realme 12 and realme 12 Plus review: bright mid-range smartphones with nuances

A few months ago, we reviewed the realme 12 Pro and realme 12 Pro Plus phones. Now the company has released realme 12 and realme 12 Plus. The new products have a similar bright design with large cameras, but now they have flat edges without waterfall screens. Despite the different category, the devices are distinguished by their adequate cameras. There are some nuances, positive and negative aspects. Whether smartphones are worthy of attention, you will find out in the review below.

realme 12 and realme 12 Plus specifications

	realme 12	realme 12 plus
Display	6.72″ LTPS LCD 1080×2400, 392 ppi, 120 Hz, up to 950 nits	6.67″, AMOLED, 2400×1080 pixels, 395 ppi, 120 Hz, HDR10+, up to 2000 nits
Editor	MediaTek Dimension 6100+ Processor (6nm)	Mediatek Dimensity 7050 Processor (6nm)
Graphics	Mali-G57 MC2	Mali-G68 MC4
Memory	8/256 GB, expandable RAM up to 8 GB	8/256 GB, 12/512 GB, expandable RAM up to 8 GB
A SIM card	2×nanoSIM (hybrid connector)	2×nanoSIM
Main cameras	108 megapixels (1/1.67″ sensor) + 2 megapixel depth sensor	50MP, f/1.9, 8MP, f/2.2, 2MP, f/2.4, (macro)
Record a video	720p @ 30fps or 1080 @ 30fps	4K 30 frames per second
Front camera	8 megapixels	16MP, f/2.5, 24mm (wide)
Sound	Stereo, 3.5mm mini jack	Stereo, 3.5mm mini jack
Battery	5000mAh, 45W SuperVOOC fast charging	5000mAh, 67W SuperVOOC fast charging
Operating system	Android 14, realme UI 5.0	Android 14, realme UI 5.0
Wireless technologies	Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e (2.4 and 5 GHz), Galileo and NFC	Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Type-C 2.0, GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
Security	YES, IP54	YES, IP54
Dimensions	Dimensions: 165.60 x 76.10 x 7.69 mm	Dimensions: 163 x 75.5 x 7.9 mm
Libra	188 grams	190 grams

Packaging and equipment

realme 12 and realme 12 Plus are sold in standard light yellow boxes with black lettering.

Inside, you’ll find the phones themselves with protective films on their screens, transparent silicone cases, paper clips for opening sockets, documentation, USB-C cables, and 45W and 67W power supplies for realme 12 and realme 12 Plus respectively.

Design and ergonomics

Realme 12 and realme 12 Plus resemble the realme 12 Pro and realme 12 Pro Plus, as well as other previous models of the brand. The devices have a premium look, with huge, convex, circular camera modules in the center of the rear cover. But now the body is not rounded on the edges on both sides, but flat. The smartphones are also thin and have rounded corners.

On the front of the new devices, we see thin bezels and small cutouts for the front cameras.

The case in both cases is plastic, and the tips are shiny, which negatively affects their cleanliness. All of this immediately gets dirty with fingerprints, so it’s better to have at least a case in the set.

realme 12 has a pearl plastic back cover, while realme 12 Plus has eco-leather. They have the same style, but they feel different in the hand. The first model is not as dense, so it seems to slip out of the hands without a case. And the grip of the second is much better, because the eco-leather is more textured.

The dimensions of realme 12 are 165.60×76.10×7.69 mm, and the weight is 188 grams. The dimensions of the older model are 163×75.5×7.9 mm, and the weight is 190 grams. As you can see, they are really thin, although they cannot be called compact at all.

The elements on the device cases are standard, only the realme 12 has the SIM card slot at the bottom, and the realme 12 Plus has it at the top.

Both devices have an IP54 moisture protection class. However, in some tests I saw that they were washed under a tap with soap and water, immersed in water, and the smartphones did not pay attention to it. However, all this is done under the threat of losing the warranty, because the phones do not have full official protection against water. Only the aforementioned IP54. However, they are still protected, so if anything, they have a chance to survive some unpleasant accident.

realme 12 and realme 12 Plus display

realme 12 has a 6.72-inch LTPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1080×2400 pixels. The pixel density is — 392 ppi. The refresh rate is 120 Hz, and the maximum brightness is 950 nits.

The display is bright for an IPS display, with rich colors and detail. Viewing angles are good, but the image becomes dull when tilted hard. 950 nits is more than enough for use in direct sunlight. Indoors, that number drops to a maximum of 800 nits, but that’s more than enough.

Settings include changing the colour temperature, “Vivid” and “Natural” picture modes, reading mode, changing fonts, image enhancement and selecting the refresh rate (automatic, 60Hz or 120Hz).

In realme 12 Plus, it is no longer an IPS screen, but an AMOLED and is slightly smaller — 6.67 inches. The resolution here is 2400 x 1080 pixels, the pixel density is 395 ppi, and the refresh rate is up to 120 Hz. There is support for HDR10 +, and the maximum brightness is up to 2000 nits. Always-On Display support has also been added.

In the settings, you can see different modes, change the refresh rate (automatic, 60 Hz or 120 Hz) and fonts, enhance the image, change the color temperature and three image modes (“Vivid”, “Natural”, “Professional”).

Of course, AMOLED is brighter and more saturated than IPS. And the maximum brightness here is very strong, and the viewing angles are very adequate. In the sun, everything is perfectly visible and there is even room to increase the brightness, but this is not necessary.

The realme 12 and realme 12 Plus screens are definitely their advantage, but I don’t understand why the younger model got IPS instead of AMOLED, since its price definitely allows the smartphone to have a better matrix. Although I have to admit that some users will not immediately, or not at all, distinguish IPS from AMOLED, so maybe they were counting on them.

Sound and vibration response

Both models have stereo sound, but these are not two full-fledged speakers, but one speaker + earphone. Of course, the second is a bit quieter, but the sound in general is loud and unexpectedly rich. There is also no bass and buzzing at maximum volume.

For headphones, there is not only Bluetooth 5.2, but also a 3.5 mm audio jack. Smartphones also support Hi-Res audio at 24-bit/192 kHz, so if you have good headphones, the sound will be adequate.

The vibration response is pleasant, but there is nothing more to say. There is also the standard patented O-HAPTICS haptic response technology.

realme 12 and realme 12 Plus cameras

realme 12 is equipped with a main 108MP wide-angle module from Samsung. The second is a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

The main camera is decent for its category. It is better to take pictures with maximum light, then the details will be better. The color saturation is also outstanding, but the contrast is insufficient. There is also a 3x zoom. I did not like the night photos at all, because there was a lot of “noise”. However, I have seen much better examples of photos in other reviews. Probably, much more light is needed here.

The camera can record in 1080p and 720p at 30 frames per second. It has electronic stabilization, but video quality is not the smartphone’s strong point.

The front camera is 8 megapixels. The photos are adequate and detailed. Portrait mode works well, but in some places we see artifacts along the outline.

Realme 12 Plus already has three main modules. These are a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-600 wide-angle with optical stabilization, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro module.

Daytime photos are rich in color, with good contrast and improved detail. Night photos are slightly better, but there is also a lot of “noise”. Here you definitely need to take photos of bright places with backlighting, but unfortunately, due to power outages, it is difficult to find them.

The video was recorded in 2160p and 1080p at 30 fps and 1080p at 60 fps.

The realme 12 Plus selfie camera is already 16 megapixels. It takes high-quality photos with decent details. The bokeh effect is much better here.

Productivity, Software and Gaming

The Realme 12 is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chip made on a 6nm process. The graphics here are the Mali-G57 MC2. We have 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The ROM can be expanded with a microSD card in place of a second SIM card. The modules here are Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e (2.4 and 5 GHz), Galileo, and NFC.

The processor is cold, but with average power. However, it is enough for fast system performance and most popular games. The smartphone can run PUBG Mobile, Wild Rift and other similar projects on medium-high settings with the appropriate number of frames per second without any problems.

realme 12 Plus has a 6-nanometer 8-core Mediatek Dimensity 7050 processor with ARM Mali-G68 MC4 graphics. RAM is 8 or 12 GB, and storage is 256 or 512 GB. Of the modules, we have Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Type-C 2.0, GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS.

The chip is also nice and a bit more powerful than the younger model. It is already enough for the same games, only at high maximum graphics settings, as well as Genshin Impact at 30+ fps.

Realme 12 and realme 12 Plus run on Android 14 with the proprietary realme UI 5.0 shell. In my opinion, this is one of the most suitable shells with detailed appearance settings, no ads, etc. However, it is always a matter of taste. I also note that in both smartphones the system works quickly and does not slow down. This is partly due to the increased refresh rate.

realme 12 and realme 12 Plus battery life

realme 12 and realme 12 Plus are equipped with 5000mAh batteries. We also have SuperVOOC fast charging. Only the younger version has 45W, and the older one — 67W.

The battery life of both gadgets is easily enough for a day and a half of standard use. However, in the PC Mark tests, both devices showed average results. In the case of realme 12, it was 9 hours and 27 minutes, and in the case of realme 12 Plus, 8 hours and 37 minutes.

The younger smartphone is fully charged in 1 hour and 15 minutes. The older version needs 50 minutes.

In general, the battery life is sufficient, but this parameter cannot be called an advantage of new products. Especially in the case of a 5000 mAh battery. Although I must admit that the models are very thin and it is hard to believe that such batteries were crammed here, so I did not expect much more.

User experience

I liked the modern design of the realme 12 and realme 12 Plus, although that’s always a matter of taste. I prefer flat edges over rounded tips, “fall” screens, etc. Some people like it the other way around. I also like that the smartphones are thin.

Screens are the strong point of the devices, but as I mentioned, for the price of the younger version, you could put AMOLED. Competitors do this, but not all. Cameras also stand out, but we did not like them in night mode. Definitely need much more lights, lighting, etc.

I also got a complete set, with a film, a case and a power supply. The latter, for example, is something that the Redmi 13 competitor mentioned below cannot boast. However, it has other significant advantages.

My overall impressions of the devices are mixed. I liked them a bit, but definitely less than the realme 12 Pro and realme 12 Pro Plus. If I had to choose between these realme devices, I would go for something with the Pro prefix.

Price and competitors

In my opinion, the price of realme 12 and realme 12 Plus is a bit too high. But the main thing is that these models have very serious and popular competitors. I am sure that both devices will be able to give them a worthy answer, but nevertheless, the second one will have a serious impact on the choice of buyers.

realme 12 is sold at a price of UAH 8,400. In large stores, such as «Hello», the price of the smartphone is already UAH 10,999. realme 12 Plus can be purchased at a price of UAH 11,800, but in large chains it is already UAH 13,999.

Among the competitors, it’s worth noting the new Redmi 13, as well as the Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G (our review here ). For mobile gamers, there’s the Poco M6 Pro and Poco X6 Pro (our review here ).

There are also the Motorola Moto G54 and Motorola Moto G84. The best option will be the Motorola Edge 40 Neo. And now there is also the fresh Samsung Galaxy M35 5G.