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.

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.

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.

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.

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 powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, it just adds up that the OnePlus 12R will feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.