We're very impressed by the OnePlus 12, which has now launched in China, and we hoped that it would be getting a UK and US release in the not too distant future. And now OnePlus has promised just that, confirming that the phone will be coming to both markets in early 2024. OnePlus hasn't committed to a definite date just yet, but rumours have suggested 24 January – which is interesting timing if true, as that's a week after the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S24.
OnePlus says that the phone will debut "along with other products", one of which may be the rumoured OnePlus 12R. That could be a rebranded version of the OnePlus Ace 3, another China exclusive, whose specs are awfully similar to those rumoured for the as yet unannounced 12R.
OnePlus 12: key features and specifications
The OnePlus 12 is powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Qualcomm's flagship mobile processor, and it's tucked behind an incredibly bright 2K Super Fluid AMOLED with 4,500 nits of peak brightness. The battery is 5,400mAh with 100W wired and 50W charging and the operating system is Android 14 with OnePlus's own OxygenOS 14 on top.
The real star of the OnePlus show here is the camera assembly, which continues OnePlus's collaboration with photography legends Hasselblad. It's a three-camera setup with a 50MP LYT808 sensor, a 64MP periscope with 3x optical zoom and a 48MP ultrawide sensor. Round the front there's a 32MP Sony IMX615 selfie shooter.
As for the OnePlus 12R, if the Ace 3 is indeed about to get renamed for the global market –something OnePlus did with its predecessor, the Ace 2, which became the OnePlus 11R globally – then we're looking at a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a 5,500mAh battery with 100W wired charging and a 6.78-inch curved display that's almost as bright as the OnePlus 12. According to posts on Chinese social media site Weibo the Ace 3 will launch in China on 17 December, although it's not clear how accurate that date is: a December launch is very likely but it might not happen on that specific day.
