OnePlus 12R storage isn’t as fast as we were told — what you need to know

Oneplus 12r hands-on
(Image credit: Future)

OnePlus issued an apology on Monday (Feb. 12) after it revealed the OnePlus 12R won’t ship with faster-than-expected storage.

The OnePlus 12R offers UFS 3.1 storage and not the promised UFS 4.0 storage, which the company confirmed in a post to its online forums on Monday. OnePlus' response said it mistakenly promised UFS 4.0 in earlier communication on the device, but it now wanted to clarify that the handset would not, in fact, offer the faster, newer storage tech.

“During the launch of the OnePlus 12R, we announced Trinity Engine, a new set of software algorithms that help keep your phone’s memory and storage running fast and smooth for years to come,” a OnePlus staffer wrote. “Due to an error, we stated that the storage enhanced by Trinity Engine would be UFS 4.0 in some variants. I can now confirm that the storage in all variants of the OnePlus 12R is still enhanced by Trinity Engine but is actually UFS 3.1.”

UFS 4.0 is the new standard for storage speeds, allowing for faster performance and an overall more appealing experience using a device. In most cases, UFS 4.0 is available in larger storage capacities around 256GB or more. And considering the OnePlus 12R offers 128GB or 256GB of storage, depending on the model you choose, it was somewhat surprising the company opted for the faster technology. 

It's unclear how OnePlus made the mix-up and the company didn’t provide any explanation in its forum post. Instead, the company notes that UFS 3.1 is available in earlier flagship models, including the OnePlus 11, and “will still perform really well when reading and writing to memory.” OnePlus is also clear that the OnePlus 12R will feature the Trinity Engine technology.

“The OnePlus 12R also still features all the new Trinity Engine features we announced at launch, like launching apps faster than ever and keeping applications locked open for up to 72 hours, and was fully tested using UFS 3.1 storage,” the company said.

In our OnePlus 12R review, reviewer Philip Michaels didn’t have any issue with the device’s storage, even if it wasn’t UFS 4.0. He noted its “epic battery life” and “strong Snapdragon performance,” and said its $499 price tag was a welcome surprise.

It still doesn't change the fact that the OnePlus 12R remains one of the best cheap phones that money can buy. UFS 4.0 could've impacted the OnePlus 12R's battery life, but at its current state, remains to have one of the best phone battery life around. In fact, it goes beyond most phone by reaching upwards of 18 hours and 42 minutes on our custom battery benchmark test.

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Don Reisinger is CEO and founder of D2 Tech Agency. A communications strategist, consultant, and copywriter, Don has also written for many leading technology and business publications including CNET, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, Computerworld, Digital Trends, TechCrunch and Slashgear. He has also written for Tom's Guide for many years, contributing hundreds of articles on everything from phones to games to streaming and smart home.

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