realme 12+ 5G review

realme recently launched the realme 12 Series 5G. Historically, the brand’s Number Series have always been commendable, but this time it’s on a whole new level. The new realme 12+ 5G features a luxury watch-inspired design and a 50MP Sony LYT-600 main camera.

With a starting price of P17,999, the phone promises value-packed features and a powerful main camera in the mid-range space. It all looks good on paper, but can they deliver? Let’s find out in this review.

Design and Display

The realme 12+ 5G has a flat design accentuated by a premium vegan leather back, a polished PVD frame, and an IP54 water-resistant build. While it’s not as handsome as the realme 12 Pro+ 5G, the phone still holds its own in terms of design, exuding elegance, and a premium experience for the price.

Our review unit is in Pioneer Green. It is beautiful, combining green hues from the vegan leather back to the frame, and the sunburst dial. The other color option is Navigator Beige, which offers a lighter color palette.

The dial has 500 gradient patterns to create the sunburst effect, while the 3D Jubilee Bracelet design across the back panel completes the luxury watch look.

The circular camera island has a silver accent, instead of the fluted bezel found on the realme 12 Pro+ 5G. It also has the same four rear camera cutouts, despite only having three actual cameras.

At the front, the realme 12+ 5G has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 2400×1080 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and a Rainwater Smart Touch feature that prevents issues when touching the screen with wet fingers.

It has narrow bezels and a 92.65% screen-to-body ratio with a slight chin at the bottom bezel, which is common in this range. It also has a hole punch cutout at the top center for the selfie camera and an in-display fingerprint sensor.

As with most realme Number Series phones, this display is sharp with punchy colors. It has a peak brightness of 2000 nits, which translates to good visibility under direct sunlight.

The volume and power buttons are on the right side. The bottom side has the SIM tray, microphone, USB-C port, and speaker. There is another speaker vent at the top, a secondary microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The fingerprint sensor is located near the bottom part of the display, making it harder to reach. However, it is quick and responsive. The phone is comfortable to hold, despite a slight sharpness on the edges where the back panel meets the frame. The leather back also makes it easier to grip the device.

Cameras

The phone has a triple rear camera setup, consisting of a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP macro camera. It also has a 16MP selfie shooter in front.

The main camera uses a Sony LYT-600 sensor with a bright f/1.8 lens and OIS. The ultra-wide camera has a 112-degree field of view. The macro camera has an f/2.4 lens and a 4cm focus distance. I don’t have much use for a macro camera, but at least you have that option should you need it.

In good lighting, the main camera’s image quality is quite good with ample details and a wide dynamic range. Indoor shots are also good with little noise. Night mode is clean with good sharpness and colors. Selfies are pleasant, but a little soft on the details. Don’t forget to keep the beauty filter on the low side to keep that natural look.

The phone can also shoot up to 4K videos at 30fps. There’s no stabilization when shooting in 4K. The colors look good, but you lose out on some dynamic range in direct sunlight. However, it’s all good for social media. Just shoot in 1080p so you can limit any jitters.

Here are some sample shots.

Performance

The realme 12+ 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset. Our review unit has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It runs realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14. It also has Widevine L1, which is good for Netflix lovers. As always, I maxed out the 12GB RAM expansion in exchange for storage space.

Other features include Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, stereo speakers, and 4357mm² VC Cooling System. It also has stereo speakers, which sound good with decent volume.

The phone is butter smooth and responsive with no visible lags or stutters. Apps load fast and run without issue.

In gaming, you can get away with high graphics settings for most games. Mobile Legends can run on high or ultra, however framerates cap at 60. Genshin Impact is playable at high, but you will notice some lags and frame drops. We recommend medium settings for best results. CODM had no issues as well. It is responsive enough to be competitive.

Here are the benchmark scores should you care for them.

Battery Life

The realme 12+ 5G has a 5000mAh battery and supports 67W SUPERVOOC fast charging. During the review, the battery lasted a day with moderate usage. For heavy usage, you will need to charge at the end of the day, as was the case when we watched a lot of YouTube, played several games, and took many photos and videos on a recent trip.

Charging from 20% took almost an hour to reach a full charge. Meanwhile, a 30-minute charge gave us almost 60%.

Verdict

The realme 12+ 5G has one of the best cameras in this range, thanks to the Sony LYT-600 sensor. It is capable of creating sharp and colorful photos, especially when you have good lighting. The phone also has an eye-catching design with a stunning sunburst dial. Moreover, it offers good performance, even in gaming. And the stereo speakers provide a good experience in playing games and watching videos.

Of course, like all phones, it’s not perfect. It needs work when it comes to video capture. And that fourth cutout, which keeps the design uniform, has no other function.

The phone has serious competition in this price range, including the OPPO Reno11 F 5G, HONOR X9b 5G, Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G, and the new Nothing Phone (2a). But the realme 12+ 5G’s strength in design and photography gives it an advantage.

The realme 12+ 5G is priced at P19,999 for the 12GB+256GB model, and P17,999 for the 8GB+256GB model. It comes in Submarine Blue and Navigator Beige.

realme 12+ 5G specs