Following its launch in other markets like India, the successor to last year’s relame 11 series is set to debut in the Philippines next week.
(Update, March 14: This time, we’ve posted our realme 12 Plus 5G review!)
(Update, March 12: Our realme 12 Pro Plus 5G review is up now!)
(Update, March 7: The realme 12 Series 5G is priced from P14,999 [$269] in the Philippines!)
The date to circle is March 7, when realme is expected to announce the latest smartphones under the brand’s number series — the realme 12 Pro Plus 5G and realme 12 Plus 5G. Blind preorders actually start today, March 1, 2024, and will run until the 7th at realme stores and partner retailers nationwide.
During the pre-sale period, customers who book the realme 12 Pro Plus 5G will receive a free TechLife 4.5L See-Through Air Fryer worth P2,799 (around $50), while the realme 12 Plus 5G will be bundled with either a TechLife High-Speed Hair Dryer or TechLife 4L Digital Rice Cooker worth P2,399 ($43).
The first sale date for both models will be on March 8.
realme 12 Pro Plus 5G, realme 12 Plus 5G: First impressions
As you can see, the realme 12 Pro Plus 5G and realme 12 Plus 5G carry over the premium look and feel of the previous generation, even sporting a similar vegan-leather back that was designed in collaboration with Matteo Menotto, a former GUCCI print designer. The 3D stitching surrounding the zipper-like middle section and circular camera island make a return on this year’s iterations — and, truth be told, they look better than ever.
There’s real value in keeping true with a recognizable design language that works, so props to realme for not mucking things up and going back to the drawing board for the sake of it. Instead of shaking things up, realme actually improved on its design by introducing a luxury-watch-inspired circular camera module that looks way better than what we got last year on the realme 11 Pro Series 5G.
The Pro Plus variant, in particular, flaunts a camera island that would make Apple and Samsung look bad in comparison, so we can forgive the huge camera bump on the back. Not to mention that it’s hosting a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with OIS [optical image stabilization] as well as up to 120x hybrid zoom, something no other smartphone in the category offers. The two other cameras on the relame 12 Pro Plus 5G are pretty good as well, with the main 50-megapixel shooter sporting a Sony IMX890 image sensor that would have been considered flagship-level a couple of years ago.
Just a sample shot each using the realme Pro Plus 5G and realme 12 Plus 5G. We’ll share more pictures, including the ones we’ve taken in Barcelona, Spain, in our full review of each of the model
The regular Plus version is not an afterthought in the camera department either. Using Sony’s new 50-megapixel LYT600 primary sensor, it’s surprisingly capable and even surpasses the image quality of much more expensive handsets in some of our tests. It doesn’t have a dedicated telephoto option, though it shares the same 8-megapixel ultrawide as its higher-end sibling.
Both phones sport similarly sized AMOLED panels capable of achieving a 120Hz refresh rate, and the bezels are quite narrow, too, but if you prefer flat displays, know that you won’t get that on the realme 12 Pro Plus 5G.
The internals have been upgraded, too, with the Pro version built around a 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, while the brand has fitted the realme 12 Plus 5G with the same 6nm MediaTek 7050 processor it opted for in the realme 11 Pro Series 5G. Both devices have 5,000mAh batteries that promise a full charge in under 20 minutes.
Stay tuned for our full reviews of the realme 12 Pro Plus 5G and realme 12 Plus 5G once the local embargo lifts.
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