realme 12+ 5G Review | Geek Lifestyle

With the recent launches brought to us by realme, it’s getting harder to decide on which midrange device to fawn over. The realme 12+ 5G is the other side of the brand’s “12 series” coin that promises the same amount of style and premium specs. Coming in alongside the realme 12 Pro+ 5G, one would be inclined to think that it’s simply a dialed down version of its older sibling. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Cut from the same fashionable cloth, the realme 12+5G delivers the same glamorous feel while still sporting the gritty, no-nonsense features that one would demand from a reliable midranger. From its luxury watch design, to its 120Hz Super AMOLED Display, to its tantalizing triple-camera setup–no expenses were spared in bringing this beast to life.

Having spent a good amount of time on both the 12+ and 12 Pro+ 5G smartphones, we have a good feel on where the former stands. It may bear the same number and lack the “Pro” in its moniker, but what we’re looking at is a device that’s operating on a different weight class–and can absolutely deliver a decisive punch. Think “Light Heavyweight” just a step below the usual “Heavyweight.”

Check out our unboxing of the realme 12 Series 5G

That being said, is the realme 12+ 5G a compelling choice among its peers in the same price range? Could it be the device at the very top of your to-buy list when it comes to phones that offer sweet luxury while not breaking the bank? Read on to find out.

Geeksthetic

The realme 12+ 5G just feels right in your hands. Of course, this is a personal statement. Curved displays are nice, but the flat edges are definitely making a comeback–and they fit really well in your hand. While clad with the same premium vegan leather, our Pioneer Green smartphone has a different finish. It’s a tad more sleek and smooth to the touch compared to the 12 Pro+ variant. It has the same adornments courtesy of Ollivier Savéo’s design that features elements found in the most elegant luxury watches–namely the Polished Sunburst Dial, Golden Fluted Bezel, and 3D Jubilee Bracelet.

Surrounded by said elements, we have the circular triple-camera setup. It’s nice how little the camera protrudes, given how thin the smartphone already is at 7.87mm and 190 grams. It’s lightweight, handy, and won’t be slipping out of your grasp thanks to the aforementioned flat edges. These edges house the variety of buttons and ports, minus a 3.5mm headphone jack.

For the display, we get a 6.67″ Super AMOLED display that just pops once you switch it on. It’s sturdy enough, thanks to a very generous IP54 dust and water resistance. In terms of resilience, you can rest easy, as its durable 0.68mm secondary tempered high strength glass can withstand a few low-level drops. It also supports Rainwater Smart Touch, a feature that intelligently detects if there is presence of liquids like water or rain water on the display.

All-in-all, you won’t have to worry too much about this phone. Just make sure not to go diving with it.

Binge-watching Factor

Now speaking of the FHD+ display, it comes with some pretty thin bezels that make up a 2400X1080 resolution with a sweet 92.65% screen-to-body ratio. This is great, especially if you’ll be on the go with all your favorite movies and TV shows. Any extra screen real estate is very much welcome. As for maximum brightness, you can go up to 2000 nits under direct sunlight, and settle for 600 in the comfort of your dark bedroom. Worry not, for the realme 12+ 5G’s Sunlight Display will adjust your brightness dynamically.

Your eyes won’t suffer from any sudden blindness, if that’s the main concern.

The maximum 120Hz refresh rate is snappy and satisfying. To safe up on some battery life–or if it just isn’t your style, you can switch to either the standard 60Hz, or allow the phone to auto-adjust based on the apps being used. It’s not enough that you can see things clearly. A good pair of dual stereo speakers that support Hi-Res audio will make sure to deliver a clear, crackle-free aural experience–even if you crank the volume up to maximum. It can get really loud, though. Just take note.

Gaming Prowess

Now, gaming can be an issue for most smartphones, even for midrangers. Not quite the case for the realme 12+ 5G, though. It packs a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset–a flagship-level octa-core processor that provides 5G Connectivity and powerful performance that definitely shows in your gameplay experiences. Still, that’s not to say that you can leave everything at max settings and call it a day.

You still need to adjust a few things here and there–especially when it comes to the ever-so-popular Hoyoverse titles. Anything else should run like a dream, though. From Asphalt 9 to League of Legends: Wild Rift, you can get smooth gameplay at higher graphical settings. As for Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, what we did was try things at Medium Settings at 60 fps, and High Settings at 30 fps–both without motion blur. The results were almost identical, and had the smoothest of experiences. Also, thanks to the phone’s Vapor Chamber Cooling System, we only felt a bit of warmth in the couple of hours of gameplay we’d have between testing.

The maximum 24GB of RAM (thanks to dynamic RAM expansion) also helps in dealing with any internal processes that might slow things down during gameplay. If you need a good amount of games, but still want to keep all of those photos you’ll be shooting later on, a generous 256GB of storage is definitely helpful. 512 would have been great, but 256 is good enough.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

Now, on to the highlight–the triple camera setup. While it doesn’t have the 120X zoom of its older sibling, the realme 12+ 5G can take beautiful shots with the greatest of ease. We aren’t exaggerating here, since we’re mostly dealing with shaky hands and really bad angles. Thank you for the assist, realme.

First off, we have a 50MP SonyLYT 600 OIS Portrait Camera as the main shooter. So, just how good is it? Well, these SonyLYT Sensors are some new babies from Sony that fall under a similar class to Sony IMX Sensors. So, we’re taking about a high level of light intake for great-looking, well-lit photos. The 50MP cap isn’t an issue. Personally, we prefer it.

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The AI working with the lenses here are working hard. One interesting feature is their NightEye Engine that takes a bit longer to snap a photo, but guarantees that it’s going to be well-lit. The Cinematic Bokeh Algorithm also guarantees smoother portrait shots that ensure that you won’t look like you’re being swallowed by the void. It’s also worth noting that you also get the featured cinematic Master Portrait Filters courtesy of Oscar Award Winner for Best Cinematography, Claudio Miranda to play around with.

Rounding up the triple-camera setup, we get a 8MP 112° Wide Angle Camera, and a 2MP macro lens. Ultrawide shots come out nice, without much of a difference to the default shooter, color-wise. As for the latter, well, we’re not too excited about 2MP macro lenses in 2024, is what we’re saying. Still, it’s a good thing it can produce decent shots, regardless.

Now, you’re probably curious about going the full 20X zoom, right? You’ll be surprised by how decent the quality is. Personally, it was a good call if this was the supposed compromise between the 12+ and 12 Pro+ 5G.

Now, for selfies, you’re in for a treat. While we don’t get any wider shots, the 16MP selfie camera produces some really nice shots, even in lower lighting. Taking shots under dimmer circumstances is slowly becoming a thing of the past, as we notices this kind of quality with the C67 as well. There really is nowhere to go but up.

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For video, you can shoot up to 4K at 30fps for the main camera, and 1080p at 30fps for the selfie camera. They produce decent clips, albeit slight shaky due to a lack of EIS. A tripod or gimbal rectifies this.

Everyday Reliability

Beyond all the flash and pizzazz, you’re still looking at a midranger that can work just as hard as the best of us. First, let’s talk about some quality of life features. You get an easily accessible in-display fingerprint reader, 360° NFC for easy payments or sharing of info, and a nifty Antenna Array Matrix System that ensures that you’ll have mobile data for as long as those 5G cell towers can reach you.

As for the meat and potatoes, you get a large 5000 mAh battery with 67W SUPERVOOC Charging. This, as we all know, is a very reliable combo. With hundreds of hours of standby time and a good 8 hours of continuous, rigorous gameplay, you’ll definitely have enough power to get through a normal day. If you do run out of juice, you’ll be up to 50% in 19 minutes, and 100% in just 48 minutes

Making sure that everything’s running smoothly, we have realme UI 5.0 working in tandem with Android 14. The latter has a lot of cool features to explore, and it’s nice to know that realme’s latest UI will be backing it up seamlessly.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

The realme 12+ 5G is one smartphone you shouldn’t be overlooking, especially if you’re shopping within its price range. It screams luxury, but bleeds relatability–providing a dramatic flair to your daily-driving workhorse. With specs that are nearly identical to last year’s realme 11 Pro+ 5G but with a brand spankin’ new design and some sweet additional features, there’s absolutely no point in looking back. Also, flat edges. We cannot stress this enough.

The realme 12+ 5G will be available at an introductory price of PHP 16,599 for the 12GB+256Gb variant. and PHP 14,999 for the 8GB+256GB variant via Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop until March 15, 2024. It will also be available offline at an SRP of PHP 19,999 and PHP 17.999 respectively via cash, credit card payments, and Home Credit up to 18 months installment with 0% interest.

Those who avail offline will also get a TechLife 4L Digital Rice Cooker or TechLife Hair Dryer worth up to PHP 2,399.