As OnePlus 12 gears to launch on January 23, here are 5 premium affordable smartphones to buy in India - The Financial Express

OnePlus 12 launches officially in India on January 23 at OnePlus Smooth Beyond Belief event. This is a global launch, India included, where OnePlus will also unveil to the world a relatively less expensive phone called the OnePlus 12R and OnePlus Buds 3 wireless earbuds. Going by the history of the company’s number series flagships, and a bunch of leaks that have been doing the rounds, the OnePlus 12 price in India should be well within permissible limits. The base variant with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is expected to launch at Rs 64,999 while the 16GB/512GB version would set you back by Rs 69,999.

We will update this piece once the prices are out officially, but even before that happens, it is safe to presume the OnePlus 12 would be a premium affordable smartphone even as the OnePlus 12R will try to distill a lot of its features— and experiences— and bring to a more mainstream price bracket. Since the phone is already out in China, and the India-bound model is expected to bag the same hardware mostly, we can paint a picture leading into launch to give you a rundown on everything that you can expect from the OnePlus 12.

OnePlus 12 – specs, features, price

The OnePlus 12 comes with a 6.82-inch 2K or 1440p LTPO AMOLED display with a peak brightness of up to 4,500 nits. OnePlus has put its rainwater touch technology –to be called aqua touch in India— into the panel and so, users will be able to get smooth touch responses in rain. Support for 2,160Hz PWM dimming is also available.

Powering the OnePlus 12 is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM. Running the show is a 5,400mAh battery with 100W fast wired and 50W wireless charging.

For photography, the OnePlus 12 has a triple camera setup with a 50-megapixel main Sony LYT-808 sensor, 48-megapixel Sony IMX581 sensor behind an ultrawide lens and another 64-megapixel OmniVision OV64B sensor behind a 3x periscope telephoto lens, like the setup on the OnePlus Open. On the front, the OnePlus 12 has a 32-megapixel selfie shooter.

The OnePlus 12 has a glass back and a metal frame. In India, it will come in a choice of green and black. The phone is rated IP65.

The OnePlus 12 sold in China comes in a choice of 12GB/256GB, 16GB/512GB and 16GB/1TB at a price of CNY 4,299 (roughly Rs 51,000), CNY 4,799 (roughly Rs 56,500) and CNY 5,299 (roughly Rs 62,500) respectively.

OnePlus 12 – 5 top alternatives you can buy

1. Samsung Galaxy S24: The S24 will be the biggest OnePlus 12 challenger (even if its higher price tag may suggest otherwise). It’s got the specs, including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and a 120Hz LTPO AMOLED display, fast wired and wireless charging, in addition to a bevy of Galaxy AI generative AI features, meant to make your phone experience “smart”. If that wasn’t enough, the S24 also gets support for seven years of software updates from Samsung, much the same as the top-shelf Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Galaxy S24 comes in a choice of 8GB/256GB and 8GB/512GB for Rs 79,999 and Rs 89,999, respectively.
2. Apple iPhone 15: On the other side, lies the iPhone 15, giving you Apple’s latest and greatest tech inside a relatively more affordable price setting. The 15 has a modern design with access to Apple’s Dynamic Island. The phone is IP68 rated and comes powered by the A16 Bionic, a pro chip previously seen on the iPhone 14 Pro. You get a 48-megapixel main camera sensor in the iPhone 15 that allows for 2x zoom and portrait capture without needing to actually switch to the dedicated portrait mode. It is joined by another 12-megapixel ultrawide. The iPhone 15 comes in a choice of 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB for Rs 79,900, Rs 89,900, and Rs 1,09,900, respectively.
3. Google Pixel 8: The Pixel 8 uses the first-generation Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and is IP68 rated. It comes with a 6.2-inch non-LTPO AMOLED panel with 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate and Google’s Tensor G3 processor alongside a promise of up to seven years of software updates from Google. For photography, you get dual cameras with 50MP main and 12MP ultrawide. The Pixel 8 comes in a choice of 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB for Rs 75,999 and Rs 82,999, respectively.
4. Vivo X100: The X100 is basically the X100 Pro with a slightly tweaked camera setup and then when you factor in the lower price, it becomes very desirable as a solid value proposition. You get a trio of high-resolution sensors in the X100 and MediaTek’s fastest chip, the Dimensity 9300 fueling the package, which is also IP68 rated for water and dust resistance. The X100 comes in a choice of 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB memory trims for Rs 63,999 and Rs 69,999, respectively.
5. iQOO 12: The iQOO 12 offers the best value on a flagship at the time of writing. And it will continue to do so, even after the launch of the OnePlus 12. iQOO has priced it that way. Barring wireless charging and “full proof” water resistance, the iQOO 12 covers big ground in almost perceivable way giving buyers dibs at the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip without charging a bomb for it. A version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage costs Rs 52,999. The top-of-the-line 16GB/512GB trim is priced at Rs 57,999.

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As OnePlus 12 gears to launch on January 23, here are 5 premium affordable smartphones to buy in India - The Financial Express
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