It’s true that the upgrade of the camera capabilities of the new realme 12 Series 5G, especially the realme 12 Pro+ variant, is outstanding. We have here today the realme 12+ 5G, and let’s see if it is worth buying.Â
Recently, we released an unboxing and first impressions article of the realme 12+ 5G and we also released a camera blind test on Facebook. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and just a spoiler, the image quality I got is really great.Â
CameraÂ
When I first tried it, I was really impressed with the image quality I got, especially when I compared it to my other flagship phones. This is only the lower variant and yet its camera is already very good, how much more will the realme 12 Pro+ 5G be?Â
What I like about this camera is how well it processes the photos. Because it makes the photos more lively and vibrant, it stand out more when compared to the photos taken by other phones. Besides, the dynamic range is also good so you can see the shadows or dark parts of the picture.Â
The photos are also very sharp even with 2x zoom since it is 50MP and the sensor used by realme is decent performing. However, don’t expect too much from its 0.6x or ultra-wide because it’s not that good since it’s only 8MP. But when it comes to the main camera, it is more than enough.Â
But sometimes our photos are not that vibrant, specifically with food, they lack a bit of saturation and sharpness. But I’m not sure if that’s just because of its update, because I just received an update today that might fix it.Â
It is also perfect for those who like to do night photography because it is also very good in low-light scenarios.
For video, the quality I got is also decent because it can shoot up to 4K@30fps with its rear camera setup. It’s just that it can only record up to 1080p@30fps video on the front camera.Â
It’s also a big thing that it has OIS for those who love taking videos like me who have a bit of a shaky hand so they really need stabilization. The only thing I noticed about its OIS is that the edge has a bit of a warp effect when it’s too shaky, but at least it has OIS, right? Just try to be stable when making videos to avoid that.Â
The available camera modes on the realme 12+ 5G are Night, Street, Video, Photo, Portrait, Pro mode, Panorama, Hi-Res, Macro, Movie, Slow-Mo, Time-lapse, Long Exposure, Dual-Video, Text Scanner, Group Portrait, and Tilt-Shift. That’s a lot!Â
Here are our sample photos and videos:Â
PerformanceÂ
Another thing that realme 12+ 5G is boasting about is its performance. The device has a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 7050 octa-core chipset that is 5G-ready. The available memory configurations available here are 8GB/256GB and 12GB/256GB, and the one we have is the 12GB/256GB variant.Â
It also supports the Dynamic RAM Expansion (DRE) feature which supposedly can provide a smoother transition between apps, and the 8GB variant supports up to 8GB Virtual RAM, while up to 12GB Virtual RAM in the 12GB variant.Â
I tried benchmarking with the Dynamic RAM feature on and off and its score increased a little. When turned off, 599,440 AnTuTu benchmark scores were obtained, while 605,968 scores when DRE was turned on. But even if you don’t turn on the DRE, the performance you can get is still decent. By the way, for me, the benchmark scores we got are just right for their price.Â
It also has a vapor chamber cooling system that helps to reduce the temperature when you use heavy apps or play heavy games to make the performance stable. But of course, if you use it for a long time, it will still get hotter and hotter.Â
As for gaming, my experience has been smooth so far. Genshin Impact is also quite stable even though it is on Medium to high settings. If you only intend to play Mobile Legends or Call of Duty Mobile here, the realme 12+ 5G is more than enough.
Honestly, I’m not a fan of Genshin Impact but in the few hours I’ve been playing for the game test, I’m enjoying playing it. But since this game is really heavy, you will feel a little heat from the realme 12+ 5G after a while.Â
As for the usual apps, it is very smooth and I have not experienced any problems. My only concern with the realme UI is its bloatware, but you can uninstall or disable them. It runs realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14 out of the box, and for me, this realme UI is one of the best operating systems.Â
Display and Multimedia ExperienceÂ
Moreover, it has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and HDR10+ certification, so the viewing experience is nice and crisp.Â
You will also enjoy watching it because the colors produced by its display are beautiful plus it also has dual stereo speakers.
It also supports a 120Hz screen refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate which makes the experience even smoother. So far, I haven’t experienced any lags or stutter with its high refresh rate and its screen is also very responsive when I play games.
When it comes to brightness, its display is viewable when you are outdoors because its max brightness is up to 2,000 nits when in Sunlight Mode.
realme also mentioned that it has 0.68mm secondary tempered high-strength glass, so you can expect its screen to be durable, but of course, we still need to be careful because it is still glass.Â
One of the features I like, and I think I need, is the Rainwater Smart Touch. It basically detects if there is liquid on the screen like water or rainwater, or even wet hands, it improves the touch input accuracy.Â
Actually, I noticed that it is truly effective since I don’t need to wipe the screen when my hands are sweaty because it is still responsive. So, kudos to realme for this very useful feature.Â
It also has an in-display fingerprint scanner which for me should be made the norm by brands in midrange phones.Â
BatteryÂ
The next thing to talk about is its battery, this realme 12+ 5G has a 5,000mAh battery capacity which is just right for today’s standard.Â
You can really notice that its battery is long-lasting because it also got 17 hours and 38 minutes in the PCMark battery benchmark. We can also consider that the result it got is good because most of the phones in the price range were lower than that.Â
It also lasts me the whole day, and sometimes there is even 30%-40% battery life left. Besides, the good thing about this midrange phone is that it already supports 67W SUPERVOOC charging, so it can be charged very quickly. By the way, the estimated charging time is 48 minutes to be fully charged.Â
VerdictÂ
Overall, I can say that this realme 12+ 5G is worth it because of its winning specs and features. The chipset used here is also good so you won’t be lacking in performance. Besides, its camera is also very solid so it’s perfect if you like to take pictures, and not just for pictures because it’s also good for video since it has OIS. Its design is also a bonus because it is very stylish and unique. So, if your budget is around 17K to 20K, this realme 12+ 5G is the best option.Â
Pros:Â Â Â
- Outstanding image quality
- Optical image stabilization
- Bright and sharp display
- Unique design
- Powerful performance
- Dual stereo speakers
Cons:
- Big camera island
- Inferior wide-angle lens
- Too many bloatware out of the box
realme 12+ 5G Specifications
- Display: 6.67-inch E4 AMOLED panel, FHD+ resolution, 0.68mm secondary tempered high strength glass, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, up to 2,000nits max brightness
- CPU: 2.6GHz 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 7050 octa-core processor
- GPU: Mali-G68 MC4
- RAM: 8GB, 12GB, up to 12GB Dynamic RAM Expansion
- ROM: 256GB, up to 2TB microSD card
- Rear Camera: 108MP + 8MP ultra-wide lens + 2MP macro lens + LED flash
- Front Camera: 16MP
- Battery: 5,000mAh, 67W SUPERVOOC (Type-C)
- OS: realme UI 5.0, Android 14
- Connectivity: 2.4GHz & 5GHz WiFi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, Dual SIM (nano)
- Sensors:Â Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope
- Colors: Pioneer Green, Navigator beige
- Weight:Â 190g
- Dimensions: 162.95mm (L) x 75.45mm (W) x 7.87mm (D)
- Others: in-display fingerprint sensor, AI face unlock, USB-C, IP54 rating, Hi-Res Audio, Dual speakers, Google Assistant, 3.5mm headphone jack,
Price and availabilityÂ
- 8GB/256GB – PHP 17,999 | PHP 14,999 intro price | Shopee link | Lazada linkÂ
- 12GB/256GB – PHP 19,999 | PHP 16,999 intro price | Shopee link
You can now buy the realme 12+ 5G online at realme’s official stores on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop for only PHP 17,999 for the 8GB/256GB variant, while PHP 19,999 for the 12GB/256GB variant. Wait, we still have good news! You can get up to PHP 3,000 discount for its introductory price until March 15. If you buy at physical stores, you can get freebies worth up to PHP 2,399.Â
