realme 12 Pro+ 5G Review | Geek Lifestyle

The absolute bangers just keep coming as realme pushes forward with their promise for monthly smartphone releases. With the realme 12 Pro+ 5G at our doorstep, we’re guaranteed yet another taste of style and class coupled with premium, top-shelf specs.

The constant evolution of the brand’s numbered series has been quite the spectacle to behold–and the realme 12 Series 5G is peak spectacular.

After giving our initial impressions, we already had a good feeling that realme’s 12 series was set to be a flagship-level stunner. With a 64MP periscope portrait camera, a stylish luxury watch design, and some very nice IP65 dust and water resistance to name a few key features, this might just be the smartphone you’re looking for–and a bit more.

Check out our unboxing of the realme 12 Series 5G

Given its gaudy exterior and very capable components under the hood, could the realme 12 Pro+ be that amalgamation of luxury and efficiency that you’re looking for? Well, we slapped our own SIM card into that port and daily driver-d this bad boy to see for ourselves.

Geeksthetic

It’s best to talk about that eye-catching design right out of the box. Our Submarine Blue realme 12 Pro+ 5G sports an elegant, luxury-watch design co-designed with Ollivier Savéo–an international luxury watch design master who’s collaborated with the best of the best Swiss watch brands, including Rolex, Roger Dubuis, Piaget, Breitling, and Quentin.

The Polished Sunburst Dial, Golden Fluted Bezel, and 3D Jubilee Bracelet designer elements adorn the phone’s triple-camera setup, fusing perfectly with a premium vegan leather backside. It’s less sleek to the touch, and offers a bit more grip–while offering more resistance to fingerprints.

In terms of handiness, the realme 12 Pro+ 5G is also extremely thin and lightweight, coming in at a total 8.75mm and 196 grams. You also get the usual abundance of ports and buttons, minus the 3.5mm headphone jack.

In terms of the display, we get 6.7 inches of lovely curved OLED goodness with double-reinforced glass with a 93% screen-to-body ratio. A very nice display which we’ll be diving right into.

Binge-Watching Factor

Speaking of that 6.7″ curved OLED display, it also comes with a snappy 120Hz refresh rate with a 240Hz touch sampling rate. With bezels measuring 1.81mm up top, 1.57mm on each side, with a 2.32mm chin, you’re getting some very generous viewing real estate.

We also get 2160Hz PWM Dimming and Flicker Free Certification and Low Blue Light Certification from TÜV Rheinland. This, coupled with a maximum 950 of brightness get you some great viewing angles–either in pitch darkness or direct sunlight.

Also, we get IP65 dust and water resistance. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can go diving with your Submarine Blue, you’re most definitely safe from any sudden rainstorms and the like. Also, as we mentioned in our impressions article, we get some sweet Dolby Atmos Dual Speakers. It’s really something you’ll looking for in a smartphone once you get a taste of the upper midrange. It just feels weird if it isn’t there.

Either way, you’re good to go beyond 1080p with your favorite videos, movies, and TV shows, so you can stream all you want, wherever you want.

Gaming Prowess

While mobile gaming might not be the realme 12 Pro+ 5G’s main selling point, it can most definitely run your title of choice if need be. We’re getting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor, up to 24GB of RAM thanks to Dynamic Expansion, and a hefty 512GB of storage. You can slap on all three major HoYoverse titles–and everything else. You’ll still have room for a whole lot more.

Being able to run Goddess of Victory: NIKKE and Asphalt 9 at max settings was great. Being able to run Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail at medium settings at 60 fps–without a hitch, was even better. This doesn’t mean you can’t crank it up to high, though.

If you so desire, you can tinker a bit with the settings and compromise by turning the graphics to high while going 30fps and eliminating motion blur. Going beyond that will definitely cause some stuttering, especially when there’s a whole lot happening on-screen.

You’ll still get some great playtime with the realme 12 Pro+ 5G, given how it’s able to run the most demanding titles comfortably while allowing everything else to just go hard. This is also thanks to a built-in 3D vapor chamber cooling system that won’t keep the phone from getting warm, but will definitely keep you from burning your hands during lengthy, hour-long sessions.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

Now, we’re looking at something special here. The realme 12 Pro+ 5G brings us a capable camera setup that drops a couple hundred megapixels from last time, but cranks up its zoom capabilities almost tenfold. Personally, a wise trade-off.

Headlining the triple-camera setup, we have a 64MP Periscope Portrait Camera that utilizes an Omnivision 64B Sensor and supports Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). With this, you’re capable of s 3x optical zoom, 6x in-sensor zoom, and up to 3x portrait in-sensor zoom.

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: 1X

: 2X

: 3X

: 6X

Shots under daylight are just splendid, and night shots are just as good. The phone’s camera app has an automatic “night mode” feature that you can toggle on and off. This automatically brightens your photos with the downside of a slower snap. You might be surprised out of the box, and wonder why your shots take a couple of seconds to finish. If you’re curious about just how far your zoom can go, it’s 120X tops. However, you can expect a bit of noise and graininess if you decide to go all the way. However, you’re guaranteed some decent shots from 10X to 60X distance.

: 30X Zoom

The 50MP Sony IMX890 OIS Camera will most definitely handle your portrait shots like a pro–with all the ease of use for anyone with less-than-steady hands. By this, we mean ourselves. Portrait mode supports Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), has up to 2x In-Sensor Zoom, and features cinematic, Master Portrait Filters courtesy of Oscar Award Winner for Best Cinematography, Claudio Miranda.

Essentially, you can add a bit of theatrical flair to your portrait shots. You can capture the mood effortlessly with a single tap of your fingertip.

As for selfies, you need not worry. The 32MP Sony IMX615 front camera can get the job done, both under lower lighting and the in the brightness of daytime. The portrait bokeh has less aggression and makes sure to simply capture the features of your face before anything else.

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As for videos, you can shoot up to 4K 30fps via the main shooter. and 1080p 30fps from the front camera. It would have been nice to have 4K 60fps, but that might be a tad too much to ask. It’s also nice to point out the new sticker watermark that features a palette based on the colors in your photo. You can choose to switch this off, but it adds a nice, professional touch to your shots. It’s nice to have.

Everyday Reliability

Beneath the style, class, and luxurious vibe of the realme 12 Pro+ 5G, you get a surprisingly blue-collar work ethic. To complement its highly capable specs, you get a smooth, and equally capable OS in the form of realme UI 5.0 and Android 14. To make sure everything runs smoothly and for much longer, we also get a massive 5,000 mAh battery. This guarantees over 300 hours of complete standby, and up to 7 hours of continuous online gaming. If you happen to need that necessary battery top-up, you can get right back into action with 67W of SUPERVOOC charging–which gets you to 100% in just over 45 minutes.

The realme 12 Pro+ 5G also comes with some nice quality of life features, like an on-display fingerprint scanner, 360° NFC for quick wireless transactions, an X-Axis linear motor for some punchy haptics, and Antenna Matrix System 2.0–which guarantees that you’ll only lose connectivity in the most difficult of places.

There’s also a cute, dynamic semi-island at the top of the screen that highlights some of the the apps currently in use. So far, it’s only triggered during Grab rides, and it would be nice to see where else it would pop up.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

If you’re looking for a smartphone that can capture both memorable moments and everyone’s attention–in the most stylish manner possible, then the realme 12 Pro+ 5G should be on your radar.

With a powerful, triple-camera setup, a luxurious-yet-sturdy design, and very capable components within a very sleek chassis, this is a compelling choice for photography enthusiasts, content creators, and anyone who simply wants to flaunt a bit while getting the job done.

The realme 12 Pro+ 5G will be available at an introductory price of PHP 21,999 via Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop until March 15, 2024. It will also be available offline at an SRP of PHP 25,999 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 4.5L see-through air fryer worth PHP 2,799.