The upcoming OnePlus 12 flagship smartphone is generating plenty of buzz ahead of its official launch in China on December 5th. In the run-up to the full reveal, OnePlus has unveiled several official images, giving us our first detailed look at its design, colour options, and slider placement.
At first glance, the OnePlus 12 appears very similar to its predecessor, the OnePlus 11. It sports the same large, circular rear camera housing that OnePlus first introduced last year. However, upon closer inspection, you’ll notice one key difference: the ‘iconic’ alert slider has been relocated from the phone’s right side to the left.
According to OnePlus, this change was made to accommodate an integrated antenna designed to boost signal performance and reduce latency when game streaming. The company found that having the antenna between the user’s forefingers when holding the phone landscape provided optimal results. Since the OnePlus 11 already had its alert slider in that spot, OnePlus decided to move the slider to the opposite side of the 12.
This small change is likely to cause some initial grumblings among OnePlus fans, who will need to retrain their muscle memory. However, it shouldn’t take long for most users to adjust to the new alert slider position. As long as the feature remains, most fans will be appeased.
The OnePlus 12 will be offered in three colours: white, black and an eye-catching green. The rear glass panels are colour-matched to the metal frame, unlike the OnePlus 11, which had a black camera housing regardless of colour.
Rumoured specs for the OnePlus 12 include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a 6.7″ QHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, faster 80W charging, and an improved main 50MP camera using Sony’s new IMX890 sensor. The phone is also expected to retain Hasselblad tuning for the triple camera array.
Pricing and availability details are still unclear, but it has been revealed (via Engadget) that the global launch timing for the OnePlus 12 will be revealed on December 15th. This likely means the phone will become available in North America and Europe in early 2024.
The OnePlus 12 will face stiff competition from the likes of the iPhone 15, Samsung Galaxy S23, and Google Pixel 8. But with a sleek new design, cutting-edge specs and OnePlus’ signature Alert Slider, the company’s latest flagship has a good shot at winning over Android enthusiasts who crave value and performance.
