Realme’s front-runner for its newest 12 sequence is the 12 Pro+ 5G, and it’s simply probably the most fascinating of the lot. While the corporate is most popularly identified for its price range choices, it does have just a few mid-range fashions with distinctive options. The massive spotlight on this one, and why I used to be ready to get my arms on it, is a periscope telephoto digicam with 3x optical zoom and a maddening 120x of digital zoom. This is an extended zoom vary than even what Samsung affords on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. While the real-world usefulness of such a excessive zoom stage is debatable, the truth that we now have a cellphone round $400 that packs comparable telephoto digicam tech as telephones above $1,000, is a feat in itself. And in the event you assume Realme has needed to compromise in different areas in an effort to promote it at such a low worth, you’d be fallacious. The 12 Pro Plus 5G packs a flagship-grade major digicam, a curved-edge 120Hz AMOLED show, IP65 score, and a large battery with very quick charging. So, is there a catch or might this be one of the best discount in its section? Time to search out out. Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G: Price and availability(Image credit score: Roydon Cerejo/ Android Central)The Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G begins at ₹29,999 (round $360) in India, but it surely’s additionally obtainable in different markets like Malaysia and Philippines. The base mannequin comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The increased storage variant with 256GB is priced at ₹31,999 ($383), whereas the top-variant comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage for ₹33,999 ($407). Realme tends to have perpetual reductions for the higher tier variants in the event you purchase it from its web site, so it makes good sense to intention for both the highest or second-top variant. It additionally has loads of cashback and banking affords, and is even bundling the Realme Buds 2 Neo TWS earphones with any buy. This prime mannequin within the 12 sequence additionally has a extra thrilling selection of colours, in comparison with the Realme 12 Plus 5G. The Navigator Beige trim that I obtained appears to be like stylish, however I’d a lot slightly have bolder shades just like the Submarine Blue or Explorer Red (extra like orange, going by the press images). Swipe to scroll horizontallyRealme 12 Pro Plus 5G specs ClassRealme 12 Pro Plus 5GOSRealme UI 5.0 (Android 14)Display 6.7-inch Curved AMOLED, FHD+ (2,412×1,080), 120Hz refresh charge ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2RAM8GB, 12GBStorage128GB, 256GBAudioStereo audio system, Dolby Atmos Connectivity5G (dual-5G standby), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2SecurityIn-display fingerprint sensor Protection IP65 water and dirt resistanceBattery5,000mAh, 67W SUPERVOOC charging CamerasRear: 50MP Sony IMX890 with OIS main + 8MP ultrawide + 64MP OmniVision OV64B 3x telephoto with OIS; Front: 32MP Sony sensor Dimensions161.47 x 74.02 x 8.75mmWeight196gColorsSubmarine Blue, Navigator Beige, Explorer RedRealme 12 Pro Plus 5G: What I like (Image credit score: Roydon Cerejo/ Android Central)If you favored the design language of the 12 Plus 5G, then you definitely’ll definitely love 12 Pro Plus 5G too. In truth, this mannequin feels a bit extra premium due to a sturdier body, and curved edges on the again and the show. The faux-leather end feels nice to carry, and it provides to the grip whereas preserving fingerprints at bay. The round digicam module embodies a luxurious watch design, which is a operating theme with the 12 sequence. The Pro mannequin has an added ornamental gold ring across the rear digicam dial, for a little bit of aptitude. The cellphone feels slim to carry at 8.75mm, and has simply the proper heft so it doesn’t really feel toy-like. The buttons are clicky, speaker grills are positioned effectively so your arms don’t unintentionally block them, and also you get a dual-SIM slot. There’s no microSD assist, so storage isn’t extendable. The 12 Pro Plus 5G will get a nifty IP65 score for mud and water resistance. (Image credit score: Roydon Cerejo/ Android Central)The different beauty of the Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G is the show. It’s a big 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with a Full HD+ decision. It produces wealthy colours and might get very shiny. Viewing content material even beneath direct laborious daylight was not a difficulty. You get an in-display fingerprint sensor too which is fast, however the face unlock is the quickest method to get to your apps. The curved edges on both facet of the show provides you the sensation of utilizing a way more costly cellphone. The show additionally will get a 120Hz refresh charge, which scales to 90Hz or 60Hz primarily based on the app or your interplay with the display screen. (Image credit score: Roydon Cerejo/ Android Central)The Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, which is peppy and does job of dealing with all of your typical social and productiveness apps. Multitasking was a breeze on the 12GB mannequin that I examined, and I really feel it needs to be the same expertise on the decrease variants too. HDR movies regarded good on this show and the stereo audio system offered an interesting expertise. Battery life is particularly good due to the 5,000mAh capability, which simply lasts for a couple of day and half on medium to heavy workloads. There’s no wi-fi charging, however wired charging is a fast 67W with the bundled adapter.(Image credit score: Roydon Cerejo/ Android Central)One of the primary causes it is best to think about this cellphone is for the cameras. The 12 Pro Plus options the 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor for the primary digicam, which can be discovered within the OnePlus 12, whereas the telephoto is the OmniVision OV64B 64MP sensor as seen within the OnePlus Open. Both sensors are optically stabilized and provide very good readability, colours, and particulars in each daylight and evening time pictures.The main digicam’s huge f/1.8 aperture ensures a creamy bokeh impact in close-up images, whereas in low gentle, the app routinely takes a long-exposure shot. The telephoto or Portrait digicam as Realme calls it, is equally spectacular. It has a 3x optical zoom, which has good stabilization if you’re framing. Image high quality is sort of spectacular even at 10x magnification. However, there are diminishing returns as you transcend 20x zoom. At the utmost 120x stage, giant textual content on distant objects is nearly recognizable but it surely’s clear that the digicam is effectively past its consolation zone.Video recording maxes out at 4K30 on the Realme 12 Pro Plus. Image high quality is sort of good throughout the day and you’ve got the flexibility to change between the ultra-wide, main, and telephoto cameras when recording at 1080p. The main and tele can shoot at 4K, however it’s important to select which sensor you need earlier than you hit report. The 32MP selfie digicam is equally spectacular, capturing sharp and detailed pictures in daylight and indoor lighting. The post-processing works effectively in cleansing up noise, and the default pores and skin smoothing filter isn’t too aggressive and produces pleasing portraits. Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G: What I do not like(Image credit score: Roydon Cerejo/ Android Central)The Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G doesn’t have a macro digicam or perhaps a macro capturing mode, which some may miss. Realme might have accomplished the trifecta through the use of a extra substantial ultrawide digicam with autofocus. This would have helped in getting sharper images in addition to enabled macro images. This is the one rear digicam that may’t report at 4K decision, which I really feel was a missed alternative.The different space which might have used a greater improve is the SoC itself. Don’t get me fallacious, it really works simply nice in day-to-day use but it surely’s not as highly effective as among the others on this section. Going by benchmark numbers, it put out practically the identical scores or simply barely higher numbers than the MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC, which sits in Realme’s less expensive 12 Plus 5G. We additionally might have gotten higher options like 4K at 60fps video recording on the 12 Pro Plus 5G, had Realme used a stronger processor. The final criticism with this cellphone has been a recurring one on most Realme telephones, and that’s the software program. Realme UI 5.0 relies on Android 14, and my unit obtained a number of updates for Android safety patches and bug fixes, which is nice to see. But there’s no getting round how pointless bloated it feels, with tons of pointless apps and plenty of first-party ones that bombard you with unsolicited notifications. You can work round this by being cautious throughout setup and never giving permission to sure apps, but it surely’s nonetheless a problem which we shouldn’t need to cope with. Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G: Competition (Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The Realme 12 Pro Plus’s largest competitor is the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus. It sits in the same worth vary, and boasts of higher water resistance, a higher-resolution AMOLED show, and faster charging. Between the 2, I’d nonetheless put my cash on the 12 Pro Plus 5G merely due to the higher auxiliary cameras and resulting from the truth that it comes with Android 14 out of the field. The Vivo V30 is one other cellphone that competes on this section, that includes an equally eye-catching design as its dearer sibling, good high quality rear cameras, 80W charging, and a extra highly effective SoC. It does miss out on a telephoto digicam although, which is the massive spotlight of the Realme 12 Pro Plus. For these within the U.S., it is nonetheless laborious to beat the Pixel 7a at its present worth. The Pixel 8a may be very new, and can ultimately exchange the 7a as our go-to advice as soon as it will get a good deal. Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G: Should you purchase it? (Image credit score: Roydon Cerejo/ Android Central)You should purchase this if…You want a flexible telephoto digicam with good zoom vary You desire a trendy mid-range cellphone You need long-lasting battery life You should not purchase this if… You need clutter-free person interface You need sturdy gaming efficiency You want wi-fi charging Realme continues to ship nice worth even with its mid-range choices, and the 12 Pro Plus 5G is an effective instance. For what it prices, the cellphone really excels within the digicam division due to a robust main sensor, versatile telephoto digicam, and a strong selfie digicam. Realme would not cease there although, because it delivers an equally premium utilization expertise due to a faux-leather again panel and the luxury-watch impressed rear modules. Performance can be respectable, the cellphone is water and dustproof, and the battery simply lasts greater than a day. The vivid curved-edge AMOLED show is superb for binge-watching on the transfer.The typical software program hurdles proceed to hang-out Realme telephones, because the interface is simply too cluttered and bloated with pointless apps. The ultrawide digicam can be nothing particular, when in comparison with how good the opposite cameras are. Lastly, there’s the processor itself, which might have been completely respectable on a cellphone at round $300, however not at this worth. If the 12 Pro Plus 5G is not obtainable the place you reside, this is an inventory of nice alternate options that ought to work simply as effectively.
An ideal telephoto digicam beneath $400
For a cellphone priced round $400, the Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G boasts of superb major and telephoto digicam sensors, and is again by a premium vegan-leather end. You additionally get a curved-edge show, 67W charging, and a strong Snapdragon platform. All these options collectively makes it good worth.