realme 12 Pro+ 5G: First impressions and initial review

realme Philippines is set to launch the realme 12 Pro+ 5G and realme 12+ 5G in the country on March 7, and fans can already place their blind pre-orders as well.

Both phones are stunning, featuring designs inspired by luxury watches, thanks to their collaboration with Ollivier Savéo.

We were lucky enough to get our hands on the realme 12 Pro+ 5G ahead of its official launch, and we are excited to share our first impressions of this device.

In this article, we’ll give you a glimpse of what the phone has to offer, while our full review is in the works.

Unboxing

The realme 12 Pro+ 5G comes in a yellow packaging we are all familiar with. The phone comes with the usual set of accessories, which include a silicon case, a SUPERVOOC fast charger and USB-C cable, a SIM eject pin, and some documentation. The device also has a plastic screen protector already pre-installed.

The initial setup offers the same experience as any other realme phone. It was quick, however, it does come with a lot of third-party apps, including the Hot Games and Hot Apps folders. I understand why it’s there (it supposedly helps lower the cost of the phone) but it’s annoying nonetheless. As per usual, just delete or uninstall what you don’t need and move on.

Design and Display

Upon unboxing, I was taken aback by realme 12 Pro+ 5G. Our review unit is the Navigator Beige variant and it is stunning. I love how the sunburst dial looks. And the PU leather adds a premium element to the device.

I initially requested the Submarine Blue variant, but it was not available. However, this one is also a beauty.

The camera island is ringed with a fluted bezel, inspired by luxury watches. The back panel is also accentuated by a strip that resembles a jubilee bracelet. It’s almost a shame to put this in a case.

The phone has a four-camera layout at the rear with a slight camera bump. Only three of those have actual cameras. The fourth cutout is there for symmetry.

At the front, the realme 12 Pro+ 5G has a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display with 2412×1080 pixel resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It gently curves at the sides to meet the frame, resulting in narrow bezels and a 93% screen-to-body ratio. It also has a small hole punch cutout for the selfie camera and an in-display fingerprint sensor.

One thing I noticed immediately was how low the fingerprint sensor is on the screen. Given the size of the display, you need to stretch your thumb to reach it in a one-handed operation. However, it was just a minor issue that I soon got used to.

The volume and power buttons are on the right side, while the SIM tray, microphone, USB-C port, and speaker are at the bottom. On top is another speaker and a secondary microphone.

Specs and Features

The realme 12 Pro+ 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset. Our review unit has 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Given the large storage capacity, I max out the 12GB RAM expansion in exchange for some gigabytes.

The phone has a triple camera setup at the rear, consisting of a 50MP main camera, a 64MP periscope portrait camera, and an 8MP ultra-wide angle camera. It also has a 32MP selfie shooter with a Sony sensor.

The main camera uses a 1/1.56” Sony IMX890 sensor with a bright f/1.8 lens, 2x in-sensor zoom, and OIS. The ultra-wide camera also has OIS. It uses a 1/2” OmniVision OV64B sensor with an f/2.6 lens, 3x optical zoom, 6x in-sensor zoom, and up to 120x digital zoom.

Initial camera tests did not disappoint. So far, image quality looks excellent and compares favorably against some flagship phones.

The device also has a 5000mAh battery that supports 67W SUPERVOOC fast charging. According to realme, it can charge from 1-50% in just 19 minutes using the supplied charger.

Other features include Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, a 3D VC cooling system, and an IP65 water-resistant build. The phone also runs on realme UI 5.0 on top of Android 14.

That’s about it for our first impressions of the realme 12 Pro+ 5G. So far, it doesn’t disappoint. We’ll dive deeper in our full review.

The realme 12 Pro+ 5G and the realme 12+ 5G are scheduled to launch on March 7, 2024. You can watch via live stream on Facebook and YouTube at 6 PM. Local pricing will be revealed then.

Blind pre-orders of the realme 12 Series 5G are until March 7. It will come with a TechLife 4.5L See-Through Air Fryer worth P2,799. The first selling period is from March 8 to 17. Freebies are also available until supplies last.

realme 12 Pro+ 5G specs