OnePlus 12 release date rumors, price speculation, specs and more

The OnePlus 12 was expected to be one of the first big phone launches of 2024 — only now it seems like it will be the last major release of 2023. Regardless of when you get your hands on the next OnePlus flagship, this updated device is looking to jump-start a new generation of Android phones, and perhaps even tempt you away from the Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel you thought you wanted.

The current OnePlus 11 is an excellent flagship phone, and one that still stands up against newer devices like the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8 . But with upgrades like a new, brighter display, a better telephoto camera and impressive charging and computing performance tipped by the leak-o-sphere, the OnePlus 12 should be much better placed to compete with these devices, as well as upcoming ones like the Galaxy S24, which should launch close in time to the new OnePlus.

All the rumors we've heard up to now are summarized below to give you a good idea of what to expect from the new OnePlus. And we'll keep updating this page as more come along so everything you could want to know about the OnePlus 12 will all be found here, whenever you happen to check. 

OnePlus 12: Latest news (Updated November 21)

• OnePlus has just shown off the first official look at the OnePlus 12, ahead of its Chinese launch
• The OnePlus 12 is going to arrive at a launch event in China on December 5. A global launch should follow in early 2024.

OnePlus 12: Rumored specs

OnePlus 12: Rumored price and availability

We can apparently expect a January 2024 global release for the OnePlus 12, but that won't be the first availability of the new OnePlus flagship. To mark the 10th anniversary of its founding, OnePlus plans to hold a launch event in China, where the phone is arriving first. This was originally expected to happen on December 4, but is now confirmed to be happening on December 5.

We don't know exactly when the international launch will be, but OnePlus has announced it will be confirming this date on December 15.

Releasing the OnePlus 12 in December — even if that initial release is limited to China — could help OnePlus get the jump on Samsung and its upcoming Galaxy S24 release. Samsung is reportedly planning an early launch of its own, with the latest S24 models likely to arrive on January 17. That date's unofficial, though, whereas the December 5 event date for the OnePlus 12 comes straight from OnePlus.

We've heard no specific pricing rumor yet, but hopefully OnePlus will continue to charge $699, which makes its flagship phones a bargain compared to the $1,000-plus pricetags of rivals like the Pixel 8 Pro, Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra or iPhone 15 Pro.

OnePlus 12: Design and display

OnePlus has officially revealed what the OnePlus 12 looked like, and it isn't all that surprising. Anyone familiar with either the OnePlus 11 or the leaked renders will recognize this design immediately.

That said the design isn't identical to the OnePlus 11, with confirmation that the Alert Slider will be making a comeback. The switch was originally removed from the OnePlus 10T, and returned earlier this year on the OnePlus Open. 

The difference this time is that it's moving to the left side of the OnePlus 12, and will feature an integrated antenna. Apparently this will improve performance for gaming, with a 3dB signal improvement and a 15% reduction in latency. The telephoto lens also appears to have a square design, likely due to the inclusion of a pericsope design.

The OnePlus 12 will apparently have an IP rating, but of an unknown level. We have our fingers crossed for IP68 dust/water resistance, in line with other leading flagship phones.

The display of the OnePlus 12 is said to be a 6.8 (or possibly 6.7-inch) 120Hz OLED panel with 2,600 nits of brightness. At this brightness, the OnePlus 12 could be one of the brightest phones on the market, beating the rumored and confirmed values for rival devices.

OnePlus may also implement 2,160Hz PWM dimming for the 12's display. This is a system that in theory prevents your eyes from getting strained so quickly when using the phone's screen, so could be good for power users who want to binge videos or have lengthy gaming sessions without feeling that familiar ache behind your eyes.

OnePlus 12: Cameras

Originally a 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide and 64MP 3x telephoto combo was tipped for the OnePlus 12's rear camera set-up. That was supposed to include a 32MP selfie camera on the front, which would make it a little better than the 50MP main/48MP ultrawide/32MP 2x telephoto/16MP selfie camera that the OnePlus 11 uses. 

However OnePlus has confirmed that the phone will use a 48MP Sony camera lens, and will offer a telephoto lens with a 3x optical zoom and a periscope design. We'd have thought a periscope camera would offer a higher magnification than just 3x.

Leaked specs also claim the new OnePlus will increase the resolution of the ultrawide and selfie cameras, and both the resolution and zoom level of its telephoto camera. According to one rumor the telephoto lens will be identical to the one found in the OnePlus Open, with 64MP resolution and 3x optical zoom.

However this may be in doubt, since OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 12 will get a "new" Sony Lytia camera — which uses the same stacked pixel design as the OnePlus Open. The idea here is that more light can be taken in, improving brightness and picture quality without causing over exposure. 

Beyond the basic hardware, it seems that OnePlus will get Swedish camera company Hasselblad to give its seal of approval to the OnePlus 12's cameras. This partnership has been running for several years now, and seems to have helped bring OnePlus' photo quality closer to the best camera phones on the market. 

OnePlus 12: Performance

To nobody's surprise, the rumors have been claiming we'll get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip inside the OnePlus 12. OnePlus always goes for Qualcomm's latest and greatest Snapdragon chips in its flagship phones, so the Gen 3 is a natural pick that'll no doubt match up with many of next year's other top Android phones.

As for memory, we've heard there could be a 16GB RAM and 256GB storage variant of the OnePlus 12, although it's possible that the entry-level model will still only come with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. However, there could be a new top-end spec with possibly up to 24GB RAM and 1TB storage, which would give the OnePlus 12 more memory than basically any other phone on sale, excluding one or two gaming phones.

OnePlus 12: Battery and charging

Charging speed is a OnePlus specialty, and so rumors of the OnePlus 12 using a 5,400 mAh battery and 100W charging fit nicely with the company's "fast and smooth" motto. This was also corroborated by Chinese regulatory filings.

However, we have to question whether the U.S. market will get this maximum charging speed. 

Because of differing voltages, previous OnePlus phones have offered lower charging speeds to American customers than in the rest of the world. The OnePlus 11, for example, has 100W charging everywhere except in the U.S., which gets a still speedy, but still inferior 80W standard.

Something we'd like to see return to the OnePlus 12 is wireless charging, a feature that was absent from the OnePlus 11. Happily, the leaks are saying 50W wireless charging will be on offer on the new OnePlus.

OnePlus 12: Outlook

OnePlus is an important rival for Samsung, Google and even Apple when it comes to flagship phones, offering users a cheaper way to get the best smartphone tech. That's why of all the rumors we've covered here, the one we hope comes true the most is that the price stays down.

We'd be happy for the rest of these claims to turn out correct too though. Building on the OnePlus 11 by adding a brighter display, superior cameras, a larger battery and more RAM and storage would make the OnePlus 12 a specs monster, and likely one of the best phones you can buy once it arrives.

It's a pity that once the OnePlus 12 is official, we'll likely have to wait another month or so for it to make its way overseas from China. But it feels like the wait will be worth it.

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