realme India recently introduced its realme 12 Pro Series 5G highlighting its camera-centric features in the segment and debuting with the new realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14. Aside from the realme 12 Pro+ 5G, the realme 12 Pro 5G is a tone-down variant with Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 octa-core SoC, a 50 MP IMX882 camera paired with a 32 MP telephoto, and comes with an identical Vegan Leather design as we saw on its upper-end sibling realme 12 Pro+ 5G. Let’s dig more into the smartphone details in our realme 12 Pro 5G review.
realme 12 Pro 5G Specifications & Features
- Display: 6.7-inch Curved Vision AMOLED display, 10-bit color depth (1.07B colors), Full HD+ resolution (2412 x 1080 pixels, 394 ppi pixel density), 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate, 1,260 Hz instant touch sampling rate, 16x HyperPrecise Touch, 93.65% screen-to-body ratio, 100% P3 color Gamut, 2,160 Hz High-frequency PWM Dimming, 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 950 nits peak brightness, 20,000 Level Automatic AI Brightness Adjustment, HDR10+ & TÜV Rheinland certification
- Design: Premium Vegan Leather Design, Luxury Watch Inspired Camera Module – Golden Fluted Bezel
- Software: realme UI 5.0, Android 14 operating system
- CPU: 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 octa-core SoC up to 2.4 GHz CPU clock speed (4 + 4 ARM Cortex-A78 cores + ARM Cortex-A55 cores)
- GPU: Adreno 710 Graphics
- Memory: 8 GB OR 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM, +12 GB extended RAM
- Storage: 128 GB OR 256 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage, no microSD card support
- Main Camera: Triple cameras (50 MP f/1.8 26mm IMX882 OIS + 32 MP f/2.0 47mm IMX709 2x telephoto + 8 MP f/2.2 16mm ultra-wide-angle 112°), 50 MP f/1.8 26mm Sony IMX882 OIS sensor with 4x in-sensor zoom, 32 MP f/2.0 47mm telephoto with 2x optical zoom, 8 MP f/2.2 16mm ultra-wide-angle camera with 112° FOV, All Pixel PDAF, 4K Video Recording (30fps), dual LED flash
- Selfie Camera: Single 16 MP Sony sensor, f/2.4
- Others: In-display fingerprint scanner (optical), Face Unlock, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio Certification
- Cellular: 5G network, dual SIMs, dual standby, VoLTE support
- Battery & Charging: 5,000 mAh battery, 67W SuperVOOC fast charging
- Colors: Submarine Blue, Navigator Beige
- Price: ₹25,999 (8 GB + 128 GB), ₹26,999 (8 GB + 256 GB)
- Availability: 29th January 2024 from 6 PM to 8 PM (early access sale), 6th February 2024 at 12 PM (sale) on realme.com/in, Flipkart, and also in stores near you
- Offers: Up to ₹2,000 discount on ICICI bank cards, no-cost EMI up to 12 months, exchange offers available
Design, Display, & Build Quality
Like its upper-end sibling, the realme 12 Pro 5G also comes with a premium Vegan Leather design with curved edges on the screen. The realme 12 Pro Series 5G smartphones have a unique aesthetic on the back with a luxury watch-inspired camera module. You get two color options – Submarine Blue, and Navigator Beige, while the India-exclusive Explorer Red color is limited to the upper-end realme 12 Pro+ 5G.
The smartphone comes with a thickness of approximately 8.75 mm, a weight of ~190 grams, and is protected by 0.55 mm Double-Reinforced Glass, ensuring durability. Overall, the realme 12 Pro 5G stands out as one of the finest designs in its class with a unique style.
There’s no doubt that the curved display is stunning for this segment, you get a 6.7-inch Curved Vision AMOLED screen with a 10-bit color depth (1.07B colors), Full HD+ resolution (2,412 x 1080 pixels), and a smooth 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate.
Other notable display features include a 1,260 Hz instant touch sampling rate, 16x HyperPrecise Touch, 100% P3 color Gamut, 2,160 Hz High-frequency PWM Dimming, 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 950 nits peak brightness, 20,000 Level Automatic AI Brightness Adjustment, and certifications for HDR10+ and TÜV Rheinland.
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 and another speaker making it stereo. It has Dolby Audio support to enhance the audio experience through the stereo loudspeakers, aside from its Hi-Res audio certification for HD audio quality. You don’t get a 3.5 mm headphone jack, so you will end up using a Type-C to 3.5 mm converter.
Software, User Interface, & Features
The realme 12 Pro Series 5G debuts with the new realme UI 5.0 interface seamlessly integrated with the Android 14 operating system. The realme 12 Pro 5G is among the first smartphones in the whole realme family to run on Android 14 with its new realme UI 5.0 interface. The smartphone initially arrived with an Android security patch of 5th December 2023 and received an update to version RMX3842_14.0.0.205(EX01) firmware.
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
The realme 12 Pro 5G uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 octa-core SoC as opposed to the faster Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 on the sibling realme 12 Pro+ 5G. The 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 octa-core SoC is clocked up to 2.2 GHz and laced with an Adreno 710 GPU for gaming and graphics-intensive tasks.
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 is closely related to the Snapdragon 778G in terms of processing meaning you get a similar performance overall, however, due to its 4nm process, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 leads to better battery optimizations comparatively.
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 is an upper-midrange SoC with eight cores and is manufactured in a 4nm TSMC process. The SoC consists of eight Kryo cores clocked up to 2.2 GHz – 4x performance Kryo cores based on ARM Cortex-A78 at 2.2 GHz clock speed and 4x power efficient Kryo cores based on ARM Cortex-A55 at 1.8 GHz clock speed.
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 storage or 256 GB 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 ₹25,999 and for its 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant is ₹26,999.
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 Adreno 710 serves as a fast midrange GPU, delivering notable gaming performance in the segment. For thermal concerns, the realme 12 Pro 5G comes with a highly efficient 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 Pro 5G packs a triple camera setup with a 50 MP Sony IMX882 OIS sensor with 4x in-sensor zoom, a 32 MP Sony IMX709 telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera on the back, and a 16 MP f/2.4 selfie camera on the front. Compared to the predecessor, the cameras have significantly changed, you get a telephoto camera this time, a better primary camera, 2x optical zoom, 4x in-sensor zoom, and up to 20x digital zoom.
The camera interface offers a bunch of features and modes, including Auto-zoom, Street Photography Mode, Moon Mode, Starry Mode Pro, Super NightScape, Pano, Professional Mode, Portrait Mode, HDR, AI Scene Recognition, AI Beauty, Filters, Text Scanner, Portrait Distortion Correction, One Take, Super Group Portrait for the rear setup and Portrait Mode, Pano, Ultra-wide Angle, AI Beauty Mode, Face Recognition, Filters, Super Nightscape, AI Scene Recognition for the front.
The smartphone supports ProXDR which analyzes the image content transmitted by the camera, optimizing photo effects for a complete range of brightness and dynamic range. The realme 12 Pro+ 5G camera offers great performance with impressive photo-capturing capability, here are some samples attached below to show you how the camera performs.
realme 12 Pro+ 5G Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
The realme 12 Pro 5G is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery with support for 67W SuperVOOC fast charging, the same as the realme 12 Pro+ 5G and its predecessor realme 11 Pro 5G. Using the 67W charger, the battery can be charged from 0% to 50% in just 19 minutes and fully 100% in about 48 minutes. The 5,000 mAh battery ensures a decent battery life combined with the realme UI 5.0 and Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 optimizations, expect up to 2 days of backup depending on your usage patterns.
Verdict – realme 12 Pro 5G
The realme 12 Pro 5G offers impressive specs and features that redefine expectations in its price segment. The smartphone shines out with its great camera setup including a 50 MP IMX882 OIS shooter and a 32 MP telephoto for portraits at ₹25,999 can give you a wonderful experience on a budget. Combined with its stylish and premium vegan leather design, a smooth 120 Hz curved AMOLED screen, responsive performance driven by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, and additional benefits from realme UI 5.0, the realme 12 Pro 5G stands out as one of the best smartphones in the segment.
realme 12 Pro 5G – Where To Buy
The price for the realme 12 Pro 5G starts at ₹25,999 for its 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage variant and ₹26,999 for its 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant. The smartphone will be available from 6th February 2024 at 12 PM on realme.com/in, Flipkart, and in stores near you. The launch offers include up to ₹2,000 discount on ICICI Bank cards, no-cost EMI for up to 12 months, and exchange offers.
Get realme 12 Pro 5G on realme.com/in
Get realme 12 Pro 5G on Flipkart
