Realme 12 Pro 5G: A Stylish Upgrade with Luxury Touches and Enhanced Performance

Realme 12 Pro has recently entered the Indian smartphone arena, making its debut alongside the Realme 12 Pro+ on January 29. The new device features an enhanced camera system and a more powerful chipset, although it retains the same front design as its predecessor, the Realme 11 Pro. A notable highlight of this smartphone is its design collaboration with a prestigious watchmaker, which is clearly showcased in the rear camera arrangement. Here are my initial thoughts on the Realme 12 Pro after a few days of usage.

For the design of the Realme 12 Pro series, the Chinese brand collaborated with Ollivier Savéo, a renowned French luxury watch designer known for partnerships with brands like Rolex. The phone is available in two color choices: Submarine Blue and Navigator Beige. I was able to test the Submarine Blue model of the Realme 12 Pro.

Upon unboxing, I immediately recognized the inspiration behind Realme’s design. The back panel features a prominent circular camera arrangement that incorporates design elements reminiscent of high-end timepieces. A golden bezel circles the camera module, complemented by a polished blue sunburst dial. This dial captures light beautifully, creating a captivating gradient that would appeal to watch lovers. Additionally, a golden stitching detail runs vertically down the middle of the rear panel.

Realme 12 Pro 5G in Submarine Blue

The rear of the Realme 12 Pro 5G boasts a vegan leather texture, enhancing its luxury appearance and feel. Its curved glass front and back create an illusion of a slimmer phone. The device feels comfortable in hand and has a satisfying weight that adds to its premium sensation. While the frame is plastic, it comes with a gold finish that coordinates with the other golden design accents. The buttons are conveniently located on the right edge, making them easy to access. The smartphone is equipped with dual stereo speakers, a dual-SIM card tray, a USB Type-C port, and dual microphones.

On the front, the Realme 12 Pro features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a full-HD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The display curves gently at the edges, accompanied by slim bezels. The screen presents well, making it ideal for video viewing, movie marathons, and gaming. While there isn’t Corning Gorilla Glass protection, a different type of high-strength glass covers the display. The panel can reach a brightness of up to 800 nits and supports ProXDR visuals. Additionally, there’s an in-display fingerprint sensor and a centrally positioned hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera.

Realme 12 Pro 5G features a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display

The Realme 12 Pro 5G includes a 50-megapixel Sony IMX 882 main camera

For self-portraits and video conferencing, Realme has equipped the phone with a 16-megapixel front-facing camera, the same as the previous model. However, a significant upgrade has been made in the processor department. The Realme 12 Pro 5G is powered by a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC, a 4nm chipset claimed to deliver improved performance and efficiency over the prior version. My experience so far has been smooth, but I need to conduct additional testing to verify these claims. The chipset is paired with 8GB RAM and up to 256GB internal storage, along with dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and GPS connectivity.

Encased within the Realme 12 Pro 5G is a 5,000mAh battery supporting 67W fast charging, similar to last year’s model. I will assess the battery performance further in my comprehensive review. The phone operates on Android 14 with RealmeUI out-of-the-box, and users will encounter a fair amount of pre-installed apps.

Offering a reasonable price of Rs. 26,000, the Realme 12 Pro appears to be an attractive option, but I will delve deeper into its capabilities over the next few days. Its design and enhanced camera features are definitely highlights. Stay tuned for my full review.


The Motorola Edge 40 has recently launched, succeeding the Edge 30 introduced last year. Should this device be your choice over the Nothing Phone 1 or the Realme Pro+? We explore this subject and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital can be found on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and on various other podcast platforms.
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