech giant's flagship devices, but cut out some features and things to help keep the cost more inline with budget-friendly devices.

The OnePlus R series is exactly the same, offering some of the same features that the mainline OnePlus flagships offer, but at a lower price because it uses older hardware, or is missing some of the big named features found in the top-end OnePlus phones. It's a novel way to close the distance found between flagship and more budget-friendly devices, and both Google and OnePlus seem to have found a lot of success in offering these types of devices.

Looking at past R series releases, we see that the OnePlus 11R, which released in February of 2023, offered a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, whereas the flagship OnePlus 11 sported the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Other specs in the phones were similar, too, with the 11R sporting a 6.74-inch 1240 x 2772 resolution display at 120Hz, while the mainline OnePlus 11 came with a 6.7-inch 2K display at 120Hz, as well as support for HDR10/10+ and Dolby Vision.

That means the 11R was very similar to the 11, but it offered slightly lower/older specs in some places to help cut down on the price and make it even more affordable.

Are they really flagship killers?

This is a good question, and to answer it honestly, you have to look at the R series devices as more than just a budget-friendly or mid-range smartphone lineup. Instead, it's probably best to think of these as high-end devices from the previous year. That is to say, they build off the design changes made with the newest devices, but often feature a slightly older chipset, which somewhat lowers their performance . So, while they might not be as powerful as a newest top-end flagship device, they come very close, and will offer more than enough power for most people, while saving them money.

Based on that definition, it's very easy to consider smartphones like the OnePlus R series as flagship killers, as they essentially remove the need to purchase a flagship device. Of course, the smartphone industry is much more complex than that, and no matter how good the device is, there are always going to be users that flock to the latest and greatest from top flagship manufacturers like Samsung.

The first global R Series release

All of that brings us to January 2024, when OnePlus will make the first global R series release with the OnePlus 12R. Not much is known about this upcoming device, but there is a lot of speculation about what it will include. Based on previous device specs from other R series devices, the OnePlus 12R will likely sport the still new, but slightly older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and will feature some of the other specs and hardware features found in the new OnePlus 12, while cutting back on others.

I don't want to dig too much into the speculation here, of course, but the global release of this R series device will make it quite an enticing choice for users that are planning to upgrade their phone next year, as you'll have another premium option to choose from that won't require you to pay the higher price of a flagship. In that sense, OnePlus has a really great chance to take the global market by storm with its self-proclaimed "flagship killers," and honestly, I'm intrigued to see how that goes for the company.

OnePlus 12R Could Create Huge Problem For Google & Samsung Budget Phones

OnePlus 12R is an upcoming budget phone from OnePlus. Here's how it might compare to Samsung and Google's budget smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy A54 and Pixel 7a stand out as top choices among budget smartphones. They both offer solid specs without the hefty price tags of their flagship counterparts. But the budget smartphone arena might see a shake-up soon, as OnePlus gears to launch its upcoming OnePlus 12R.

OnePlus 11R from earlier this year was an impressive smartphone with few trade-offs, but it didn't make it to the US. However, the brand has confirmed the next-gen OnePlus 12R is also headed to the States on January 23.

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For around the same cost as the Galaxy A54 and Pixel 7a, the OnePlus 12R might offer a flagship chipset, a better display, and faster charging.

Keep reading as we discuss how the OnePlus 12R could create a huge problem for Google and Samsung budget phones with its killer specs.

It could bring flagship-grade display

OnePlus 12R is likely to be a rebranded OnePlus Ace 3, which is launching in China on January 4. Both these phones are rumored to pack a display similar to the OnePlus 12. According to a report, OnePlus 12R will feature a 6.78-inch LTPO OLED display.

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The panel is likely to offer a resolution of 1.5K (2,780 x 1,264 pixels), a global peak brightness of 1,600 nits, and a peak local brightness of 4,500 nits — more than any other smartphone in the market.

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The display on Samsung's Galaxy A54 gets pretty close with its 120Hz AMOLED screen, but it falls short without the LTPO tech and maxes out at 1000 nits brightness. The Pixel 7a's 90Hz OLED panel is far behind the OnePlus 12R.

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OnePlus 12R might get same chipset as Galaxy S23 Ultra OnePlus

Samsung Galaxy A54 and Pixel 7a both rock a budget-friendly chipset – the A54 runs on the Exynos 1380, while the 7a is equipped with the Tensor G2.

However, the OnePlus 12R is reportedly gearing up to pack some serious punch with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 under the hood – the very same powerhouse that drives the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

OnePlus hasn't confirmed it yet, but considering the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is probably too much for a budget phone and the OnePlus 11R is already

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The budget-friendly smartphone is also expected to pack up to 16GB of RAM and at least 512GB onboard storage.

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A large battery & fast charging might also be in tow

Fast charging is not something you see on any Google or Samsung phones. Even the most expensive Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn't go beyond 45W while the Pixel 8 Pro is limited to 30W.

OnePlus, on the other hand, loves fast charging. The flagship OnePlus 12 charges at 100W over the wire and 50W wirelessly. Although the OnePlus 12R is expected to miss on wireless charging, it could get 100W wired charging support.

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The smartphone could take only around half an hour to charge fully. That's not it, OnePlus is also said to pack a particularly large 5,500 mAh battery on the OnePlus 12R, which is even larger than 5,400 mAh OnePlus 12.

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OnePlus 12R's cameras may not be bad either OnePlus

Cameras haven't exactly been the strong suit of OnePlus phones, but the OnePlus 12 brought a promising camera system. And if leaks are to be believed, OnePlus 12R's cameras won't be too bad either.

The affordable smartphone could bring a 50 MP Sony IMX890 sensor for its main camera with an f/1.8 aperture and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which should help click decent pictures.

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The wide-angle camera could probably feature an 8 MP Sony IMX355 sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 112° field-of-view. The third camera is reported to pack a 32 MP Sony IMX709 sensor with an f/2.0 aperture that provides 2x optical zoom.

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By comparison, Galaxy A54 has a 50MP main shooter with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 5MP macro shooter. Pixel 7a makes do with a dual camera setup, headlined by a 64MP main shooter and a 13MP ultrawide.

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What about the price?

OnePlus 12R's price is still anyone's guess at the moment, but it is supposed to be cheaper than the OnePlus 12, which itself is supposed to start at around $699 in the US. If these rumors hold true, the OnePlus 12R might come in at less than $500.

For context, its predecessor, the OnePlus 11R, launched earlier this year in India at ₹37,999, roughly $456.

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There's still time for its official launch and a lot of details are unconfirmed. We hope to learn more about the OnePlus 12R in the coming days.

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