realme 12 Pro+ 5G review

realme’s Number series phones rarely disappoint and this time is no different. The realme 12 Pro+ 5G is the latest device from realme, featuring a stunning design inspired by luxury watches and powerful Sony flagship cameras.

The phone, priced at P25,999, offers tremendous value in the mid-range space. It all looks good on paper, but how does it fare in real life? And is it worth the price? Let’s find out in this review.

Design & Display

The realme 12 Pro+ 5G is probably one of the most beautiful phones I’ve reviewed. It has an elegant design, which gives a stunning impression. Our review unit, in Navigator Beige, is accentuated by a light-hued PU leather back and gold-colored trimmings.

The other color option is Submarine Blue, for those who like a darker color. I initially liked the blue colorway, but the beige variant is so clean and stylish.

My favorite design element is the sunburst dial. It definitely adds a sense of class to the phone. The design is actually composed of 500 gradient sunburst patterns that replicate the sunburst effect of, well you guessed it, luxury watch dials.

The camera island is further highlighted by the fluted bezel. There’s a strip that bisects the back panel, resembling a jubilee bracelet, completing the luxury watch look. It’s almost a shame to put this in a case, but, of course, it is always best to protect our gadgets.

The phone has four cutouts at the rear and a slight camera bump. Only three of those have actual cameras. The fourth cutout is there for symmetry. That may be the only thing that bothered me in its design. I hate useless elements on devices. However, it does do its job of keeping things symmetrical and balanced, which I grudgingly accept.

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.

The display is great with good viewing angles and legibility in direct sunlight. I like how the colors pop, which makes it ideal for viewing content and watching movies. The phone also comes with stereo speakers , which sound good with ample volume without sounding tinny.

The fingerprint sensor is on the lower part of the screen. Given the size of the display, reaching it is a stretch in a one-handed operation. However, it’s not that big a deal as it’s common in phones in this price range.

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

Cameras

The realme 12 Pro+ 5G 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 flagship 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.

The image quality is superb, given the price of the phone. The photo quality is excellent. In good lighting conditions, you get clean clean photos with punchy colors, a wide dynamic range, and good sharpness.

Using 2x and 3x zoom still looks good, retaining its quality. It’s only in 6x zoom where the image quality dips. However, its still more than enough detial for social media postings. I daresay, this has one of the best cameras in this range and compares favorably against some flagship phones.

Indoor shots are good as well. Photos taken in low light and night mode using the main camera are equally good, with ample detail and wide dynamic range. Using zoom in low light will result in some noise and softness.

The video quality looks clean with good, natural colors. It also looks good indoors. However, zooming in results in softer details and some noise.

Camera Samples

Zoom Test

Performance

The realme 12 Pro+ 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The phone runs on realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14. The UI offers some customization, including changing the icons, grid layout, and transition animation. It also comes with some bloatware, which you can uninstall or disable.

To get the most out of the phone, we recommend maxing out the 12GB RAM expansion in exchange for some storage space, given the large capacity.

In daily use, the realme 12 Pro+ 5G is fast and responsive. The 120Hz refresh rate helps in the smoothness department as the phone powers through all kinds of apps and games.

And speaking of games, you can play most in high graphics settings. Honkai Star Rail, for instance, is playable at high settings at 60 fps. However, the sweet spot for most games is medium graphics at 60 fps.

Here are some benchmark scores to consider.

Battery Life

The smartphone is equipped with a 5000mAh battery and supports 67W SUPERVOOC fast charging. During the review, I was able to use the phone for a day with heavy usage, which included browsing, photos, streaming on YouTube and Netflix, and 20 minutes of music. By the time I got home, I still had around 15% left.

Charging is pretty quick, thanks to the 67W charger. From 20%, the phone reached 84% in 30 minutes. A full charge took around 55 minutes.

Verdict

realme’s Number series have always impressed. And the realme 12 Pro+ 5G is no different. It is a beautiful phone and realme did a great job of ‘integrating’ design elements inspired by luxury watches. In addition, the sunburst dial is eye catching and will definitely be a conversation starter.

However, the realme 12 Pro+ 5G is more than just a pretty face. It has the internals to match. Powerful performance is provided by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset with a large 5000mAh battery that can last a day.

Moreover, it comes with a flagship-grade main camera that can easily hold its own against some flagship phones.

The mid-range segment in the Philippines is tough, filled with worthy contenders fighting for your attention, including the HONOR 90 5G, OPPO Reno11 5G, vivo V30 5G, Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G, and Samsung Galaxy A55 5G, among others.

But the realme 12 Pro+ 5G deserves a look, as it ticks a lot of boxes that make a great phone.

The realme 12 Pro+ 5G is priced at P25,999 for the 12GB+512GB model. It is available in Submarine Blue and Navigator Beige.

realme 12 Pro+ 5G specs