Today, realme India launched its two smartphones – the realme 12+ 5G and realme 12 5G under the realme 12 Series 5G lineup and we have the upper-variant i.e. realme 12+ 5G which highlights its ultra-slim Vegan Leather design, MediaTek Dimensity 7050 octa-core SoC, 120 Hz AMOLED display with Rainwater Smart Touch Technology, triple cameras with 50 MP OIS Sony LYT600 primary camera, IP54 water-resistant rating, up to 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage paired with 8 GB LPDDR5 RAM, 5,000 mAh battery with 67W fast charging, realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14, and more. Here’s what we have to say about the smartphone in our realme 12+ 5G review.
realme 12+ 5G Specifications & Features
- Display & Design: 6.67-inch AMOLED display, Full HD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels), 120 Hz refresh rate, 2,000 nits peak brightness, Rainwater Smart Touch Technology, Vegan Leather design with Luxury Watch inspired camera module, IP54 dust and splash resistant, 7.87 mm slim, 190 grams
- Software: realme UI 5.0, Android 14
- CPU: 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 7050 octa-core SoC clocked up to 2.6 GHz
- GPU: ARM Mali-G68 MC4 Graphics
- Memory: 8 GB RAM LPDDR5 RAM, +8 GB RAM Expansion
- Storage: 128 GB OR 256 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage, no microSD card support
- Main Camera: Triple Cameras (50 MP f/1.88 Sony LYT600 OIS main + 8 MP ultra-wide-angle + 2 MP macro), 2x in-sensor zoom, 4k video recording, LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 16 MP
- Connectivity & Others: USB Type-C, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, 360-degree NFC, in-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers
- Cellular: 5G network, dual-SIM, dual VoLTE
- Battery & Charging: 5,000 mAh, 67W fast charging, 50% charge in 19 minutes
- Colors: Pioneer Green, Navigator Beige
- Price: ₹20,999 (8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage), ₹21,999 (8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage)
- Availability: 6th March 2024 i.e. today at 3 PM on realme.com/in and Flipkart.com
- Offers: ₹1,000 discount with ICICI, HDFC, and SBI cards, ₹1,000 coupon discount on the 8 GB + 128 GB model, 6 months of no-cost EMI on Flipkart and 9 months of no-cost EMI on realme.com/in, free realme Buds T300 with 8 GB + 128 GB model.
Design, Display, & Build Quality
The realme 12+ 5G is a mid-range smartphone and is the upper-variant of its sibling realme 12 5G launched alongside. Moving to its design, the realme 12+ 5G flaunts its 7.87 mm ultra-slim Vegan Leather design with a luxury watch-inspired camera module and IP54 dust and splash-resistant protection.
On the rear side, it shares the design traits with the sibling realme 12 5G as well as the realme 12 Pro Series 5G smartphones. However, the phone uses a flat-style design and comes in two color options – Navigator Beige, and Pioneer Green. Overall, the realme 12+ 5G stands out with its design giving a premium touch and also setting itself apart from the competition.
Another highlight of the smartphone is the innovative Rainwater Smart Touch technology for its display to enhance the user experience. Users will be able to interact with the screen even with wet fingers. On the front, the realme 12+ 5G is equipped with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels), 120 Hz refresh rate, and a high 2,000 nits peak brightness, making one of the best displays in the segment. It also supports an in-display fingerprint scanner due to its AMOLED screen.
As for the sides, connectivity, audio, and other features, the phone packs an in-display fingerprint scanner, a power button as well as volume controls on the right, while the left side remains plain. The bottom has a USB Type-C port, a dual 5G SIM tray, stereo loudspeakers, and a microphone.
At the top, you will find a second microphone, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and another speaker making it stereo. It supports Dolby Audio to enhance the audio experience through the stereo loudspeakers, aside from this, Hi-Res audio certification for HD audio quality is available.
Software, User Interface, & Features
The realme 12+ 5G runs on the new realme UI 5.0 interface seamlessly integrated with the Android 14 operating system. The realme UI 5.0 was recently introduced with the realme 12 Pro Series 5G launch – the realme 12 Pro 5G and realme 12 Pro+ 5G are the first two smartphones in the whole realme family to run on Android 14 with its new realme UI 5.0 interface. Building on this momentum, realme has now extended the availability of realme UI 5.0 to include the realme 12+ 5G and realme 12 5G models. The smartphone comes with an Android security patch of 5th January 2023.
Built on the Android 14 operating system, the realme UI 5.0 marks a substantial improvement over its predecessors (realme UI 4.0 and older). The interface has been revamped for an optimized UI experience, improved privacy and security features, Always-On Display perks, and various other enhancements.
The realme UI 5.0 comes with a host of customization options, allowing users to tailor the look and interface according to their preferences. The realme UI 5.0 also enables you to use the additional perks from the realme UI 4.0 interface. Noteworthy features include the Mini Capsule, reminiscent of Apple’s Dynamic Island, and Auto Pixelate chats for enhanced privacy.
Aside from the usual apps from realme and Google, you get a selection of pre-installed apps such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Amazon, Snapchat, Spotify, Netflix, Agoda, etc.. You can remove these apps if they are not required. Additionally, you get a folder for Hot Apps and Hot Games as seen on other realme smartphones.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
Under the hood, it is powered by a MediaTek Diemsity 7050 octa-core SoC clocked up to 2.6 GHz paired with ARM Mali-G68 MC4 Graphics, 8 GB LPDDR5 RAM, up to 256 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage, and a 3D Vapour Chamber Cooling solution for heat dissipation. The MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC is closely related to the Snapdragon 778G in terms of overall performance.
The MediaTek Dimensity 7050 is a 4nm upper-midrange midrange SoC with eight cores. The SoC consists of eight ARM Cortex cores clocked up to 2.6 GHz – 2x ARM Cortex-A78 performance cores clocked at 2.6 GHz and 6x ARM Cortex-A55 power efficient cores clocked at 2.0 GHz.
The smartphone is further paired with 8 GB LPDDR5 RAM with +8 GB extended RAM and up to 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage. It comes in two storage variants, you get either 128 GB UFS 3.1 storage or 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage depending on the model you choose with the same 8 GB RAM. The price for the 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage variant is ₹20,999 and for its 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant is ₹21,999.
In other markets, the smartphone is available in a 12 GB RAM model with +12 GB extended RAM making a total of 24 GB RAM. For India, the RAM can be extended ranging from 4 GB to 8 GB which means the RAM can be virtually extended up to 16 GB, combining physical and virtual RAM. The system dynamically allocates virtual RAM based on resource requirements.
For gaming enthusiasts, the ARM Mali-G68 MC4 serves as a fast midrange GPU, delivering notable gaming performance in the segment. For thermal concerns, the realme 12+ 5G comes with a highly efficient 3D Vapor Chamber Cooling System equipped with Graphite sheets for effective heat dissipation.
Cameras
The primary highlight of the smartphone is its cameras, the realme 12+ 5G uses a triple setup on the rear side with the primary camera being a 50 MP f/1.88 utilizing the Sony LYT600 image sensor for the first time in this segment. Other features of the main camera include OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) with 2x in-sensor zoom, and 4K video recording.
The remaining two cameras on the rear side are an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a 2 MP macro camera. On the front side, it has a 16 MP f/2.45 selfie camera for selfie and video calling needs. The camera package is probably much stronger compared to the predecessors, it supports OIS, in-sensor zoom, and 4k video recording in this segment which sounds surprisingly good.
The camera interface offers a bunch of features and modes, including Night Mode, Photo Mode, Street Shooting Mode, Portrait Mode, High Pixel, Professional Mode, Panoramic View, Macro, Super Text, Super Group Portrait, Tilt-shift, Long Exposure Photo for the rear side, and Night Mode, Video, Photo Mode, Portrait Mode, Panoramic view for the front.
The realme 12+ 5G camera offers very good results, we captured some shots to see how it performs, overall the camera impresses with its photo-capturing capability, thanks to the high-quality sensor, OIS support, in-sensor zoom capabilities, and camera features and optimizations, here are the samples attached below.
realme 12+ 5G Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
The realme 12+ 5G is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery with support for 67W SuperVOOC fast charging, the same as we saw on the realme 12 Pro Series 5G smartphones. With the 67W charger, the battery can be charged from 0% to 50% in ~19 minutes and fully 100% in ~48 minutes. The 5,000 mAh battery ensures a decent battery life combined with the realme UI 5.0 and Dimensity 7050 CPU optimizations, expect up to 2 days of backup depending on your usage patterns.
Verdict – realme 12+ 5G
Overall, the realme 12+ 5G is a versatile performer offering features typically not found in this segment, the smartphone turns out to be the best in the segment with its sleek and ultra-slim vegan leather finish IP54 design, reliable camera package, smooth performance (Dimensity 7050), super fast charging (67W), and stunning 2,000 nits high brightness 120 Hz AMOLED display with Rainwater Smart Touch technology. For those looking for a smartphone in the ₹20,000 to ₹25,000 price range, the realme 12+ 5G is an excellent choice in the midrange segment. The price starts at ₹20,999 for its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage variant which can be grabbed at ₹18,999 with launch offers.
realme 12+ 5G – Where To Buy
The realme 12+ 5G is priced at ₹20,999 for its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage variant and ₹21,999 for its 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant. The phone is available for purchase starting today i.e. 6th March 2024 at 3 PM on realme.com/in and Flipkart.
The launch offers include ₹1,000 discount with ICICI, HDFC, and SBI cards, ₹1,000 coupon discount on the 8 GB + 128 GB model, 6 months of no-cost EMI on Flipkart and 9 months of no-cost EMI on realme.com/in, free realme Buds T300 with 8 GB + 128 GB model.
