OnePlus 12R Long-Term Review: Still A Good Phone In 2026?

OnePlus 12R price is 42,999 rupees in India for 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The 16GB RAM and 256GB storage priced at 45,999 rupees in India. This is avilable in three colours: Iron Grey, Cool Blue, and Sunset Dune. You can buy new models from the OnePlus store and websites.

You can also buy a refurbished OnePlus 12R from Cashify starting at 25,599 rupees in India. At this time, phone prices are increasing, and this is worth considering.

Also Read: Vivo X200 Pro Long-Term Review: Two Years Later, Is It Still A Flagship?

The OnePlus 12R packs the following items inside the box:

• Phone
• 100W Charger
• Type C cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Protective cover
• Documentation

Before we talk in detail about the OnePlus 12R, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:

• Display: 6.78 inches LTPO4 screen
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)
• RAM & ROM: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM
• Software: Android 16 OxygenOS 15 (after update)
• Rear camera: 50MP, 8MP, 2MP
• Selfie camera: 16MP
• Battery: 5500mAh
• Weight: 207 grams
• Dimensions: 163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8 mm

OnePlus 12R comes with an amazing design and a matte finish on the back. Its back has a kind of grittiness or sandiness that glows in the light and gives it an eye-catching look.

Moreover, this phone has a lightweight 207g body with dimensions of 163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8 mm. Due to its curved design, it perfectly fits in a single hand and is easy to carry anywhere.

Moreover, OnePlus offers an aluminium frame for strengthening the body, along with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front. I also like the rounded-shape camera module, which was a trademark design for OnePlus number-series phones for a long time, but it has now changed with the latest OnePlus 15.

Its design is also non-slip; during my OnePlus 12R long-term review, I never used a protective cover and, thankfully, it never slipped from my hand.

This phone also has an IP64 rating for dust-tightness and water resistance. Note that it can resist water splashes but is not designed for water submersion.

Moving on to the ports, it comes with a secondary speaker and IR blaster on the top, along with an action slider on the left side.

Meanwhile, its right side has the power and volume buttons, while the bottom contains the main speaker, a microphone, a SIM tray, and a Type-C slot.

OnePlus 12R comes with decent camera capabilities, where you can see smoothness in the results without much saturation. But before we get into this, it comes with a triple rear camera setup: a 50MP wide, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro sensor. During my long-term review of the OnePlus 12R, I took a few pictures, and it performed decently. So, I cannot say it is the best, but it still holds up well compared to today’s phones.

In normal mode, you will see amazing images, and its ultrawide sensor is excellent as well. But the major issue I observed is that there is no depth in every image, and the results sometimes look pixelated.

Moreover, in portrait mode, my images appear highly processed, but there are no issues with edge detection. Dynamic range is also a major problem. In my portrait image, the Lodhi Garden Tomb was in the background, but because of the messy background, everything looked washed out. So far, I would say it is okay for decent photography but not a good option for a photogenic person.

Similarly, the OnePlus 12R comes with a 16MP front camera offering decent images. I clicked a few selfies, and the overall results were decent. You can also record 4K videos at 30 fps with the rear camera and 1080p videos at 30 fps with the front camera.

OnePlus 12R comes with a 5,500mAh battery capacity for long-lasting battery life. At this time, phone brands are racing to offer bigger batteries in their phones, but I would say actual battery life matters more than the numbers.

Honestly, I got almost 7 to 8 hours of screen time while watching videos. When I played games like BGMI and Asphalt, I got around 6 hours of battery life. So, I cannot say the numbers are very fascinating, but for a mid-range phone, you are getting better performance and decent battery life.

This phone supports 100W fast charging, but I did not have its fast charger. So, during my OnePlus 12R long-term review, I mostly charged this phone with my Apple 20W adapter. However, it charged from 0 to 100% in around one hour, which is impressive.

OnePlus 12R comes with a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. During my OnePlus 12R long-term review, I found the display one of the best things about this phone.

The colours look vibrant, the viewing angles are good, and everything looks sharp while watching videos or scrolling through social media. Moreover, the 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling and animations feel smooth.

The display also supports HDR10+ and can reach high brightness levels, so watching content outdoors is not a major issue. I mostly watched YouTube and Netflix on this phone, and the overall viewing experience was impressive. The curved edges also make the display look more premium, although some users may prefer a flat display for better handling.

One thing I noticed is that the curved display can sometimes cause accidental touches, especially while using the phone with one hand. Apart from this, I did not face any major issues with the display during my long-term usage. So, if you are looking for a phone mainly for watching videos, gaming, or scrolling, the OnePlus 12R still offers an excellent display experience.

OnePlus 12R comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm) chipset, which is still a powerful processor even in 2026. During my OnePlus 12R long-term review, I used this phone for regular tasks like browsing, watching videos, using social media, and switching between multiple apps. I did not face any major lag or stuttering, and the overall performance was smooth.

When it comes to gaming, the OnePlus 12R also performed really well. I played games like BGMI and Asphalt, and the gaming experience was smooth with good graphics and stable performance. However, after playing games for a long time, I noticed some heating, which can be bit better. Still, I never felt that the phone was struggling to handle demanding games.

The phone also comes with up to 16GB RAM, which helps while multitasking. I could easily switch between different apps without constantly reloading them. Even after using the phone for a long time, the performance remained consistent, which is something I really liked about the OnePlus 12R.

OnePlus 12R may not have the latest processor in 2026, but I would say the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is still more than enough for most users. If you are looking for a phone mainly for performance, gaming, and multitasking, I think the OnePlus 12R can still be a good option, especially if you can get it at a reasonable refurbished price.

I also ran several Benchmark tests on the OnePlus 12R to assess its performance across different aspects. Its Geekbench scores are 489 in single-core and 2780 in multi-core. The maximum in the CPU throttling test is 92 per cent. Moreover, its Antutu score is 1564076. The 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test for stability has an overall score of 70.8%.

Moving on to the software, the OnePlus 12R originally came with OxygenOS based on Android 14. But during my long-term usage, I was using OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16.

The software experience was mostly smooth. The interface feels clean, animations are fluid, and switching between apps does not feel like a major task, especially because of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.

I also like OxygenOS because it offers several customisation options without making the interface too complicated. You can change icons, wallpapers, themes, and other elements according to your preference. Moreover, features like the OnePlus Shelf, split-screen mode, and the alert slider make the overall experience more convenient.

However, OnePlus does include some pre-installed apps majorly from Google, which can feel unnecessary if you prefer a cleaner software experience. I also noticed that some software updates can take longer to arrive on older OnePlus phones than on newer ones. Still, during my OnePlus 12R long-term review, I did not face any major performance or software-related issues.