The OnePlus 12 could be very expensive, but OnePlus 12R leaks are more promising

The OnePlus 12 in white
The OnePlus 12 (Image credit: OnePlus)

Hot on the heels of the Samsung Galaxy S24 line, which we’re expecting to see on January 17, OnePlus is globally launching the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R on January 23, and the latest leaks are bad news for the 12 but good news for the 12R.

Specifically, we now have an idea of how much these phones might cost, with Techpuls (via Phone Arena) claiming that the OnePlus 12 will start at $799 (around £630 / AU$1,200). That’s for a version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while a 16GB / 512GB model reportedly costs $899 (roughly £710 / AU$1,340).

For reference, the OnePlus 11 starts at $699 / £729 / AU$1,199, so this would make the OnePlus 12 $100 more. That said, you are getting more for your money, as the OnePlus 11’s starting configuration has 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, so you’re getting more of both with the OnePlus 12, along with various other upgrades.

We know exactly what those upgrades are as the OnePlus 12 has already been announced in China, and they include a bigger, brighter screen, a newer chipset, a bigger battery, and upgraded cameras. So the OnePlus 12 will arguably be worth this price hike, but it might push the phone out of some people’s budgets.

A cheaper choice

For those people though, there’s the OnePlus 12R, which was also included in this leak, and apparently starts at $499 (around £390 / AU$750), which gets you 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. Then there’s supposedly a model with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM, costing $599 (approximately £470 / AU$890).

The OnePlus 12R hasn’t yet been announced even for China, but OnePlus has teased it so we know it’s coming, and between those teasers and leaks we also know many of the likely specs. These include a massive 5,500mAh battery with 100W charging, a 6.78-inch 120Hz screen, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and a triple-lens camera, including a 50MP main snapper, an 8MP ultra-wide one, and a 2MP macro one.

So while not quite a match for the standard OnePlus 12, those are some fairly high-end specs, and at a far more affordable price. We would of course take these prices with a pinch of salt for now though.

Images of the OnePlus 12R spotted on an FCC database

(Image credit: FCC / MySmartPrice)

This isn’t the only new OnePlus 12R leak though, as the phone has also been spotted on a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) database (via MySmartPrice), complete with actual photos of the phone – some of which you can see above – and mention of Android 14 and the already confirmed 5,500mAh battery.

As you can see in the images, it looks a lot like the OnePlus 12 too, with the same basic camera design, so this could prove a popular alternative to the company’s pricey flagship.

We’ll have a clearer idea once these phones are fully unveiled on January 23, and TechRadar will bring you all the details on the day, so head back here then.

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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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