When I saw the 11 Pro+ late last year, I initially got excited about it due to its 200MP main camera. I didn’t find that a convincing upgrade and the realme 11 Pro was more than enough for me. This year, the realme 12 Pro+ 5G significantly changed the most premium Number Series phone regarding its cameras. I was initially skeptical about how the 64MP periscope camera would fare, but seeing the photos from others just made me want to see this phone for myself. Here are my first impressions of the realme 12 Pro+ 5G. (I’ll refer to this as the realme 12 Pro Plus onwards.)
Disclaimer: I purchased the realme 12 Pro Plus in Submarine Blue from TikTok Shop. It arrived on March 17, 2024, and I unboxed it on March 18, 2024. This phone has been my main Android phone for 5 days now.
Unboxing Experience
Like the realme 12+ 5G, we get a return to the familiar yellow box that the brand made famous. Besides that, the unboxing experience is one that we’re used to from realme. That includes the 67W SUPERVOOC power adapter, a USB-A to USB-C cable, and a jelly case. I even did an Instagram reel of this very unboxing!
The Embodiment of Luxury Watch Design
Both realme 12 Series 5G phones carry the Luxury Watch Design. However, I find the realme 12 Pro Plus to be the best representation of this design language. While I find the vegan leather back to feel stickier than on the realme 12+, the curved back just makes the 12 Pro Plus feel great in the hand.
Like its predecessor, the realme 11 Pro+, this phone kept its curved back and its curved display. While this and the 12+ have both the Polished Sunburst Dial and the 3D Jubilee Bracelet, the camera module of the 12 Pro Plus carries this nice Golden Fluted Bezel. This detail alone gives this phone a better luxury watch feel.
I also like the more subtle brushed gold finish on the sides, top, and bottom of the 12 Pro Plus. It’s also nice to see an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance here.
Let’s Get to That Periscope Camera!
As much as I love the design of the 12 Pro Plus, what drew me to this phone is its 64MP Periscope Portrait Camera. I already knew that bringing the 50MP Sony IMX890 main camera and realme’s image processing together would produce good, if not great, results. But this is probably the first time that a true midrange phone carried a periscope camera. I got so curious after seeing all the photos from the local reviewers out there.
I’ll hold my detailed thoughts on all the cameras until the full review. Until then, I can share some sample photos from the periscope and main cameras! I’ll also be sharing photos from the 32MP Sony IMX615 front camera.
Click on the photos for full-resolution versions!
The Power Behind the Portrait Master
The realme 12 Pro Plus isn’t just good because of its cameras. It all starts with its 6.7-inch 120Hz Curved Vision Display. While this display is identical to its predecessor, I find it to be a good display so far. With features like 2160Hz PWM dimming, support for 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and HDR10+, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy this display as much as I have so far.
Powering the realme 12 Pro Plus is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.X storage. (I couldn’t confirm exactly which UFS version it has as of this time.) I appreciate phones carrying high amounts of storage, especially for camera-centric phones thanks to how large the file sizes on photos and videos are these days. It runs realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14 out of the box and helps make this phone feel snappy.
It has a 5000 mAh battery with 67W SUPERVOOC fast charging. This is lower than its predecessor’s 100W SUPERVOOC charging. I never found 67W to be lacking in previous realme phones though, so this is plenty fast. This phone also keeps the dual stereo speakers with Hi-Res Audio and Dolby Atmos support from its predecessor.
My Verdict So Far
My experience with the realme 12 Pro Plus is positive so far. My personal feelings toward blue phones aside, I’m enjoying a lot of what this phone has to offer especially its cameras. This is by no means a full review, but realme’s highest-end Number Series phone left a good first impression.
Check back soon for my full review of the realme 12 Pro+ 5G! What do you want me to cover in the review? Sound off in the comments!
