realme 12 and realme 12 Plus review: bright mid-rangers with nuances

A few months ago, we reviewed the phones realme 12 Pro and realme 12 Pro Plus. Now the company has released the realme 12 and realme 12 Plus. The new products have a similar bright design with large cameras, but now have flat edges without waterfall screens. Despite the different category, the devices stand out with adequate cameras. There are certain nuances, positive and negative aspects. You will find out whether the smartphones are worthy of attention in the review below.

realme 12 та realme 12 Plus

Pluses:

premium design with flat edges; adequate power for its segments; bright AMOLED screen at 120 Hz in the older model; IP54 protection; loud and high-quality stereo sound; good package; fast charging at 45 and 67 W; cameras with good photo quality and powerful zoom (for their categories); high-quality software; the presence of a 3.5 mm audio jack will be a plus for some

Minuses:

IPS screen in the younger model; glossy ends get dirty quickly; poor night mode; not everyone will like the premium design and back cover; not quite adequate price/performance ratio

7.7/10

Rating ITC.ua

Technical specifications of the realme 12 and realme 12 Plus

Packaging and equipment

realme 12 and realme 12 Plus come in standard bright yellow boxes with black lettering.

Inside are the phones themselves with films on the screens, transparent silicone cases, paper clips to open the slots, documentation, USB-C cables, and 45W and 67W power supplies for the realme 12 and realme 12 Plus, respectively.

Design and ergonomics

The realme 12 and realme 12 Plus resemble the realme 12 Pro and realme 12 Pro Plus, as well as other previous models of the brand. The devices have a premium look, with huge bulging round camera modules in the middle of the back cover. But now the body is not rounded at the edges on both sides, but flat. The smartphones are also thin and have rounded corners.

On the front of the new devices we see thin bezels and small cutouts for the front cameras.

The cases in both cases are plastic, and the ends are glossy, which negatively affects their cleanliness. All of this immediately gets smeared with prints, so it’s better to wear at least a bundled case.

realme 12 has a pearlescent plastic back cover, while the realme 12 Plus has eco-leather. They have the same style, but they feel different in the palm of your hand. The first model is not as dense, so it seems to slip out of your hands without a case. And the grip on the second one is much better because the eco-leather is more textured.

The dimensions of the realme 12 are 165.60×76.10×7.69 mm, and it weighs 188 grams. The dimensions of the older model are 163×75.5×7.9 mm, and it weighs 190 grams. As you can see, they are really thin, although they can’t be called compact at all.

The elements on the bodies of the devices are standard, only the realme 12 has a SIM card slot on the bottom, and the realme 12 Plus has one on the top.

Both devices are rated IP54 for moisture protection. However, in some tests, I saw that they were washed under the tap with soap and water, immersed in water, and smartphones don’t care. However, all this is done at the risk of losing the warranty because the phones do not have full-fledged official water protection. Only the aforementioned IP54. However, they are still protected, so if anything, they have a chance to survive some unpleasant accident.

Display of the realme 12 and realme 12 Plus

realme 12 has a 6.72-inch LTPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1080×2400 pixels. The pixel density is — 392 ppi. The refresh rate is 120 Hz and the maximum brightness is 950 nits.

The display is bright for an IPS, with rich colors and detail. Viewing angles are good, but the picture does become duller at a strong tilt. 950 nits is more than enough for use in direct sunlight. Indoors, this figure drops to a maximum value of 800 nits, but this is more than enough.

The settings include changing the color temperature, «Vivid» and «Natural» picture modes, reading mode, changing fonts, improving picture quality, and selecting the refresh rate (Automatic, 60 Hz or 120 Hz).

In the realme 12 Plus, it is no longer an IPS, but an AMOLED screen and it is slightly smaller — 6.67 inches. The resolution here is 2400 by 1080 pixels, the pixel density is 395 ppi, and the refresh rate is up to 120 Hz. There is support for HDR10+, and the maximum brightness is up to 2000 nits. Always-On Display support has also been added.

In the settings, you can see different modes, change the refresh rate (Automatic, 60 Hz or 120 Hz) and fonts, improve the picture, change the color temperature and three image modes («Vivid», «Natural», «Professional»).

Of course, AMOLED is brighter and more saturated than IPS. And the maximum brightness here is very powerful, and the viewing angles are very adequate. In the sun, everything is perfectly visible and there is even room to increase the brightness, but this is not necessary.

The screens of the realme 12 and realme 12 Plus are definitely their advantage, but I don’t understand why the younger model still got IPS instead of AMOLED because its price tag definitely allows the smartphone to have a better matrix. Although I have to admit that some users will not immediately, or even at all, distinguish IPS from AMOLED, so maybe they were counted on.

Sound and vibration response

Both models have stereo sound, but it’s not two full-fledged speakers, but one speaker + earpiece. Of course, the second one is a bit quieter, but overall the sound is loud and unexpectedly rich. There is no bass and no buzzing at maximum volume either.

For headphones, there is not only Bluetooth 5.2, but also a 3.5 mm audio jack. Smartphones also support Hi-Res sound at 24-bit/192 kHz, so if you have good headphones, the sound will be appropriate.

The vibration response is pleasant, but there’s nothing else to say. There is also the standard proprietary O-HAPTICS tactile response technology.

realme 12 and realme 12 Plus cameras

realme 12 is equipped with a 108MP main wide-angle module from Samsung. The second is a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

The main camera is decent for its category. It is better to take photos in maximum light, then the detail will be better. Color saturation also stands out, but contrast is not enough. There is also a 3x zoom. I didn’t like the night shooting at all because there was a lot of «noise». However, I have seen much better examples of photos in other reviews. Probably, you need much more light here.

The camera can shoot in 1080p and 720p at 30 frames per second. It has electronic stabilization, but the video quality is not the strong point of the smartphone.

The front camera is 8 megapixels. The photos are adequate and detailed. The portrait mode works well, but in some places we see artifacts along the contour.

The realme 12 Plus already has three main modules. These are a 50-megapixel wide-angle Sony LYT-600 with optical stabilization, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro module.

During the day, photos are richly colored, with good contrast and improved detail. Night photos are a little better, but there is also a lot of «noise». Here you definitely need to take pictures of some bright places with backlighting, but unfortunately, with the power outages, it’s hard to find them.

The video is shot in 2160p and 1080p at 30 fps and 1080p at 60 fps.

The selfie camera of realme 12 Plus is already 16 megapixels. It takes high-quality photos with decent detail. The Bokeh effect is much better here.

Productivity, software, and games

The realme 12 is powered by an 8-core MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chip made on a 6 nm process. The graphics here are Mali-G57 MC2. We have 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. The ROM can be expanded with a microSD card instead of a second SIM. The modules here are Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e (2.4 and 5 GHz), Galileo and NFC.

The processor is cold, but of mediocre power. However, it’s enough for fast system performance and most popular games. The smartphone can run PUBG Mobile, Wild Rift, and other similar projects on medium-high settings with adequate frame rates without any problems.

realme 12 Plus has a 6-nanometer 8-core Mediatek Dimensity 7050 processor with ARM Mali-G68 MC4 graphics. The RAM is 8 or 12 GB, and the storage is 256 or 512 GB. With modules we have Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Type-C 2.0, GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS.

The chip is also cool and a little more powerful than the younger model. It is already enough for the same games, only at high-maximum graphics settings, as well as Genshin Impact at 30+ fps.

The realme 12 and realme 12 Plus run on Android 14 with the proprietary realme UI 5.0 shell. In my opinion, this is one of the most adequate shells with detailed appearance settings, no ads, etc. However, this is always a matter of taste. I also note that in both smartphones the system works quickly and does not slow down. This is partly due to the increased refresh rate.

realme 12 and realme 12 Plus battery life

realme 12 and realme 12 Plus are equipped with 5000 mAh batteries. We also have SuperVOOC fast charging. Only the younger version has 45W, and the older one has —67W.

The battery life of both gadgets is easily enough for a day and a half of standard use. However, in PC Mark tests, both devices showed mediocre results. For the realme 12, it was 9 hours and 27 minutes, and for the realme 12 Plus, 8 hours and 37 minutes.

The younger smartphone is fully charged in 1 hour and 15 minutes. The older version takes 50 minutes.

In general, the battery life is adequate, but this parameter cannot be called an advantage of the new products. Especially for 5000 mAh batteries. Although I have to admit that the models are very thin, and it’s hard to believe that such batteries were crammed in here, so I didn’t expect much more.

User experience

I liked the modern design of the realme 12 and realme 12 Plus, although it’s always a matter of taste. I like flat edges instead of rounded ends, waterfall screens, etc. Some people like it the other way around. I also like that the smartphones are thin.

Screens are the strong point of the devices, but as I said, for the price tag of the younger version, you could have put AMOLED. Competitors do this, but not all of them. The cameras also stand out, but we didn’t like them in night mode. It definitely needs a lot more lights, lighting, etc.

I also got a complete set, with a film, a case and a power supply. The latter, for example, cannot be boasted of by the competitor Redmi 13 mentioned below. However, it has other significant advantages.

My overall impressions of the devices are mixed. I kind of liked them, but definitely less than the realme 12 Pro and realme 12 Pro Plus. If I had to choose between these realme devices, I would take something with the Pro prefix.

Price and competitors

In my opinion, the price of the realme 12 and realme 12 Plus is a bit too high. But the main thing is that these models have very serious and popular competitors. I am sure that both devices will be able to give them a worthy response, but still, the latter will have a serious impact on the choice of buyers.

realme 12 is sold at a price of 8400 UAH. In large stores such as «Hello» the price of a smartphone is already UAH 10,999. realme 12 Plus can be bought for a price from UAH 11,800 but in large networks it is already UAH 13,999.

Among the competitors, it is worth paying attention to the new Redmi 13 and there are also Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G (our review here). For mobile gamers, there are Poco M6 Pro and Poco X6 Pro (our review here).

There are also Motorola Moto G54 and Motorola Moto G84. The best option would be Motorola Edge 40 Neo. And now there’s a fresh one Samsung Galaxy M35 5G.

7.7/10

Rating ITC.ua

Autonomy

8

A day and a half of work is a good indicator, especially with a thin body.

Screen

7.5

AMOLED — is good, but IPS for 10,999 is not.

Design, ergonomics

8

Modern design, slim and ergonomic body. But everyone has different tastes.

Software

8.5

Android 14 + realme UI 5.0 deliver great results and user experience.

Performance, Throttle

8

The processors are adequate, but that's all I can say.

Camera

7.5

The older model has better cameras, but the younger one has something to show for it. Still, there is nothing surprising about their quality.

Price

6.5

The models have a mediocre price/performance ratio.