Realme 12 Pro+ review: We're talking stellar 3x portraits!

Hello everyone, I'm here with a review of the Realme 12 Pro+, which has just launched in Nepal for Rs. 50,999. And for that price tag, you are getting a 3X periscope zoom lens, a Sony IMX890 main camera,  and a beautiful design. But besides that, what else is there, and how is this phone? Worry not,  I'll share my experience regarding that in this Realme 12 Pro Plus review. Before heading in, let's take a quick look at the specs of the Realme 12 Pro Plus.

Realme 12 Pro+ Specifications

• Display: 6.7″ curved-edge full-HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate
• Chipset: Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 (4nm)
• RAM/ Storage: 8GB / 12GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB / 256GB  UFS 3.1 storage
• Software: Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0
• Camera: 50MP IMX890 main (with OIS), 8MP ultra-wide, 64MP OmniVision OV64B periscope portrait camera
• Front Camera: 32MP sensor
• Sensor: In-display fingerprint sensor
• Battery and Charging: 5000mAh with 67 Watt of charging
• Price in Nepal: NPR 50,999 (12/256GB)
• Check out the full specs of the Realme 12 Pro+ here.

Realme 12 Pro Plus Review:

Cameras

• Rear Camera: 50MP IMX890 main (with OIS), 8MP ultra-wide, 64MP OmniVision OV64B periscope portrait camera
• Front Camera: 32MP

Okay as you have expected, I’m gonna start by addressing the elephant of the room here first–the cameras. Finally, someone from the pack decided to cut off the useless depth/macro sensors and provide a more functional and trendy 64MP 3X Periscope lens instead. Kudos to Realme here! (Other brands should start taking notes). The last time we saw a periscope lens on a Realme phone was on the Realme X3 SuperZoom, released back in June 2020. 

Along with the zoom lens, you get a flagship Sony IMX890 with OIS as the primary shooter and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. While upfront, there is a 32MP snapper. The camera specs look too good on paper, right? What about the real-world performance?

Portraits

The portrait game on this guy is pretty strong. It clicks the best portraits in the range, period! You get that professional camera-like vibe with enough details and sharpness.

Periscope Zoom

The 64MP periscope lens as the name implies can do 3X optical and 6X insensor zoom. And the shots are decent if not the best.  You can also go up to 120X digitally, which I wouldn’t simply recommend, because the outputs are not usable, given that this is a mid-range device.

Daylight

The daylight imageries are also on the commendable side. The initial days were not that great but Realme has provided multiple updates and the primary camera has gotten much better. The dynamic range is good while the outputs stay on a slightly poppier side, which looks pleasing to my eyes.

Ultrawide

The 8MP ultrawide unit also does a decent job. It is not good as the main camera for obvious reasons but for some casual shots, you can count on it.

Selfies

Talking of the selfies, you can snap some good-looking outputs with ease. There is a slight pinkish tone though.

Nighttime

When the sun goes down, turning on the dedicated night mode can for sure, get you better-looking images. The details are not great though as expected from a midrange phone.

Design 

• Dimensions: 161.5 x 74 x 8.8 mm
• Weight: 196grams
• IP rating: IP65

The design of this phone is something to praise! This is not your regular vegan leather back phone, the brand has instead collaborated with designer Olliver Saveo to build it, just like its predecessor, the Realme 11 Pro+ did with Matteo Menotto.  And it does look premium. This circular camera module bears a luxury watch-like pattern with precise attention to detail. The vegan leather texture and slightly curved form factor make a really nice grip here to hold. The frame is still plastic but overall, this guy does deserve 4.8 stars for the premium attributes in the 30K segment. The IP65 rating is also worry-free for water splashes and dust protection. And oh well, you can buy this phone in two other color options– Navigator Beige and Explorer Red editions, which look equally premium as well.

Display

• Display: 6.7 inches AMOLED, 120Hz, 950 nits (peak)
• Resolution: 1080 x 2412 pixels (~394 ppi density)

Coming to the front, there is a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED panel with FHD+ resolution. During my usage period, I found it to be pretty vibrant and sufficient for all my daily chores and media usage. It boasts a punchy color output and can play HDR content on YouTube.

But on Netflix, it only supports HD playback despite, the phone bagging the Widevine L1 certification. Maybe an update can fix this? Apart from that, the display is bright enough to use outdoors with 800nits of High Brightness Mode.

Stereo Speakers

Likewise, the stereo speakers here feel very good, I mean it’s not that of a flagship level or super loud, but you are gonna love the audio during your binge-watching sessions or streaming Spotify/YouTube Music.

120Hz is not properly optimized 

Seems all good here, doesn’t it? But wait…. despite the screen supporting a 120Hz refresh rate, Realme has not properly optimized it. I have noticed that the refresh rate stays at 120Hz only in the launcher and as soon as I switch to an app like Facebook or Instagram, it goes to 90Hz and even 60Hz while using Youtube.  There is no 120Hz-only mode here sadly. I know, it’s all good for battery saving but capping the refresh rate on social media apps, kinda ruins a fluid experience.

Realme UI 5.0

And talking further about my experience, the Realme UI 5.0 felt just average to me. The amount of bloatware kills the vibe here. If you ask me why, it's basically OxygenOS with all the customizations and features but filled with unnecessary apps and games. The UI can also make you download apps and games in multiple places. So, I seriously recommend you uninstall and disable those apps.

How's the performance?

Let’s move to the gaming performance of this phone! The Realme 12 Pro+ is powered by a new Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC. It’s the same chip as on the Redmi Note 13 Pro and Poco X6.  Talking of the gaming score here: PUBG runs at a stable 59 fps with no major hiccups or lags. The story continues the same with Call of Duty Mobile at 59fps stable frame rate.  But, the Realme 12 Pro+ can’t run any high fps games past 60fps. Be it Mech Arena or a low-intensive game like Alto’s Adventure, the refresh rate is capped at 60fps which is kinda disappointing. And on Genshin Impact, despite setting it to run at 60fps, the fps is limited to 30fps, which again is a strange thing. So, Realme is somehow restricting the chip’s performance here as it’s doing with the refresh rate thing, I’ve already mentioned! For keeping things cool, there is a 3394mm2 Vapor Chamber cooling though, which works fine. Besides gaming, the Snapdragon 7S Gen 2 is all good for your day-to-day chores. I know, a better chipset could have made its way here but hey, the camera specs are already too good, so I let that slide in!

Battery and Charging

• Battery: 5000mAh, 67W charging

Okay, let’s move to the battery section. Well, it gets the usual 5000mAh Lithium Polymer cell which provides a backup for a day. And to top it on, you get an in-box 67W SuperVOOC charger in the box. If you recall, its predecessor the Realme 11 Pro+ came with 100W charging. But in my opinion, 67W is the sweet spot, charging 0-50% in 20 minutes and 0-100% in 50 minutes. It’s also good for the long run in terms of battery health.

Realme 12 Pro Plus Review: Conclusion

The Realme 12 Pro+ is a solid camera phone, there is no second thought to that. The 3X periscope camera is great and the main camera is also pretty good. Realme deserves some praise for featuring a periscope zoom lens in the midrange segment, which is nonexistent on other brand's midrange phones. So, I'd call it a trendsetter with a gorgeous-looking vegan leather design. The performance side could have been better though, with a more powerful chip like the a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. The newly launched Realme GT 6T has a more powerful Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. But for someone, who's not deeply into gaming, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 caters well in all other areas. One thing, Realme should really work on is the bloatware side. It can be uninstalled or disabled but, the UI can be more cleaner and refined. Overall, the Realme 12 Pro+ is a very decent option, if you are vouching for 3X portraits and an attractive design in the upper midrange segment.

Realme 12 Pro Plus Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Stellar 3X periscope lens
• Premium design
• Good display
• Decent stereo speakers

Cons

• Comes with multiple Bloatware
• 120Hz is not optimized properly
• Cannot run 90/120fps games