OnePlus has started the year with the launch of the OnePlus 12 series smartphones which include the OnePlus 12 5G and the OnePlus 12R 5G so far. It's hardly surprising that the OnePlus 12 5G got the most attention — it is the most powerfully specced device of the lot. The OnePlus 12 brings a huge 6.82-inch quad HD+ LTPO AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, and one of the highest brightness levels we have seen on a smartphone — 4,500 nits.
In the best OnePlus tradition of bringing flagship processors to its flagship series, it runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. OnePlus' partnership with legendary camera brand Hasselblad is part of its latest phone too, which brings a triple camera setup which includes a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto sensor that offers 3x optical zoom (and up to 120x digital zoom) and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. There is also a 32-megapixel sensor on the front for selfies and video calls. The phone runs on Android 14 out of the box topped with OnePlus' clean OxygenOS interface, has IP68 dust and water resistant rating and comes with a 5,4000 mAh battery with support for 100W SuperVOOC fast charging, as well as 50W wireless charging (OnePlus does not do slow when it comes to charging).
You get all of this at a starting price of Rs 64,999, which is higher than the Rs 56,999 that the OnePlus 11 5G started at, although the new OnePlus comes with more RAM and storage. That higher price opens the door to some very tough competition. Here are five smartphones that could be a headache to the newest Never Settler:
iPhone 14: Golden Oldie
Price: Rs 61,999
It is not from the latest series of iPhones and lacks a lot of the pomps and frills that the iPhone 15 comes with, but its now more affordable price makes the iPhone 14 a headache for new phones even now, and the OnePlus 12 5G is no exception. The phone comes with a very good 6.1 inch Super Retina OLED display and runs on Apple’s still very good A15 Bionic chip, which can easily handle all your smartphone chores, high-end and casual alike.
The phone has two 12-megapixel sensors on the back that are great for both photography and videography and there is a very good 12-megapixel sensor on the front as well. Round this off with Apple's clean, secure and regularly updated iOS, stereo speakers, improved battery life with wireless charging and IP68 dust and water resistance, all with still-classy iPhone design and you have a phone that is a proper threat to the just launched OnePlus 12.
iQoo 12 5G: The Headache For Every 2024 Flagship
Price: Rs 52,999 onwards
The iQoo 12 5G will be a big hurdle in the way of any flagship launched this year because it brings powerful specs to the table but also comes with a surprisingly low price tag. It is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip which powers the OnePlus 12 and comes with a 6.78-inch 2,800x1,260-pixel AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and a brightness of 3000 nits, which is lower than the crazy 4,500 nits of the OnePlus but is still higher than the 2600 nits of the Galaxy S24 series.
The triple camera setup on the device is a versatile and well-megapixel-led one with a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto sensor that offers 3x optical zoom and another 50-megapixel ultrawide.
Top this with a 5,000mAh battery with support for 120 W fast charging and that much lower price tag and the iQoo 12 5G has got what it takes to be a pain in the 'Never Settling' neck of the OnePlus 12 5G.
Vivo X100: The Zeiss-Powered Player
Price: Rs 69,999 onwards
The Vivo X100 is one of the best options for anyone looking for a phone in the price range of Rs 70,000. It brings a beautiful 6.78-inch AMOLED display with 2,800x1,260-pixel resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, and an exceptionally high brightness of 3,000 nits.
The flagship level MediaTek Dimensity 9300 chipset runs the Vivo X100 show, with plenty of RAM and storage to ensure that it handles everything you throw at it with ease. Just as OnePlus has partnered with Hasselblad, Vivo has partnered with Zeiss optics for the cameras on the Vivo X100.
The phone comes with a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, a 64-megapixel telephoto camera that offers 3.2x optical zoom and a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera. All of this camera muscle together delivers some great photography. The phone also brings a 5,000 mAh battery with support for very fast 120W charging, IP68 dust and water resistance and Android 14 with FunTouch OS on it out of the box.
All of this makes it a great option for those considering the OnePlus 12, especially if they value photography.
Google Pixel 7 Pro: A Veteran, Still A Pro
Price: Rs 63,999 onwards
Like the iPhone 14 in the list, the Google Pixel 7 Pro is a little on the old side but remains every inch a proper competitor to any flagship in its price zone (especially since its price has dipped).
The phone has a great 6.7-inch quad HD AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, and comes with Google’s old but very powerful Tensor G2 chipset that might not match its flagship competitors in terms of benchmarks, but comes laden with a lot of smartness and is very capable of handling most tasks.
This being a Pixel, the stars of the show are the three cameras on that trademark camera bar on the back — a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, a 48-megapixel telephoto with 5x optical zoom and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor.
Allied with Google's computation photography prowess and special editing options, these are a potent photographic trio, more than a year after the phone's launch.
A 5,000mAh battery with support for wireless charging and clean Android with assured and timely updates make the Pixel 7 Pro a very good proposition for anyone looking for a phone in its price zone, and a definite roadblock for the OnePlus 12.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE 5G: Many Fans Of This Edition
Price: Rs 59,999 onwards
While the new Galaxy S24 series is here, it is the fan edition of its predecessor that will be the biggest competitor for the OnePlus 12 5G, the Galaxy S23 FE 5G. The phone comes with a brilliant 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with FHD+ resolution and with 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate. It runs on Exynos 2200 which may be a bit disappointing to Snapdragon fans, but remains a very powerful and capable flagship-level processor.
The triple camera setup on the phone is quite impressive too — a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, a 12-megapixel ultrawide and an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor with OIS with up to 3x optical zoom, all with many of the shooting and editing features (including Nightography for low light photography) seen on Samsung's flagships.
The phone comes with a 4,500mAh battery which is much smaller than the one on the OnePlus 12 and its 25W charging speed is also about a fourth of the speed on the Never Settler, but on the flip side, you get a much more compact design, an IP68 rating and four years of assured OS upgrades and five years of security updates.
It's being part of Samsung's legendary S series is the icing on the cake. Those considering a OnePlus 12 5G might be tempted to have a slice.