Realme 12+ 5G, reviews after first contact. Photo

A couple of months ago, we learned about Realme 12 Pro and Realme 12 Pro+. These were the most advanced mid-range Realme phones this year, but now we’ve come across others that, although lower-end, are no less interesting: the Realme 12 X, Realme 12 5G and Realme 12+ 5G. Last strives to become a bestseller for its quality-price.

At Xataka we have already been able to test them and the Realme 12+ 5G is clearly aimed at that large mass of the public that is looking for a balanced terminal that costs around 300 euros. Our first impressions were actually positive. Although not everything is perfect, of course.

Realme 12+ 5G data sheet

Good design and better screen

Visually, the Realme 12+ is not much different from its Pro brothers. The manufacturer is once again collaborating with a well-known figure in the field of luxury watch design, such as Olivier Saveo, which means terminal with straight edges and rounded corners, vegan leather back. On the same back there is a zipper, which is really nothing more than an aesthetic decoration since it is not much different from the rest of the surface.

At 190 grams, it doesn’t quite fall into the lightweight phone category, but the back panel material, slight thickness, the aforementioned back panel material and balanced weight distribution make it very light and comfortable in the hand. Of course, we must warn you that the sides are very prone to attracting fingerprints, so even the most sensible person will not be able to part with suede. Or if it fails, they will have to cover it up.

On the screen say that offers a sophisticated look at first glance. This is due to the smaller bezels on the front, altered only by the camera hole located at the top center and a bottom bezel that is slightly more pronounced than the rest, but nothing dramatic.

Having become accustomed to my high-end smartphone, I tend to notice immediately when I look at a mid-range mobile when I see its screen. This didn’t happen to me with Realme 12+. And I won’t say that I perceived it as high-end, but I didn’t have any bad feelings. Fortunately, manufacturers are already introducing better and better panels into terminals in this series, and this is appreciated.

So things are like this The panel provides excellent quality for regular viewing of videos, TV series and films.. FullHD+ resolution, which, although not the highest, allows you to see everything in good quality, the colors are deep black thanks to the AMOLED panel, and the rich gamut of colors is not noticeable at all. However, like any mobile phone, it can be balanced to your liking from the settings. And, in addition, the frequency of 120 Hz gives a greater feeling of smoothness.

Regarding brightness, peak – 2000 nits and will be displayed when viewing HDR content. It’s usually lower, although we weren’t able to verify how many nits that is. In fact, we only tested it indoors in low light, where it’s easy to shine (literally). We had to test the mobile phone in more difficult conditions, such as outdoors, when the sun shines directly on the screen. So while we assume everything will go well, we can’t fully confirm it yet.

As for the sound part, we were not able to test it in all situations that we would have liked. We weren’t able to evaluate its performance in a quiet room, but we were able to evaluate its volume, for example. When in a room with a lot of people around, we had to turn the volume up to maximum to hear clearly, and here it worked like a charm. Good volume at the highest peaks and without the feeling that it is distorted.

Contains hardware, but sufficient on paper

At the processor level, we still need various benchmarks for deeper performance analysis. However, we already knew about the Dimensity 7050 and were recently able to test it on terminals such as the OPPO Reno11 F. In this Realme 12+ and in what we were able to test, it did not disappoint us at all.

Combined with Realme Customization Layer, The system has very flexible control.. Without extensive testing of power-hungry apps and games, the device performs well with just a few apps open. Not a single jerk and good application opening times.

Another point to pay attention to: the interior of the Realme 12+ houses steam refrigeration system which will help to better regulate the temperature. On paper, this is very interesting when you consider that due to synthetic leather materials, these types of devices are prone to heating up eventually. In any case, we insist that we were not able to test it to the extent that we would like to be sure.

The same thing happens to us when analyzing a battery that we were not able to completely discharge, as well as when checking its charging time. In any case, with the already standardized 5000 mAh, It doesn’t look like autonomy will be an issue.. It hardly fell during the time we were able to play with the mobile phone, although in the end it was a very simple use to draw conclusions. Intuitively, like any smartphone, it crashes faster when using video games or recording videos and photos.

Thanks to the 67W charging power it accepts, we get very good fast charging. It hasn’t been the best for several years, but it’s by no means bad, and thanks to other terminals we’ve tested with the same package (5000 mAh + 67 W), hope the phone can recharge from 0% to 100% in just an hour. Even half a charge in just a quarter of an hour, at least according to tests conducted by Realme itself.

We also have no complaints about the software. Android 15 is just around the corner, but it hasn’t officially arrived on Google phones yet. So, Android 14 is at least expected, and in that it matches the customization level of Realme UI 5.0. Moreover, they confirm that there will be three years of supportall three with full updates that will include security fixes, but from the fourth year the terminal will remain without this last feature.

Cameras want to be the stars of Realme 12+

The star of the Realme 12+ when it comes to cameras is its main sensor Sony LYT-600, who, despite being middle class, has good incentives. It is a 1/195-inch sensor with an f/1.88 aperture and built-in optical stabilization coupled with Realme’s own software.

The other two sensors are more revealing, although we do have a wide-angle camera which, while short in spec (just 8 megapixels), promises to give the camera more versatility. Ultimately, the best will be what these sensors can do together.

Realme is confident that the strength of Realme 12+ photography is sharpness in low light conditions. Not so much in low light scenarios, but in backlit situations and other situations where any camera tends to suffer.

There is also a small added detail, namely: Portrait mode can be accessed using the volume keys.. It’s not that it’s a big innovation, but it’s always an interesting addition that clearly demonstrates Realme’s commitment to placing this 12+ among a niche audience that appreciates this type of photography. The manufacturer also highlights the ability to take these pictures in just 0.8 seconds.

As you can imagine, we were not able to test it as often as we would have liked. However, we were able to see sample photos taken with the Realme 12+ and the truth is that they point the way. Everything is relative, of course. We can’t ignore the fact that, at the end of the day, these are photos that have been carefully selected by the manufacturer to look like this. In any case, if you look closely at the details, you can see some flaws that are typical for the middle class, but nothing serious.

The series is ready for success, although not without competitors

Those of us who dedicate ourselves to tracking and analyzing modern technology tend to focus more on the competition that exists in high-end smartphones, but the truth is that the mid-range is filled with very similar options. And this is an important barrier not only for Realme 12+, but also for everyone who wants to release a model in this price range and with such characteristics.

If we analyze this individually and do not forget that this was ultimately the first contact, the truth is that Realme 12+ has some interesting purchase incentives.. Its screen isn’t a license plate, but it seems to be the best in these ranges, and even more so given the focus on brightness, which, despite lack of testing where it actually needs to be tested, looks high on paper. And it’s been a bad mid-range theme for years, so it’s all good.

Together, the entire Realme 12 series (12X, 12, 12+, 12 Pro and 12 Pro+) is coming to the market. find almost a mobile phone for any budget. From 199 euros for Realme 12X to 499 euros for Realme 12 Pro+ and even less in each case due to offers and price drops that have occurred since their launch. The Realme 12+ on paper sits in a good middle ground between them all, with balanced performance that isn’t a priori accused of major problems, and with the right cameras.

In Hatak | The best mobile phones in terms of price-quality ratio (2024): their analysis and video here.