Realme 12 Pro has been launched in India for under Rs 30,000. Just seven months after the launch of the Realme 11 Pro smartphone, the company has updated the number series with necessary departmental upgrades to improve the experience. The new Realme 12 Pro has similar specs to its predecessor in most respects, although there are major changes to the camera and chipset. Along with these upgrades, the price has also increased by 2,000 yen compared to the previous version. This makes sense since telephoto cameras are available at lower price points, along with better camera settings and more powerful chips inside.
Realme 12 Pro is priced at Rs 25,999 in India. However, is it worth considering in the price range of 30,000 yen or less? Find out in our detailed review.
Realme 12 Pro review: Designed, built
The new version maintains the old design and makes some cosmetic changes to make it more visually appealing. The back has a leather finish that gives it a luxurious feel and provides a good grip on your phone. The textured finish on the back panel eliminates the need to add a case to your phone, which adds a little bulk to your phone. However, everything has its pros and cons. Leather finishes can attract dust, and oily hands can also detract from the luxury look. Therefore, it is better to be a little careful when using the device.
The central vertical gold seam is still there, and the company has added a textured metal ring around the large circular camera module to make it even more appealing. Realme boasts that the 12 Pro’s design takes inspiration from “luxury watch design” seen on the rear camera module.
Although the design is almost the same, the new blue color and small changes make the phone look refreshing and attractive. The curved edges and frame provide a solid feel in your hand. This design trend that continues to be seen in the mid-range segment is not surprising as it facilitates one-handed use of the device. It also credits a slim form factor and lightweight design for a better experience. The side buttons also feel pretty clicky, but the device’s haptic feedback could have been better.
Overall, the design is good compared to the price it sells for in India.
screen
The same goes for the display. You will see the same screen as the previous version. 6.7-inch curved OLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate, 950 nits peak brightness for HDR content, and up to 240Hz touch sampling rate. In 2024, low-end displays will no longer look bad. The average user will hardly be able to find much difference between a flagship phone and a mid-range display. Realme 12 Pro is no exception in this regard.
The screen has vibrant colors and deceptively rich contrast. Colors in apps like Instagram can sometimes look a little too saturated. In that case, you can switch to a natural color in the settings. Content with dark areas was pitch black, and bright areas looked great. However, the panel is not very bright in sunlight. This may be because it supports a maximum brightness of 800 nits. By default, the color tone is set to cool. You can change it to warmer colors in the settings to make it more comfortable for your eyes.
The refresh rate is set to Auto by default, and the device automatically switches between 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz depending on the content. When scrolling on Instagram or Google Discover, the refresh rate is not set to 120Hz, but instead is set to 60Hz or 90Hz. For a smoother experience, simply enable 120Hz by default in settings.
performance
The new Realme 12 Pro offers fast performance out of the box depending on the tasks you need to perform. I have no trouble switching between multiple apps, and app launch times are fast. The navigation experience and use of most apps was smooth. However, this device struggles a bit when lifting heavy objects.
I played Genshin, one of the most graphically demanding games in the world, on the Realme 12 Pro. The default setting is set to Low, and the graphics are not that great at this setting. Also, moving the slider too high will ruin the experience in terms of smooth delivery. On low settings, the game runs well, with a slight lag when opening map/quest sections or switching characters in small battles. Other games like BGMI and Asfalt 9 worked fine without any major issues. Cell phone speakers are great for the price and make the binge-watching experience enjoyable. This is also thanks to the attractive colors that the screen produces.
Regarding thermals, the main unit does not get warm even after playing games for about 30 minutes. The temperature will rise slightly after about an hour of gaming, but this is normal and happens with any smartphone. The good thing is that it doesn’t turn red.
Looking at the benchmark scores, the Realme 12 Pro scored 930 in the single-core test and 2757 in the multi-core test, which was much lower than some of its rivals in a similar price range.
Realme has included an in-display fingerprint sensor. It can unlock your device quickly, but it’s not the fastest in this segment. Realme 12 Pro comes with the latest Android 14 OS. However, the phone receives a relatively large amount of bloatware. You can uninstall most of the unnecessary apps, except Realme’s native apps.
camera performance
One of the strongest suits of the Realme 12 Pro is the camera, as it performs well for the price. Before I talk about the experience, let me tell you that Realme offers telephoto cameras in his sub-Rs 30,000 range, which is something you rarely see even in the Rs 40,000 range. It’s good to see the company taking big steps to provide users with a better experience in the mid-range category.
As far as practical experience is concerned, a telephoto camera with a 2x optical lens can provide decent quality photos even in scenes with unclear details. For example, if there are large characters in the scene, the camera can provide a clear view. If the text is a bit small and there is less detail and texture, the camera will have a harder time producing a high-quality image. This is quite understandable as it is a mid-range phone. If you want better zoom capabilities, you should look for a high-end phone.
Color accuracy is very good in most scenarios. Some shots may look a bit saturated, but this is also due to the Vibrant Display settings option set by default. To be honest, the Realme 12 Pro allows you to take fine and detailed portrait photos. Hair, facial features, clothing, and colors are well captured. The edge detection is accurate and you can adjust the background blur before clicking the photo, further improving the experience. Shooting portraits of multiple people in the frame softens the details a bit. But key areas are in focus.
Click on any of the photos below to access samples of all cameras
I also disabled the beautification mode for selfies and got very good output. General landscape photos using the main photo mode provide plenty of detail and clarity. Dynamic range is sufficient for the price. The app’s post-processing is a bit slow, but the final output seems very good for social media use. When it comes to low-light photography, this is a mid-range phone, so don’t expect too much from it. Night mode allows you to keep decent photos with important areas looking sharp and some noise.
battery life
Under the hood is the usual 5,000mAh battery. Heavy use with gaming drained 9 percent of the battery in about 30 minutes, and light use drained 5 percent of the battery in about 15 minutes. So while battery life is solid, be aware that your results may vary depending on your usage. The company offers 67W fast charging support, and the bundled charger can charge the battery from 10 percent to 100 percent in about 40 minutes.
Realme 12 Pro review: Should you buy it?
Realme 12 Pro is an all-rounder 5G smartphone that can perform common tasks smoothly and quickly. You can play heavy titles, and the battery life is solid with moderate use. People also now have high-quality displays with bright colors and very capable daylight cameras. If you’re looking for a decent experience in all areas, the Realme 12 Pro could be a good buy, but if you want a faster-performing phone for gaming, try the Poco X6 Pro or the OnePlus Nord 3 You may consider considering other options such as
