Realme 12+ 5G offers a strong value proposition

Realme is on a roll. After launching the Realme 12 Pro series earlier this year, the company has returned with the Realme 12 5G line. The Realme 12 5G and Realme 12+ 5G are two recently launched phones. We spent some time with the Plus model, which already appears to be a reasonably priced phone. The Realme 12+ has a similar design to the more expensive Realme 12 Pro range. You get a vegan leather finish and a primary back camera with OIS. That isn’t a usual feature in this pricing range. Here are our initial thoughts on the phone before we conduct a complete test.

From the back, the Realme 12+ 5G resembles the Realme 12 Pro. It has a vegan leather finish on the back that is comfortable to the touch and resists fingerprints. This is far superior to a plastic or even glass panel, for that matter. Realme has reduced branding to a minimum, with just the Realme logo on the bottom left. Aside from the vegan leather finish, which is 50% more expensive than the plastic back, you also get a circular triple rear camera configuration.

REALME 12+ 5G KEY FEATURES

The Realme 12 family has grown to include five phones: the Realme 12, Realme 12 Pro, Realme 12 Pro+, and the Realme 12X. The Realme 12+ is the fifth and last member of the family that we will be reviewing today. As the name implies, the Realme 12+ is a step up in terms of specifications and functionality from the standard Realme 12.

The Realme 12+ is a relatively inexpensive gadget. It is offered in several places, including India, where it starts at INR20,999 ($255/€230). That’s a reasonable pricing point, and there’s plenty of value on offer here. The Realme 12+ is a fairly complete bundle. It appears pretty premium on the outside and is well-built, with IP54 ingress protection. Other notable features include dual speakers and a 3.5mm audio connector. You can also acquire NFC in some markets. Charging is quite rapid, with a 67W rating.

The 6.67-inch flat display has impressive specifications, including AMOLED technology, a 120Hz refresh rate, DHR10+ compatibility, and 2,000 nits of peak brightness. The Realme 12+ is powered by the reasonably contemporary Dimensity 7050 chipset. Memory configuration options are 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB, and 12GB/512GB. MicroSD cards allow you to expand your storage.

REALME 12+ 5G UNBOXING

The Realme 12+ comes in a robust cardboard two-piece container with the company’s trademark yellow color. There is some plastic in the packaging. The phone cradle is composed of plastic, which is not the most environmentally friendly material.

The accessory package is quite generous. The kit includes a 67W SuperVOOC charger and a USB Type-A to Type-C connection. Both are proprietary, so keep track of them. A transparent TPU case is included in the box, allowing you to start using your new phone right away. The phone even includes a pre-applied plastic screen protector.

CAMERA

The Realme 12+ has a similar camera arrangement to the Pro versions, except for the telephoto lens. Instead, the smartphone includes a 2MP macro sensor for close-up photos. This is backed by a 50MP Sony LYT-600 primary sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide lens. The handset’s front-facing 16MP camera with a punch-hole design is ideal for selfies and video calls.

In well-lit environments, the cameras perform admirably. Pixel binning reduces images taken with the 50MP OIS primary camera to a resolution of 12.5MP. This should not be an issue if you are viewing the photographs on a small screen, such as that of a smartphone. There is a 50MP setting that allows you to capture photographs with the highest resolution, which appears less grainy on larger screens like your laptop. Nonetheless, there is a modest decrease in quality. The colors and dynamic range do not appear as natural as when captured in the default 12.5MP setting. The sensor includes a 2x digital zoom, which produces similar results to the 1x zoom in well-lit environments.

The 8MP ultra-wide camera has a 112-degree field of view (FoV) and produces satisfactory results. The details and colors appear disappointing. Moving on, the 2MP macro sensor is unimpressive at best. To achieve satisfactory results, avoid casting shadows on the subject and keep your hands stable when taking close-up photographs. Otherwise, you may get slightly foggy and grainy photographs.

The 16MP selfie camera could have done a better job with face features, but the skin tones appear correct. Both the front and back cameras use a calculation to create portrait images with good exposure and detail. However, edge detection requires better. For low-light images, the Realme 12+ has a night mode that effectively minimizes graininess, although at the sacrifice of some finer details. Regardless, you will most likely be satisfied with the overall results.

Aside from that, the smartphone includes some exclusive movie filters created by Claudio Miranda, an Oscar winner for Best Cinematography, to add some fun to your photographs.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

The Realme 12+ 5G has a stunning design. The first thing you notice is the leather-like rear cover, which gives a sense of elegance and class to the device. The Pioneer Green color, in particular, is a true eye-catcher, with just the right amount of sparkle to set your phone apart from the crowd.

The phone also feels amazing in your hands. The rounded corners and lightweight design make it easy to handle, even after extended use. The silver frame adds greater attention to the phone. The circular camera island on the back is another design feature that contributes to the device’s overall aesthetic appeal. It isn’t overly bulky or projecting, so you won’t have to worry about your phone rocking back and forth when placed on a level surface. The phone has a headphone jack at the top, which is a great touch given its pricing point.

The Realme 12+ 5G features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display. With a refresh rate of 120Hz, everything from scrolling through your social media feed to playing the latest games feels incredibly smooth. The display’s 1080 x 2400 pixel resolution, paired with a 20:9 aspect ratio and pixel density of around 395 ppi, guarantees that everything seems clear and detailed. The display also supports HDR10+, allowing you to enjoy bright and lifelike colors while watching your favorite shows or movies. With a usual brightness of 600 nits and a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits, the display is easily visible outside. The display also includes a fingerprint sensor that is extremely fast and accurate.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

The Realme 12+ is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC, which is also used in several other smartphones, including last year’s Realme 11 Pro. The chipset hasn’t changed much since its inception; it provides seamless performance with no crashes or program freezes. Furthermore, the phone rarely throttles under heavy loads and does not stutter when playing graphically intensive games like Call of Duty. There is a perceptible increase in temperature, which is not worrying given that this is not a gaming-focused smartphone. The device uses vapor cooling technology to keep its temperatures under control.

Moving on, the phone is available in two RAM and storage variants: 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB. The secondary hybrid SIM slot accepts a microSD card for storage expansion. Check out the Realme 12+’s AnTuTu and Geekbench results in contrast to the competition.

Moving on, the Realme 12+ runs Realme UI 5.0 on top of Android 14 out of the box. The experience is undoubtedly similar to that of the Realme 12 Pro, so check out its review for more information. In essence, the software is relatively clean, with a few third-party apps pre-installed that may be uninstalled if necessary. Furthermore, there are advertisements and other customization choices, allowing you to adapt the device to your preferences. The handset is likely to receive major software updates over the next two years.

Buy it if...

• A really generous accessory set.
• Premium design that outperforms its weight and high build quality.
• The battery life is decent.
• Rapid charging.
• Very nice stereo speaker setup.
• Very low thermal throttling.
• MicroSD card slot and 3.5mm audio jack.

Don't buy it if…

• Poor high refresh rate handling, as well as gaming at high refresh rates.
• The selfie camera does not produce high-quality images.

FULL SPECIFICATION