Realme 12 Pro+: A Mid-Range Marvel with Stellar Cameras and Competitive Pricing

For a number of years, Realme has been known for offering high-quality smartphones in the mid-range category. The Realme 12 Pro+ certainly left a lasting mark upon its debut. We were presented with a device that not only embodied the characteristics of a mid-range phone but was also equipped with impressive performance capabilities and an intriguing array of cameras that remain unique at this pricing tier. The compelling price point further strengthens the appeal of this mid-range smartphone. Yet, it’s worth noting that the mid-range landscape has seen substantial advancements over the last year.

Modern smartphones feature astonishing 200-megapixel cameras, IP68 ratings ensuring dust and water resistance, and ultra-rapid charging speeds (up to 120W). Interestingly, there are devices within this segment that offer these specifications but falter in actual performance or fall short on camera reliability. Consequently, recommending these options becomes a challenge. Moreover, potential buyers may find premium smartphones that deliver exceptional value and have seen recent price reductions, such as Google’s impressive Pixel 7a.

Featuring a sophisticated design and an impressive telephoto camera, the Realme 12 Pro+ certainly seems like a significant improvement over its predecessor, but can it thrive amidst fierce competition? I have been testing the Realme 12 Pro+ for several weeks, and here are my thoughts.

Realme 12 Pro+ Review: Price in India

The Realme 12 Pro+ is offered in three color options – Submarine Blue, Explorer Red, and Navigator Beige. Additionally, there are three different configurations available. The 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 29,999, the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant costs Rs. 31,999, and the premier version with 12GB RAM + 256GB storage is available at Rs. 33,999. For review, we received the 12GB + 256GB variant in Submarine Blue. Given the minor price variations among the models, I would suggest stretching your budget a little to obtain the highest model.

Realme 12 Pro+ Review: Design

The Realme 12 Pro+ does not reinvent the wheel or undertake a complete redesign like its predecessor, the Realme 11 Pro+. However, it features subtle design refinements that lend it a more sophisticated appearance than its forerunner, in my opinion.

The slender profile of the Realme 12 Pro+ is enhanced by its curved edge design

 

The watch-inspired design trend seen in BBK’s brands is appealing. The curved rear camera module is accentuated by an elegant golden fluted bezel. Coupled with the split rear panel featuring vegan leather, the phone exudes a luxurious and traditional aesthetic that many may associate with premium timepieces or high-end handbags. Surprisingly, it weighs a hefty 196 grams, likely due to the metal accents and the robust camera module.

The overly ornate stitches from the Realme 11 Pro+ have been eliminated, though I’m not particularly fond of the golden element featuring a diamond pattern spanning the back, intended to evoke a look akin to a metal watch band.

Whether you appreciate it or not, the overall smartphone design certainly captures attention, and the vegan-leather back contributes to a comfortable grip. My review unit remained in immaculate condition despite being placed on various surfaces (stone, rocks, wooden tables), contrasting significantly with Apple’s Finewoven cases.

The bold stitches on the rear of the Realme 11 Pro+ have been substituted with a more refined metal strip

 

Furthermore, the striking design comes with an official IP65 rating for dust and water resistance. This feature allows it to withstand splashes but falls short compared to the Redmi Note 13 Pro+, which boasts a more robust IP68 rating, offering protection against submersion. The soft champagne gold finish around the camera ring also extends to the plastic frame, which is well-finished, lacking any sharp edges or cutouts. I appreciate how Realme has opted for a matte finish on the flat top and bottom edges while maintaining a polished look on the sides for added grip. The 6.7-inch curved-edge display, combined with slim bezels, adds a touch of elegance.

Realme 12 Pro+ Review: Specifications and software

The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, built on a 4nm process and featuring a maximum clock speed of 2.4GHz. This indicates that while the processor is energy-efficient like those found in premium smartphones, it may not match the speed of higher-end models (sub Rs. 50,000). The communication capabilities include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, USB Type-C, and a SIM card tray accommodating two nano SIM cards. The phone supports multiple 5G bands (n1/3/5/8/28B/40/41/77/78) and offers dual 5G standby. Power is delivered by a 5,000mAh battery, which can be charged using the provided 67W charger.

It’s great to see Realme launching the 12 Pro+ with Android 14 pre-installed. Realme UI 5.0 brings several new features inherited from Oppo’s ColorOS, including Flash Capsule, which has a similar function to Fluid Cloud on OnePlus’ OxygenOS and Aqua Dynamics on Oppo devices, all working in a dynamic manner to relay notifications akin to Dynamic Island.

The Flash Capsule feature on the Realme 12 Pro+ operates similarly to OnePlus’ Fluid Cloud

 

When you activate a timer (via the clock app), it minimizes to a capsule that resides on the left side of your status bar as you switch to other apps or the home screen. A long press on the capsule prompts an animation, expanding it into a smaller card with additional buttons (pause, stop). A single tap opens the capsule fully in the clock app, taking over the entire screen.

While I appreciate the practicality of Flash Capsule, these intuitive interactions are limited to select native applications and only a couple of third-party apps at present. Currently, Zomato and Swiggy are supported, allowing real-time tracking through Smart Suggestions, which provides live updates from these apps directly on the always-on display (AOD) on the lock screen, minimizing the need to unlock the phone and navigate to the specific delivery app for updates.

Other new software enhancements include File Dock (for accessing recently used files through a pop-out console), Smart Touch (for extracting text from screenshots), and Smart Image Matting (for isolating individuals or objects from pictures), which I elaborated on in my Oppo Reno 11 Pro review, are also very progressive and beneficial.

The Realme 12 Pro+ features a vegan leather back and for the first time includes an official IP65 rating with this series

 

However, I found the software experience marred by bloatware and numerous preloaded third-party apps. While I could remove many of them, several remained unremovable. Additionally, the presence of multiple duplicate apps can be confusing for both new users and those accustomed to a more streamlined, nearly stock Android interface. There are two app stores, two web browsers, two file managers, two SMS apps, two photo gallery applications, and two game management apps (Games + Game Centre), none of which can be uninstalled, leaving you with software that you may never use.

Realme 12 Pro+ Review: Performance

Despite the abundance of bloatware and duplicate apps, the software’s performance shouldn’t be a concern for this mid-range device. My review unit (equipped with 12GB of RAM) exhibited no signs of lag or stuttering. Multitasking and retrieving recently used applications were seamless, with minimal app reloads required.

The display is impressively bright (with a peak brightness of 800 nits), easily handling outdoor visibility in bright or direct sunlight. By default, it displays vibrant colors in Vivid mode, so you may want to switch to Natural mode for a more subdued color profile. The full-HD+ resolution delivers crisp visuals when rendering text and images.

Even with the “ProXDR” branding (beneficial for viewing Ultra HDR images), there’s no support for Dolby Vision or HDR10+ on streaming apps. However, streaming content does appear sharp, thanks to the device’s Widevine L1 certification (enabling full-HD playback) on Netflix. The dynamic refresh rate of 120Hz operates on Auto-select, fluctuating between 30, 60, 90, and 120Hz depending on the displayed content, offering modest battery savings from this display technology.

The Realme 12 Pro+’s curved edge display appears premium, but does not boast HDR10 or Dolby Vision certification for video content

 

The overall gaming performance was satisfactory, with the device adeptly managing casual games but exhibiting some struggles with more demanding titles. Curiously, despite the presence of 12GB of RAM, titles such as Call of Duty: Mobile did not offer settings beyond High graphics and Max Frame rate, limiting gameplay to 60fps. I also noticed that the 240Hz touch sampling rate felt slightly sluggish during FPS gameplay. The considerable VC cooling system efficiently manages heat during high-intensity gaming sessions and camera use.

In terms of benchmarks, the Realme 12 Pro+ achieved a score of 6,43,951 in AnTuTu and 929 and 2,792 in Geekbench’s single and multi-core tests respectively. These figures are competitive, but Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 13 Pro+ outperformed it with scores of 7,21,512 in AnTuTu and 1,122 and 2,598 points in Geekbench’s single and multi-core tests. Graphics performance also appears to lag behind that of the Redmi Note 13 Pro+, which explains the limited graphics and frame rate options offered in many games.

Featuring three rear cameras, the Realme 12 Pro+ includes two with optical image stabilization

 

Battery performance on the Realme 12 Pro+ is commendable; it can comfortably last a day and a half on a single charge, even with an hour allocated to gaming and half an hour for camera use, in addition to regular social media and productivity applications. In our standard video loop battery test, the phone managed a remarkable 26 hours and 46 minutes, which is impressive for a mid-range device focused on aesthetics, yet something we expect from Realme products in this price range.

Charging is also a non-issue. The device’s 67W charger brings the battery to 72 percent within 30 minutes and fully charges it in precisely 1 hour.

Realme 12 Pro+ Review: Cameras

The Realme 12 Pro+ features a triplet of rear-facing cameras, including a Sony IMX890 50-megapixel primary sensor with OIS, an Omni Vision OV64B 64-megapixel periscope telephoto lens, and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera. For selfies, there is a 32-megapixel front camera that lacks autofocus.

The primary camera captures images with authentic color tones and impressive dynamic range, preserving ample detail even in darker areas. This sensor can deliver sharp images, allowing for cropping without losing resolution. During low-light conditions, the OIS is exceptional in maintaining clarity and detail. It performs admirably at capturing distant subjects, showcasing its hardware and software capabilities. However, the 2X zoom feature, derived from cropping the primary camera, falls short, resulting in somewhat washed-out images. Fortunately, the stellar 3X optical camera is there for closer shots.

Daylight shots from the Realme 12 Pro+: Top to bottom: Ultra-wide camera, primary camera, telephoto camera (3X optical zoom) (tap images to view full size)

 

The telephoto camera stands out as a remarkable aspect of the Realme 12 Pro+. It utilizes the same 64-megapixel periscopic telephoto lens found in the OnePlus 12, OnePlus Open, and other premium devices. However, it does not feature a high-end ISP as seen in more expensive smartphones.

Nevertheless, it delivers impressive texture detail, ensuring that subjects appear sharp, while the dynamic range provides ample detail in both light and shadow areas. What’s remarkable is how well Realme has calibrated the telephoto lens to align with the primary camera’s color and white balance, showcasing a level of consistency not often found in this price range. This excellence continues in low-light scenarios, where it captures detail effectively while zooming into landscapes or shooting close portraits at native 3X focal length. Images taken at 6X zoom retain their quality, though quality can decrease significantly beyond that point, likely due to the backing of the mid-range processor.

The telephoto camera, paired with its lossless in-sensor zoom, captures intricate close-ups without needing a macro mode

 

The ultra-wide camera is standard in quality and does not match the primary and telephoto cameras in detail or dynamic range. It delivers average texture detail, while the dynamic range captures decent shadow detail but presents washed-out colors in comparison to the other two cameras. In low-light conditions, images tend to be soft and generally unusable.

While there is no dedicated macro camera or mode, the 3X telephoto lens with its impressive 6X in-sensor lossless zoom allows for closer inspection of subjects, producing detailed and sharp close-ups even in low light. Selfies taken in daylight are sharp with good edge detection in Portrait mode, yet the performance declines in low-light conditions. Thankfully, the Night mode performs adequately in maintaining image quality.

Low-light camera examples from the Realme 12 Pro+: Top: Primary camera, bottom: telephoto camera (3X optical zoom) (Tap images to enlarge)

 

4K 30fps video recordings may exhibit slight shake but retain good detail and low noise in low-light street conditions. Comparatively, 1080p recordings at 30fps and 60fps seem less sharp and detailed versus 4K footage, yet maintain a stable framerate and impressive stabilization across different lighting scenarios.

Realme 12 Pro+ Review: Verdict

The Realme 12 Pro+, featuring a revamped design, updated core components, and an outstanding telephoto camera, stands as a worthy upgrade, even for those holding last year’s model. When compared to mid-range competitors such as the Redmi Note 13 Pro+, it may show some deficits on paper in specifications.

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ (Review) boasts superior features, including an IP68 rating, faster 120W charging, and an enormous 200-megapixel camera sensor, making it a strong contender if raw performance is your priority, although it starts at a higher price of Rs. 31,999 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant. Nevertheless, it lacks certain aspects that the Realme 12 Pro+ excels in.

The Realme 12 Pro+ showcases an industry-leading telephoto camera that rivals even those in higher segments, including the Pixel 7a. There’s consistent performance between the primary and telephoto cameras, which is a rarity in this price range.

However, all other attributes of this smartphone are quite solid or better than average. It offers a decent IP65 rating for dust and water protection, a high-quality curved-edge AMOLED display, some intriguing software capabilities (especially for a mid-range device), exceptional battery life, and swift charging options. The competitive pricing, starting at Rs. 29,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant, makes it an appealing option for anyone eyeing a mid-range smartphone in 2024, particularly those prioritizing camera performance. If only Realme could address the bloatware issue, we would have a nearly ideal mid-range device.

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