Realme 12 Pro Review: Stylish Design Meets Solid Performance in a Competitive Market

January 2024 has been filled with exciting new smartphone introductions, one of which is the Realme 12 Pro 5G series. The latest iteration from Realme consists of the Realme 12 Pro 5G and the Realme 12 Pro+ 5G. Although both models bear a resemblance to the front design of the Realme 11 Pro series, there are notable changes inside and on the back panel. I’ve spent over a week testing the Realme 12 Pro 5G, exploring various features. Here are my impressions of the device.

Pricing of Realme 12 Pro in India

The Realme 12 Pro starts at a price of Rs. 25,999 in India for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Additionally, an 8GB RAM plus 256GB storage version is available for Rs. 26,999. This new device comes in two color options: Navigator Beige and Submarine Blue. For review purposes, we received the 256GB model in Submarine Blue.

In the box, you will find a 67W fast charger

The unboxing experience of the Realme 12 Pro 5G aligns with what you’d anticipate from devices in this price bracket. Inside, you will find everything you expect: a 67W charging brick, a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, a protective case, SIM ejector tool, and the standard paperwork.

Design Review of Realme 12 Pro

Only a handful of smartphones manage to turn heads with their design, and the Realme 12 Pro 5G is likely to provoke such curiosity. With most smartphones today conforming to a flat design, Realme has successfully crafted a stylish and distinct look for its device.

The Submarine Blue variant I received is visually striking. The back features a vegan leather finish paired with a camera module reminiscent of a luxury watch face. Realme has collaborated with French luxury watchmaker Ollivier Savéo, known for working with prestigious brands such as Rolex and Breitling.

The rear panel showcases an appealing vegan leather finish

 

The eye-catching element is the camera module, adorned with gold accents and a sunburst dial design. Weighing in at 196g, the device feels reassuringly solid in hand. Both the display and the rear panel exhibit a curved design, contributing to its sleek appearance (8.75mm thick). The Realme 12 Pro fits comfortably in your hand, and the vegan leather finish helps prevent any smudges or fingerprints on the back.

On the front, the phone presents uniform, slim bezels on both sides. The design is very similar to the Realme 11 Pro, featuring a curved display of equivalent size. The Realme 12 Pro 5G also boasts an IP65 rating for water and dust resistance.

Specifications and Software of Realme 12 Pro

The Realme 12 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset, paired with an Adreno 710 GPU, 8GB of RAM, and a choice of 256GB storage. An interesting feature is its Dynamic RAM capability, which allows for an additional 8GB of virtual RAM borrowed from the internal storage. However, note that storage cannot be expanded externally. The device includes a USB Type-C port on the bottom alongside a speaker, a microphone, and a SIM card tray supporting dual 5G SIMs. Another speaker grille and microphone are situated at the top edge, while you will find the power and volume buttons on the right side.

Realme 12 Pro 5G features a dual speaker configuration

 

Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, and support for all major GPS satellites. It’s worth noting that Realme could have integrated Wi-Fi 6E and possibly a more recent Bluetooth standard, as competing devices in a similar price range often do.

An in-display fingerprint sensor is integrated, located at the bottom of the screen. Although its positioning could be improved, it functions reliably, and I faced no issues unlocking the device during my evaluation.

The Realme 12 Pro is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery and a 67W fast charger, consistent with its predecessor. No significant upgrades have been introduced in this aspect.

Realme 12 Pro is promised to receive 2 years of software updates

 

Now, let’s discuss the software. The Realme 12 Pro runs on Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0. During my usage, I received two minor updates aimed at enhancing camera performance. Realme UI 5.0 offers a smooth experience, though it does come preloaded with bloatware, featuring familiar folders for Hot Apps and Hot Games, as well as the Glance lock screen and several pre-installed applications. While some apps can be disabled, complete removal is not possible. However, the operating system brings useful features such as File Dock, Smart image matting, and Phonelink. Realme has committed to providing 2 years of software updates and 3 years of security updates for the device.

The Smart image matting feature allows for subject isolation from the background in photos. With File Dock, file sharing via drag-and-drop is simplified, while Phonelink facilitates connectivity to a Windows computer, enabling file sharing, message notifications, and even phone call management.

Performance Evaluation of Realme 12 Pro

Next, let’s discuss performance. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor is adequate for everyday tasks and some gaming, though it isn’t designed for high-performance scenarios. Realme appears to have prioritized camera quality and design in the Realme 12 Pro 5G. Benchmark results indicate that the phone underperforms compared to some rivals in the same price category. On AnTuTu, with performance mode activated, it scored 5,90,047 points; when disabled, the score was 5,61,099. Geekbench 6 results showed scores of 882 in Single-core and 2693 in Multi-core with performance mode off, revealing minimal differences with it on. Overall, while performance isn’t its standout feature, I experienced no significant lag during daily activities. Opening and closing apps, background multitasking, and gaming were all generally smooth. When the available 8GB RAM was stretched, the Dynamic RAM feature swiftly compensated for any limitations.

The device features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz

 

Regarding the display, the Realme 12 Pro showcases a curved 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with full-HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and peak brightness of 800 nits. The screen delivers vibrant colors and ample brightness for indoor use. Even in direct sunlight, the display remains legible. Users can select from various display color modes—Vivid, Natural, Cinematic, or Brilliant—and also manually adjust the screen’s color temperature. The O1 Video Colour Boost engine is included, which enhances SDR content to HDR; however, this feature is limited to select applications. The viewing angles on the display are impressive, and there were no noticeable distortions.

The dual speaker system on the Realme 12 Pro is capable of producing loud sound. There’s a decent bass response and spatial separation due to the top and bottom speaker placements. Call quality is satisfactory, with the earpiece providing sufficient volume. Overall, while the audio performance isn’t groundbreaking, it’s satisfactory.

Is gaming feasible on the Realme 12 Pro? Absolutely. While the graphics settings won’t max out, it’s certainly playable. I tested games such as COD and BGMI, which ran effectively. The phone did not overheat significantly, although I occasionally observed touch input misses. Frame rates remained stable during multiplayer gaming sessions, though my playtime was limited to about 30 minutes per session. The rear panel heats up, but not excessively, allowing for comfortable use immediately afterward. There were no issues with warmth during camera usage or general tasks, and the vegan leather finish helped disguise the heat well.

Now, onto battery performance results. The Realme 12 Pro 5G’s 5,000mAh battery easily lasts a full day under heavy usage, which includes gaming, photography, streaming YouTube and similar services, and regular scrolling through apps. Without heavy gaming, the device can operate for over a day, and minimal content consumption may even stretch its longevity to 2 days. In terms of charging, it can be replenished swiftly, with Realme claiming that the bundled 67W charger can recharge the battery from 0 to 100 percent in just 48 minutes. My own tests showed that it required 43 minutes to charge from 10 to 100 percent, indicating that the 48-minute claim is feasible even from a dead battery.

Camera Performance of Realme 12 Pro

Lastly, a key highlight of the Realme 12 Pro is its camera capabilities. The device features a triple rear camera setup, though one of the lenses is a dummy and may mislead some to think there are four cameras. The actual cameras consist of a primary 50-megapixel Sony IMX 882 sensor equipped with OIS, PDAF, a 26mm focal length, and an f/1.8 aperture. This is paired with a new 32-megapixel Sony IMX 709 telephoto sensor that offers 2x optical zoom and 4x lossless in-sensor zoom. Lastly, there’s an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. This marks a significant upgrade from last year’s dual-camera setup, which included a 100-megapixel main lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

The main camera features a 50-megapixel Sony IMX 882 sensor

 

The camera interface is standard for most Android phones, with distinct modes located above the shutter button. A More option includes Pro mode, Panorama, Hi-Res, Timelapse, Long Exposure, dual-view, Starry Mode, among others. Common modes like Photo, Video, Portrait, Night, and Street are easily accessible.

In Photo mode, various zoom options (0.6x, 1x, 2x, and 4x) are available. The main rear camera captures decent-quality images in daylight. The 2x optical zoom also yields good images, though saturations can appear occasionally, and some rare images showed artifacts. The 4x zoom tends to produce washed-out photos with less detail. The ultra-wide lens captures commendable daylight images too, but differences in color accuracy, detail quality, and HDR performance compared to the main sensor can be quite evident.

Top: Photos taken in daylight; Bottom: Low-light shot with automatic Night Mode

 

In low light conditions, the camera struggles to retain detail, although the main sensor can still produce acceptable images if there’s adequate lighting. Capturing nighttime skies or landscapes often results in images that lack detail. The dynamic range and colors can often be subpar in low light. The 2x zoom in such conditions does not perform well, generally resulting in noisy, low-detail photographs, a pattern that similarly affects the ultra-wide lens. Low-light portrait shots exhibit poor edge detection, although some detail can be salvaged in brighter settings.

1x Portrait shots are made with the main camera, while the 2x shots utilize the telephoto lens

 

Selfies captured with the Realme 12 Pro 5G are satisfactory. It has a 16-megapixel front camera capable of shooting 1080p videos at 30fps. Daylight selfies are sufficiently detailed, though they can appear washed out in low-light scenarios.

As for video recording, the device supports 4K video capture at 30fps, as well as excellent OIS stabilization when recording in 1080p at 60fps. Realme refers to this stabilization as Ultra Steady, which delivers acceptable results albeit with some fringing. That said, these videos are definitely suitable for sharing on social media. 4K videos shot in bright conditions capture ample detail, but during low-light filming, noise and odd artifacts are noticeable.

Final Thoughts on Realme 12 Pro

Starting with a price tag of Rs. 25,999, the Realme 12 Pro 5G faces competition from several smartphones. Recent contenders include the Redmi Note 13 Pro and the Poco X6 Pro (Review).

The Realme 12 Pro 5G is an aesthetically pleasing device with many attractive features. It offers a unique design with a vegan leather finish, a high-quality display with a 120Hz refresh rate, solid performance for everyday tasks and some gaming, enduring battery life, and quick charging capabilities, alongside impressive daylight photography. It provides a substantial value proposition. While it stands as a commendable smartphone for the cost, the choice ultimately boils down to your priorities: if camera quality and design appeal more to you, then the Realme 12 Pro is your best bet; however, if performance is your precise focus, the Poco X6 Pro might be the way to go.