realme took it literally when we said that a smartphone is a way to express ourselves — an accessory. The latest from the number series, the realme 12+ 5G, incorporates elements of a luxury watch to its rear design. And the outcome is amazing.
Adding appeal to the rear is the camera module headlined by the 50MP Sony LYT 600 OIS camera. Find out how it fared in various scenarios.
Design and build
So far realme hasn’t had any misses when it comes to design. It speaks directly to the evolving taste of consumers by seamlessly combining classic and modern elements. This is seen through the tech brand’s efforts to emulate the design of luxury watches.
The execution was tastefully done and the rear says it all — from the polished sunburst dial and golden fluted bezel for the camera down to the 3D Jubilee bracelet that stretches from top to bottom.
We can give Ollivier Savéo, a well-renowned watch designer, much credit for creating such exquisite design for a smartphone.
It might not be the lightest of the bunch as it weighs 190g, but at least it has a slim profile of 7.87mm to make up for it. With its boxy frame, gripping the phone feels effortless; although with long use, you might notice that it could use some smoothing along the edges.
Display
Flipping the phone, you have a large 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. It also boasts a 92.65% screen-to-body ratio and 2000 nits of brightness.
I get to appreciate what it brings to the table while binge-watching on Netflix and doom-scrolling on Instagram. It presents rich and vibrant colors on a screen that’s nearly borderless. To top it off, it provides great visibility outdoors.
Clumsy people can rejoice as the realme 12+ 5G also features a strong front. It’s built with 0.68mm Secondary Tempered High Strength Glass and supports Rainwater Smart Touch. The latter allows you to navigate your phone in the rain without any difficulties.
Camera
There’s no question that we have a stunning design for the camera module; and I’m happy to report that it performs as good as it looks. With the way realme impresses us in the camera department year after year, I reckon it’s the number series’ strongest suit.
The flashy triple camera layout flaunts the 50MP Sony LYT 600 OIS, 8MP wide angle camera, and 2MP macro camera.
Amid good lighting situations, shots with the realme 12+ 5G impresses in all aspects. With the main shooter, you get to admire the amount of detail and richness of colors in every photo that you take — be it in scenic outdoors, beautiful skyline, indoor architecture, to name a few.
Get creative with your shot and capture photos with the 2x In-Sensor zoom or 0.6x zoom, you get results that are on par with the photos taken at 1x zoom. There is no compromise in quality whatsoever.
If night photography is your thing then you’ll have more reason to like this smartphone. The scarcity of light is not a problem; the quality didn’t take noticeable hits either.
Even with unstable hands, the optical image stabilization (OIS) feature works its magic to produce clear and detailed shots.
As for portrait shots, the subject is highlighted beautifully as the background fades away in a blur, seamlessly — similar to outcomes you get from a DSLRs without the expensive price tag.
Adding some flair to your shots is made possible with the built-in cinematic filters customized with the help of Oscar Award Winner for Best Cinematography, Claudio Miranda. This includes Journey (inspired by Life of Pi), Memory (inspired by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and Maverick (inspired by Top Gun).
Selfie queens can also take advantage of the 16MP selfie camera, which takes decent enough selfies ready for posting on social media.
Performance
Powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor, the realme 12+ 5G was able carry out light-to-moderate tasks without any hitches. It’s paired with 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage, enabling it to run multiple apps and to store plenty of photos and videos, respectively.
Given the countless occasions I find myself multitasking while using the device, I can attest to its reliability; not once did I experience lags, stutters, or crashes. Even with heavier loads, it didn’t disappoint.
I tried running titles like Mobile Legends and Asphalt 9 at the highest graphic setting and the realme 12+ 5G stood its ground. Likewise, it was a breezy experience, free from lags or frame drops.
For those who will be spending hours shooting content and editing photos and videos, a similar experience as the abovementioned won’t be far fetched at all.
Battery
Longevity is one of the strengths of the realme 12+ 5G as it’s packed with a 5000mAh battery. It can render a full day, consisting of browsing through social media, shooting for content, responding to emails, among others.
If you run low on juice, you can power up your device with the 67W SUPERVOOC charger. And upon testing, it takes 48 minutes to reach 0 to 100%, confirming the tech brand’s claims.
Verdict
Overall, the realme 12+ 5G was able to nail it on all fronts with its camera capabilities and aesthetics as two stand outs. Its features make for an awesome self-expression partner. I’m certain that it will be enticing for Gen Zs and Millennials — all the more with its price tag. The 8GB + 256GB variant is priced at PHP17,999, while the 12GB + 256GB is worth PHP19,999.
