The mid-range or sub-$500 smartphone section continues to be a bustling one particularly in price-sensitive markets like India. Realme has managed to carve a distinct segment for itself right here by frequently delivering new choices with improved specs and nice designs. The latter facet has at all times been the model’s signature recipe for any new smartphone, and that’s nonetheless going robust in 2024.
The Realme 12 sequence is the most recent quantity providing from the Chinese language model and already, we now have about 5 totally different fashions starting from $150 to about $400. The one on take a look at at the moment is the Realme 12 Plus 5G, which sits someplace in the midst of the pack and but, manages to cram some fairly spectacular options.
Realme claims it’s the primary within the section to get a 50MP Sony LYT-600 predominant digital camera sensor, together with IP54 water resistance with “Rainwater Sensible Contact” remedy for the show, and a 120Hz AMOLED show with extremely excessive peak brightness. These options, coupled with a classy design and aggressive pricing makes it a really tempting proposition. It’s time to search out out if you happen to ought to certainly take into account it over the competitors.
Realme 12 Plus 5G: Value and availability
The Realme 12 Plus 5G is out there in lots of Southeast Asian international locations like India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. I obtained the Indian retail unit of the top-end variant, priced at Rs. 21,999 ($265), which comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The bottom variant isn’t less expensive at Rs. 20,999 ($253) and has the identical quantity of RAM however 128GB of storage. For sure, it is best to get the 256GB variant straight if you happen to’re contemplating this cellphone, because it’s the perfect worth for cash.
The 12 Plus 5G is available in two colours, Pioneer inexperienced and Navigator beige. The latter is extra of a impartial shade and can go effectively with any apparel, however the inexperienced variant actually has its personal appeal and appears equally placing.
| Class | Realme 12 Plus 5G |
|---|---|
| OS | Realme UI 5.0 (Android 14) |
| Show | 6.67-inch AMOLED, FHD+ (2,400×1,080), 120Hz refresh price |
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 7050 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB |
| Audio | Stereo audio system |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Safety | In-display fingerprint sensor |
| Safety | IP54 water and mud resistance |
| Battery | 5,000mAh, 67W SUPERVOOC charging |
| Cameras | Rear: 50MP Sony LYT-600 with OIS main + 8MP ultrawide + 2MP macro; Entrance: 16MP |
| Dimensions | 162.95 x 75.4 x 7.87mm |
| Weight | 190g |
| Colours | Pioneer Inexperienced, Navigator Beige |
Realme 12 Plus 5G: What I like
The whole 12 sequence is constructed across the identical design language in partnership with luxurious watch designer Ollivier Savéo. The only, round rear digital camera dial, vegan leather-based again panel, and the diamond-patterned stripe working vertically by the middle of the cellphone are all stated to be impressed by luxurious watches. The Professional fashions within the sequence get extra intricate patterns, however for what it prices, I believe the Realme 12 Plus appears trendy and distinctive. The fake leather-based again additionally means there’s no fear of cracks if you happen to drop it or ugly fingerprint smudges.
The cellphone doesn’t really feel too heavy at 190g regardless of packing a big show and battery. Realme has included a headphone jack for individuals who nonetheless favor wired audio, and the second slot of the dual-SIM tray can accommodate a microSD card if you happen to want extra storage. The Redmi 12 Plus can be IP54-rated for mud and water resistance, which is a giant deal on this section. It’s not waterproof, but it surely ought to simply survive a heavy drizzle or gentle splashes of water.
The show on the Realme 12 Plus can be superb for its section. It’s a flat 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a FHD+ (2,400×1,080) decision and a dynamic 120Hz refresh price. The protecting glass has 3D-curved edges throughout so it’s mild in your fingers when performing gestures. Coloration copy is vibrant and the display screen has a peak brightness of as much as 2,000 nits (600 nits typical).
Due to this, content material was at all times simply seen, even below the tough Mumbai summer season warmth. The vibrancy of colours could be adjusted within the Settings app, however I discovered the default Vivid profile to be fairly correct. I additionally didn’t discover any main colour shift when viewing the show off-axis, which is an efficient signal.
The 12 Plus 5G’s show additionally will get one thing referred to as a Rainwater Sensible Contact function. That is supposed to keep up correct contact response even when water falls on the show and likewise retains the in-display fingerprint reader useful with moist fingers.
This sort of works to an extent, however not at all times. As an illustration, the show nonetheless registers phantom touches when positioned below working water, however as soon as eliminated, it’s really usable even with massive droplets nonetheless on the display screen. Utilizing the fingerprint sensor in such circumstances was hit and miss, because it labored generally however struggled to register in any other case.
The efficiency of the Realme 12 Plus 5G has been a clean affair within the two weeks I’ve been utilizing it. It’s backed by a decently highly effective MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC, which is a little more potent than a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 however on par or little behind one thing like a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 in benchmarks.
For those who’re an informal cellular gamer like myself, then you definately’ll take pleasure in enjoying video games like Asphalt 9: Legends or Name of Responsibility Cell (with low to medium graphics) on the 12 Plus. The visuals are nice, the framerate is usually strong, and the sound from the stereo audio system will maintain you engaged for hours. Some portion of the body and the rear digital camera bump get a bit heat after, say, half-hour of enjoying, however by no means overly scorching. The display screen has a typical 240Hz contact sampling price, which I discovered to be satisfactory.
The Realme 12 Plus 5G labored effectively on the 5G networks right here in India. The cellphone helps a complete of 9 5G bands, a few of that are additionally supported by all the key U.S. carriers, which implies you possibly can simply use the cellphone in your travels to the U.S. NFC isn’t current, however you get Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
Battery life is sort of spectacular, too, with the 5,000mAh capability simply lasting for as much as two full days on one cost. Even with a little bit of gaming and heavy digital camera testing, I used to be nonetheless in a position to go previous one full day of use. The 12 Plus 5G will also be charged shortly, because of 67W SUPERVOOC quick charging. In observe, you will get a 50 p.c cost in slightly below 20 minutes. The perfect factor about Realme telephones is that the charger comes bundled within the field.
The first digital camera on the Realme 12 Plus 5G is fairly good for the section. The 50MP Sony LYT-600 sensor is optically stabilized (OIS) and has an aperture of f/1.9. Pictures are saved at roughly 12.5MP decision by default, however you possibly can take a full 50MP picture if it is advisable. Landscapes and close-up photographs usually have good sharpness, vivid colours, and first rate particulars in daylight. The ultrawide additionally manages some first rate pictures right here below vibrant daylight. Low-light pictures from the primary digital camera are pretty detailed, autofocus is fast, and you will get away with capturing single-handed in Night time mode (with a one-second delay) because of OIS.
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The massive sensor additionally permits you to do a 2x lossless zoom (in-sensor crop). Some attention-grabbing capturing modes embrace Road, which helps you to toggle an auto-zoom function. When you faucet your topic, the app tries to aesthetically body the shot by zooming in on it. You additionally get the same old choice of capturing modes like slow-mo, timelapse, and so on. The 12 Plus 5G can even shoot movies as much as 4K 30fps, however with none stabilization.
Realme 12 Plus 5G: What I did not like
Aside from the primary digital camera on the 12 Plus 5G, the remainder are fairly run-of-the-mill sensors that fail to impress. The rear digital camera dials make it seem like there are 4 cameras, however considered one of them is only a dummy to finish the symmetry. The 8-megapixel ultrawide digital camera fares effectively in daylight, with minimal barrel distortion, however colours and particulars are weak in comparison with the primary digital camera. In low gentle, Night time mode helps keep a good publicity, however peek a bit nearer, and you may discover colours and particulars are merely missing.
There’s a 2MP macro digital camera within the dial, too, but it surely’s not nice and greatest left unused. Sadly, the 16MP selfie digital camera isn’t a lot to shout about both. You’ll be able to count on satisfactory selfies below good lighting however common ones in low gentle. There’s a display screen flash to help in low-light pictures, however it may possibly solely accomplish that a lot.
The standard of recorded video is pretty common too from the ultrawide digital camera. You’ll be able to solely file as much as 1080p 30fps with it, however if you happen to start recording with the primary digital camera at this decision, there’s no option to swap to the ultrawide mid-shooting.
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My predominant gripe with the 12 Plus 5G is the bloated nature of Realme UI 5.0 itself. It’s a derivation of Oppo’s ColorOS, which has additionally obtained touches of OnePlus’ OxygenOS alongside the way in which. This model is predicated on Android 14, and Realme claims that it’ll get three years of software program updates. Sadly, there are merely method too many redundant and spammy apps which are preinstalled, and even if you first arrange the cellphone, it seems like somebody has been utilizing it for a month.
You additionally should be conscious to skip steered app installs throughout preliminary setup, or else you’ll be saddled with much more apps earlier than you even start. What makes it worse is the continuous notifications from a few of them that litter your notification shade. Fortunately, you possibly can decrease this by disabling many of the strategies inside the apps, but it surely’s nonetheless annoying having to take care of it within the first place.
My different little niggle is with the cellphone’s always-on show (AOD) function or the truth that you possibly can’t precisely have it at all times on. There’s often an choice to allow this, but it surely’s absent from the 12 Plus 5G. This implies the AOD disappears if you happen to place the cellphone down and solely prompts once more if you happen to get a notification or transfer it a bit.
Lastly, the 12 Plus 5G is a big cellphone and whereas that 190g of complete weight is distributed effectively, the flat nature of the body isn’t essentially the most comfy to carry and use, particularly with one hand. The shiny end of the facet rail can be a ache to maintain clear and because it attracts mud and fingerprints nearly instantly.
Realme 12 Plus 5G: Competitors
As spectacular because the options are of the Realme 12 Plus for its section, there are different gamers with equally spectacular rivals. The Poco X6 5G begins at roughly the identical worth however affords double the storage, and it even has a 512GB variant with 12GB of RAM for not rather more. It packs a stronger Snapdragon SoC and Gorilla Glass Victus, whereas staying aggressive in all different areas with Realme.
The iQoo Z9 is one other latest providing with a function set much like the 12 Plus 5G. It, too, contains a very succesful Sony predominant digital camera sensor and a extra power-efficient 4nm MediaTek SoC.
Realme’s personal premium fashions will not be too far off, both. By spending a bit extra, you will get the Realme 12 Professional 5G, which has a extra premium design, curved-edge show, a greater chipset, and a portrait digital camera with 2x optical zoom. There’s additionally the superb Nothing Telephone 2a which has the distinctive clear again with programmable notification lights and very good all-round efficiency.
Realme 12 Plus 5G: Do you have to purchase it?
You can purchase this if…
- You desire a unique-looking cellphone with out spending loads
- You need licensed water resistance
- You desire a vivid show and nice battery life
You should not purchase this if…
- You desire a lean model of Android
- You need high quality selfie and ultrawide cameras
- You play loads of heavy video games
The Realme 12 Plus 5G is a strong finances providing that checks off many of the packing containers if you happen to’re procuring on this section. Design has at all times been considered one of Realme’s robust fits, and it’s on full show right here. The vegan leather-based end and luxurious watch-inspired digital camera dial on the again is bound to show heads, because it makes it look costlier than it really is. It’s additionally waterproof, helps expandable storage, and has a headphone jack. The efficiency is first rate, the show is vibrant and punchy, the battery life is nice, and the primary digital camera is dependable irrespective of the time of day.
A few issues that you just won’t like is the annoying fluff in Realme UI. The redundant apps and their tendency to spam you with adverts and unsolicited strategies get annoying in a short time. The secondary cameras might have been loads higher, too, particularly in low gentle. Lastly, if you happen to’re within the U.S., then you definately’re out of luck making an attempt to get this. In actual fact, Realme hasn’t but launched the 12 sequence outdoors a handful of Southeast Asian international locations. To not fear, as there are many good low-cost Android telephones which are extra simply accessible.
An actual cut price
For a cellphone priced below $300, the Realme 12 Plus 5G get s loads proper, from the surprisingly good predominant digital camera sensor to the vegan leather-based end on the again. Informal cellular avid gamers may also be comfortable to know that they’re going to be capable to get away with greater than a day of use with the good thing about 67W quick charging.
