Realme 12 Pro: A Comprehensive Review – Copy
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9 months ago
In the bustling landscape of budget smartphones, Realme has carved out a niche for itself with its Realme 12 Pro, a device that promises a blend of style, performance, and photography prowess. This review delves into the Realme 12 Pro’s design, camera capabilities, performance, and overall value, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of what this device offers.
Pros
Well-built phone with a svelte design
Good cameras for the price
67 W charging
Fast in-display optical fingerprint sensor
Cons
Not much faster than its predecessor
Low light photos could be better
Bloatware
Design And Build
The Realme 12 Pro is a testament to Realme’s commitment to aesthetics, featuring a sleek and elegant design that sets it apart from its competitors. The phone boasts a softer vegan leather back, complemented by premium gold accents that add a touch of luxury. The camera module, designed in collaboration with French luxury watchmaker Ollivier Savéo, is a standout feature, resembling luxury watch dials and adding a touch of sophistication to the device.
Display And Performance
The Realme 12 Pro is a testament to Realme’s commitment to aesthetics, featuring a sleek and elegant design that sets it apart from its competitors. The phone boasts a softer vegan leather back, complemented by premium gold accents that add a touch of luxury. The camera module, designed in collaboration with French luxury watchmaker Ollivier Savéo, is a standout feature, resembling luxury watch dials and adding a touch of sophistication to the device.
Camera And Photography
The Realme 12 Pro stands out with its camera setup, featuring a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 primary camera, a 32-megapixel Sony IMX709 telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, and an 8-megapixel ultrawide shooter. This configuration is a significant upgrade from the dual-camera setup of the previous model, offering versatility in photography. The primary camera captures detailed images with decent dynamic range and slightly contrasty colors, although it struggles with low-light performance and white balance in some scenes. The telephoto lens, on the other hand, excels in portraits, offering a more natural color palette and less artificial smoothening.
Battery And Charging
The Realme 12 Pro is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery, supporting 67 W fast charging. This setup ensures a decent one-day usage experience, with the battery typically lasting until around 10-15% by the end of the day. The phone can be charged from 0 to 100% in approximately 52 minutes, showcasing Realme’s commitment to efficient charging solutions.
Software And OS
The device runs on Android 14 with Realme UI 5.0, offering a user-friendly interface with a minimal amount of bloatware. Realme has made efforts to reduce the presence of unnecessary apps, although some, like Hot Apps and Hot Games, remain. The company promises two major OS updates and three years of security updates, although this may seem inadequate by 2024 standards.
Conclusion
The Realme 12 Pro is a compelling choice for those seeking a stylish, high-performing smartphone with impressive camera capabilities under ₹25,000. Its design, camera setup, and display offer a premium experience at a budget-friendly price. However, for power users and those seeking the latest in performance, the device may not fully meet their expectations. Despite these minor drawbacks, the Realme 12 Pro remains a strong contender in the budget smartphone market, offering value for money with its elegant design, versatile camera system, and solid performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Realme 12 Pro's design?
The Realme 12 Pro features a sleek design with a soft-touch vegan leather back panel, available in colors such as Submarine Blue and Navigator Beige. It also houses a Rolex-inspired circular camera cutout surrounded by concentric lines, creating different patterns when light falls on them. The phone has a shiny plastic frame on the sides, which may scratch easily.
What are the camera specifications?
The Realme 12 Pro boasts a 50MP Sony IMX882 OIS main camera sensor, along with a 32MP 2x Telephoto lens and an 8MP 112-degree UltraWide camera. The main 50MP sensor captures stunning daytime photos with ample details, dynamic range, and accurate colors. However, it struggles with noise and a purple tint in darker areas.
How does the display perform?
The Realme 12 Pro features a curved 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED 120Hz display, along with a center punch-hole selfie camera. The display produces stunning colors and great viewing angles, making for a stellar content-watching experience indoors. However, the outdoor viewing experience is less impressive due to the phone’s peak brightness of 950 nits .
What is the performance like?
The Realme 12 Pro runs on the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, coupled with the Adreno 710 GPU. It comes with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The phone performs exceptionally well in regular usage, such as scrolling through social media or watching YouTube videos. However, there is a stutter when opening the camera app. The gaming performance is a pleasant surprise, as the 6 Gen 1 manages to comfortably run both COD Mobile and BGMI at max settings.
How does the battery life stack up?
The 12 Pro comes with a massive 5,000mAh battery, which, when coupled with the mid-range 6 Gen 1, results in exceptional battery life, lasting a full day of gaming and capturing photos. Additionally, the phone includes a 67W Type-A to Type-C charger in the box, allowing it to fully recharge in 47 minutes.
What are the software and speaker specifications?
The Realme 12 Pro comes with Realme UI running on Android 14. The phone glides through the UI, often running close to 120Hz. However, third-party apps are still capped at 90Hz at max. The phone includes a lot of bloatware, such as Facebook, Google Pay, Netflix, and Spotify, but these can be uninstalled. The speakers sound great for dialogues but lack bass and sound muddy in the high-end. The haptic motors felt a step down from the 12 Pro Plus, but the call quality was decent.
Are there any potential issues with the Realme 12 Pro?
One potential issue is the vegan leather back, which is more fragile than a glass back. Although the phone held up surprisingly well during testing, it’s worth mentioning that this problem was present on the Realme 11 Pro Plus. Therefore, if you buy the phone, be ready to protect it using a case or cover.
How does the Realme 12 Pro compare to other smartphones in its price range?
At a starting price of Rs. 25,999, the Realme 12 Pro goes head-to-head with the Redmi Note 13 Pro, which features the better Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. However, the 13 Pro’s camera system has left much to be desired, considering it houses a 200MP main sensor, along with an 8MP UltraWide and 2MP macro sensor. As a result, if you value camera versatility, the Realme 12 Pro is a strong contender.
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Shubham Kumar
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