Why the OnePlus 12 might be a better buy than the iPhone 15 Pro Max
OnePlus/AppleThe upcoming OnePlus 12 could very well be the better smartphone to buy than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Here’s why.
OnePlus is ready to launch the new OnePlus 12 soon. The phone will launch in China next week followed by a global release sometime in January. From what is known so far, the OnePlus 12 will be a solid upgrade over last year’s model.
Packing the latest Qualcomm processor, a large battery, and a particularly bright display, the OnePlus 12 could give you a good bounce for the ounce. In fact, the upcoming smartphone might be a better buy than Apple’s latest iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Sure, the iPhone will outperform the OnePlus 12 in some areas, but considering that the latter won’t cost as much, you might be able to overlook that.
Below we lay down the reasons why the OnePlus 12 could be a better choice than Apple’s latest and greatest iPhone.
Bigger and brighter display
OnePlusiPhone 15 Pro Max packs a large 6.7-inch LTPO OLED display that refreshes at 120Hz. This display is praised by users and reviewers alike for being bright and color-accurate. To be specific, the panel comes with a 2000 nits peak brightness (1000 nits in general usage) and targets sRGB color space.
While the iPhone’s display is impressive, the OnePlus 12 could leave it behind in some notable areas. For one, the smartphone will come with ludicrously bright 4500 nits peak brightness. This is not just more than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but also more than every other smartphone in the market.
OnePlus 12’s display is also slightly taller, measuring 6.86 inches. The LTPO OLED panel will bring a 120Hz refresh rate as well as an A+ certification from DisplayMate for exceptional brightness and color accuracy.
Another interesting feature of the OnePlus 12’s display is its 2,160Hz high PWM dimming, which reduces screen flickering, thereby protecting your eyes.
More battery life, faster charging
iPhones aren’t exactly known for offering the best battery life. However, Apple made commendable progress with the recent Pro Max models. The latest iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 4441 mAh battery can easily last you a day on a single charge.
While battery life is decent, the charging speed is something Apple could work on. The iPhone 15 Pro Max supports a maximum of 27W charging. The wireless charging speed is a meager 15W.
OnePlus 12, on the other hand, is expected to charge at 80W in the US and 100W in most markets. This is almost three times more than what Apple offers. The smartphone could bring 50W wireless charging support. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s also rumored to have a beefier battery, packing up to 5,400mAh, a bump up from the standard 5,000mAh.
A17 Pro-level processor & loads of RAM
OnePlusApple equipped the iPhone 15 Pro Max with a brand new A17 Pro processor. Based on a 3nm process node, the chip brings impressive performance and improved efficiency. It is powerful enough to even run AAA titles.
To give you numbers, A17 Pro scored 7,237 points in Geekbench’s multi-core test. This is not bad considering the A16 scores only 5268 points.
However, the OnePlus 12 isn’t going to lag behind the iPhone in terms of performance. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip powering the phone is a beast, scoring 7501 in Geekbench. This is slightly better than what A17 Pro managed to get.
Of course, the real-world performance might be different. Benchmarks don’t always tell the full story. Also, it depends on how OnePlus implements the chipset on the device. But hardware-wise, you won’t be getting a subpar chipset if you go for the OnePlus 12.
In addition to an equally powerful chipset, the OnePlus 12 will also bring significantly more RAM. It’s going to have a whopping 24GB RAM, which is three times more than the iPhone.
OnePlus won’t cost you as much
Price is probably the most important factor that makes the OnePlus 12 a better buy than iPhone 15 Pro Max. If you go buying the iPhone right now, you’d have to pay $1,199 for the base 256GB storage model. The OnePlus 12 could be priced way below this.
Although the official prices are not known yet, you can expect it to be priced similarly to the OnePlus 11, which starts at $699. In theory, you would be paying $500 less and get a premium smartphone that offers almost everything Apple’s flagship does.
The iPhone may, however, outshine the OnePlus 12 in some areas. For one, the camera system on the iPhone 15 Pro Max may remain undefeated. You’d also not get the iPhone’s satellite connectivity feature on the OnePlus 12.
Which phone is right for you?
OnePlus 12 is shaping up to be a great smartphone. It is likely to bring all the flagship features that you find on the more expensive Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max but won’t cost as much. You may consider it if you are already in the Android ecosystem. It will also be a solid option if you’re on one of the older iPhones and want to switch. In the end, it’s up to you to buy a phone that suits your needs and budget.