OnePlus 12’s colors officially revealed — and there may be a surprise bonus

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Three confirmed, but could there be a surprise retro throwback too?

OnePlus 12
(Image credit: Steve Hemmerstoffer / OnLeaks)

While some companies try in vain to keep the new features of their upcoming smartphones a secret, OnePlus historically likes to share little tidbits on social media to build up excitement. And once again the company has taken to the Chinese social networking site Weibo to reveal a key detail about the OnePlus 12 ahead of its imminent December 4 launch event.

In the post, OnePlus revealed three colors coming to the handset: black, green and white. In the company’s own words, somewhat awkwardly machine translated, these are “not only the three most popular colors among users”, but also “gifts about time and growth.”

If none of those colors appeal, there may be a surprise fourth shade. Talk of this comes not from OnePlus itself, but the prolific leaker Digital Chat Station who posted a teaser image elsewhere on Weibo. The image shows wood grain paneling with the familiar OnePlus logo embossed onto it. 

Long-term fans of the brand will immediately think of the OnePlus One, which had a wood grain option when it launched all the way back in 2014. 

Back then it was a replaceable backplate, and it remains to be seen if that’s what we’re going to get here, or if it’s a more conventional case. But either way, it’s a nice way of celebrating ten years of a brand that has shaken up the mid-range Android market over the last decade.

What to expect from the OnePlus 12

A render of the OnePlus 12, based on an alleged pre-production model

(Image credit: OnLeaks/MySmartPrice)

While OnePlus may drop more key details in the eight days between now and launch time, we’re largely relying on the word of leakers for the time being. 

But what we’re hearing is extremely encouraging. The screen could potentially hit a searing 3,000 nits of brightness, eclipsing both the iPhone 15’s 2,000 and the Pixel Pro 8 Pro’s 2,400, and there’s a rumor that OnePlus may introduce its “Rainwater Touch Control” tech to the phone too. We’re hopeful wireless charging will return, and we’re also excited to see the raw power of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in action.

The December 4 launch is likely to promote a China-only release to begin with, but with a wider release expected in 2024, this could be a top pick for readers wanting one of the best Android phones around without spending a fortune. Watch this space.

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Alan Martin
Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. He also handles all the Wordle coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game for the last several years in an effort to keep his streak forever intact.