It’s clear that the brand came to play with the release of the realme 12 Pro+ 5G
It wasn’t too long ago when realme was first introduced to the market. But from the onset, it was clear the consumer electronics brand came to play. Nearly six years in the game, realme expanded to over 27 global markets, was dubbed the fastest growing 5G smartphone brand in 2021 and had record-breaking AIoT product sales in 2020.
From this writer’s POV, the brand continues to hold a formidable position in the market because of its desire to deliver great products at competitive prices, and its fearlessness in setting itself apart, be it in offer or design. The realme 11 Pro+ 5G makes a strong case for this, as well as its successor, the realme 12 Pro+ 5G.
The realme 12 Pro+ 5G in particular, designed for consumers across different age groups, offer unorthodox style, and significant camera and performance upgrades that can well compete with veteran players’ high-end offers. Here’s why:
Style
Let’s start with what the eyes can see. The realme 12 Pro+ 5G retains the 11’s style, but this time, co-designed with luxury watch designer Ollivier Savéo, and introduces subtle changes. The larger circular camera and flash can still be found at the top center of the unit. But the difference from the previous model is in the actual layout of the cameras, which is now grid-style and more symmetrical. You’ll notice that the camera housing now features a fluted bezel design while the premium vegan leather back foregoes the faux stitching. It also now boasts a sleeker, metallic line that runs down the middle of the unit. Meanwhile, arrangement of the dual-sim 5G card slot and USB-C port, along with the speakers remain the same.
The realme 12 Pro+ 5G comes in Navigator Beige and Submarine Blue.
Display and Performance
The front, similar to the 11, is a 6.7-inch AMOLED Full HD+ curved display. It also has the same 1080×2412 resolution with 950 nits of peak brightness (which means you won’t have trouble seeing what’s on your screen while under the sun), 120Hz refresh rate, and 240Hz touch sampling rate. What’s cool about the 12 is that you get to personalize features further and choose the color temperature you like. I’m not particular about mine and usually opt for natural when prompted.
The 120Hz refresh rate allows users to enjoy immersive and uninterrupted gaming. Though the realme 12 Pro+ 5G is not categorized as a gaming phone, it holds up thanks to significant upgrades under the hood (including the Octa-core Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage). I only play Mobile Legends on my phone so I wouldn’t cast myself as a hardcore gamer. But it was nice to be able to run the game at full settings and play on HD maps without interruption. The longest match I’ve played was under 30 minutes and there were no significant issues to report from my gaming experience.
Camera
Onto the best part: the camera. The 11 has a really good camera so expectations are high for the realme 12 Pro+ 5G. Its triple rear camera comes with a 50MP main, 64MP periscope portrait camera and an 8MP ultrawide, and at the front is a 32MP selfie shooter. The 50MP camera uses the Sony IMX890 sensor while the 64MP uses an OmniVision OV64B sensor. So does it deliver? From personal experience, the 12 doesn’t disappoint whether in photos or videos. Users also get to work with 120x zoom (which is unique to the device given other flagships only have up to 100x zoom capability) should you ever need it.
You’ll see that the photos are dynamic and sharp. I don’t use shooting modes but default settings are switched on and I was able to take nice photos in low light and at night. For video, if you plan to use the realme 12 Pro+ 5G for creating content, make sure to switch on the Ultra Steady function to get cinematic-looking shots.
Battery
The 12 is still a 5,000mAh device and even with impressive updates, it doesn’t require more power battery-wise. I still have about 20% battery left at the end of the day after using it for work (for checking and replying to messages and emails), taking photos and videos, and playing a round of Mobile Legends during breaks. Should you run out of battery, charging time doesn’t take too long (50% juice in less than 20 minutes) thanks to its 67W SuperVOOC fast charging.
realme sticks to what works and knows exactly where to make necessary changes. The realme 12 Pro+ 5G is proof of that. With enduring style, a set of really good cameras, great performance and without the eye-watering price tag, realme continues its streak of delivering great products that won’t take too much from you.
The realme 12 Pro+5G is available online via Lazada, Shopee and TikTok, and in-store at realme stores. The realme 12 Pro+ 5G (12GB+512GB) retails for P25,999, the realme 12+ 5G (12GB+256GB) for P19,999, and the realme 12+ 5G (8GB+256GB) for P17,999.
Art Daniella Sison
