This time we have a rather interesting comparison for you. We don’t compare similarly priced phones at all. In this article we will be compare the apple iPhone 16 Plus against OnePlus 12R. The first actually costs twice as much. The OnePlus 12R sits above its price bracket in terms of what it offers, and this comparison might actually surprise you. Apple left out some features that it usually shouldn’t have, like a high refresh rate display.

It will be interesting to compare these two and see what we come up with. As usual, we’ll list their specifications first and then start comparing them in a number of other sections. These two devices are extremely different in almost every way, including design. So…this should be fun. Let’s go, okay?

Specifications

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12R, respectively

– Screen size:
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED (flat, 60Hz, HDR, 2000 nits)
6.78-inch AMOLED LTPO4 display (curved, LTPO 120Hz, HDR10+, 4,500 nits)
– Display resolution:
2796×1290
2780×1264
– SoC:
Apple A18 (3nm)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
– RAM:
8 GB
8GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
128GB/256GB/512GB (NVMe)
128 GB/256 GB (UFS 3.1)
– Rear cameras:
48MP (wide, f/1.6 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor, 1.0um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS), 12MP (ultra-wide, f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV , pixel size 0.7um, PDAF)
50 MP (f/1.8 aperture, 24mm lens, 1.0um pixel size, OIS, PDAF, Laser AF), 8 MP (ultra-wide, f/2.2 aperture, 16mm lens, pixel 1.12 um), 2 MP (macro, aperture f/2.4)
– Front cameras:
12MP (f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, 1/3.6-inch sensor size)
16MP (f/2.4 aperture, 26mm lens, 1.0um pixel size)
– Battery:
4,674mAh
5,500mAh
– Loading:
30W Wired, 25W MagSafe Wireless, 15W Qi2 Wireless, 7.5W Qi Wireless, 4.5W Wired Reverse (Charger not included)
100W wired (charger included)
– Dimensions:
160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8mm
163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8mm
– Weight:
199 grams
207 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Face ID (3D facial scanning)
Integrated fingerprint scanner (optical) and facial scanning
– Operating system:
iOS 18
Android 14 with OxygenOS 14
– Price:
$899+
$429+
– Buy:
Apple iPhone 16 Plus (Apple)
OnePlus 12R (Best Buy)

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12R: Design

As soon as you see these two devices, you will realize the different approaches these companies take. The iPhone 16 Plus is made of metal and glass and is much flatter overall. It has a flat front, a flat back and a flat frame all around. Only its corners are rounded. The OnePlus 12R is also made of metal and glass, but its front and back are curved. Yes, it has a curved screen. Its frame is far from flat.

The iPhone 16 Plus features a pill-shaped cutout on the front and uniform bezels. The OnePlus 12R includes a hole for the display camera, which is centered, therefore a much smaller cutout. It also has thin edges, but they are not uniform. However, the OnePlus 12R has a higher screen-to-body ratio, hence the thinner bezels. On the back, you’ll find two cameras aligned vertically on the iPhone 16 Plus, in the upper left corner. The OnePlus handset has three cameras which are also part of an Oreo camera, in the top left corner.

Apple’s handset has more buttons overall. It includes a power/lock button on the right, as well as a camera control button. On the left, it includes volume rocker keys and an action button. The OnePlus 12R has a power key on the right, just below the volume up and down buttons. On the left you will find an alert slider. Both phones are water and dust resistant, but the iPhone 16 Plus comes with a better IP68 rating, compared to the IP64 rating offered by the OnePlus 12R.

The OnePlus handset has a slightly larger screen and the phone is taller, narrower and thicker than the iPhone 16 Plus. By the way, it is also 8 grams heavier. The feel in hand between the two is very different, although both are quite slippery.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs OnePlus 12R: display

The iPhone 16 Plus features a 6.7-inch 2796 x 1290 Super Retina XDR OLED display. This panel is flat and has a 60Hz refresh rate, so not a high refresh rate. It supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision content as well. The maximum brightness here is 2,000 nits and the screen-to-body ratio is 88%. The aspect ratio of the screen is 19.5:9, while Ceramic Shield glass protects this screen.

The OnePlus 12R, on the other hand, has a 6.78-inch 2780 x 1264 AMOLED LTPO4 display. This panel is curved and offers a 120Hz refresh rate. It can project up to 1 billion colors and supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content. The peak brightness here is 4,500 nits, while the screen-to-body ratio is around 91%. Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is here to protect this panel.

Both of these screens are vivid and offer great viewing angles. Both are also more than sufficiently sharp and have good touch response. The thing is that the OnePlus 12R panel gets a little brighter and also offers a high refresh rate. If you notice the difference in refresh rates, and the vast majority of people do, it will be a huge jump. Also note the difference in display curvature here. The OnePlus 12R technically has a better display of the two. Apple, for whatever reason, decided to stick with a 60Hz panel, which is hard to understand given the price here.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12R: performance

Apple’s handset is powered by the Apple A18 processor, the company’s 3nm chip. Apple has paired this with 8GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. The OnePlus 12R, on the other hand, is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, a 4nm processor. The phone also includes up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage. Apple’s handset here has a more powerful chip.

The performance between the two is basically equivalent in terms of daily use. Both phones are very snappy no matter what you do with them. It’s actually a real chore to slow down either phone. They are perfect for general app use, browsing, media consumption, messaging, and more. The iPhone 16 Plus will have an advantage when it comes to really demanding games, but in all honesty, we haven’t really noticed much of a difference.

The OnePlus 12R was able to run virtually every game we threw at it from the Google Play Store, without issue. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 may be inferior, but it’s still an exceptional processor capable of running virtually any game, with ease. So… while the iPhone 16 Plus will likely have a longer shelf life, for now both phones are on par in terms of performance when you actually use them.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs OnePlus 12R: battery

The Apple handset has a 4,674mAh battery inside. The OnePlus 12R, on the other hand, includes a 5,500 mAh unit. Apple iPhones generally have smaller batteries than their Android counterparts, so don’t pay too much attention to the capacity itself. That being said, both of these smartphones are battery monsters. The OnePlus 12R offers exceptional battery life, but the iPhone 16 Plus is a tough competitor.

The iPhone 16 Plus currently offers one of the best results when it comes to battery life, so it trumps the OnePlus 12R. However, whatever phone you get, chances are you’ll be more than happy. Even if you’re a power user, both of these phones have enough power to get you through the day. Getting more than 7 hours of screen time per hour isn’t really a problem, especially on the iPhone 16 Plus, at least from what we’ve seen.

In terms of charging, the iPhone 16 Plus is more versatile, but the OnePlus 12R wipes the floor with it in terms of charging speed. The OnePlus 12R supports 100W wired charging, while the iPhone 16 Plus offers 30W wired charging, 25W MagSafe wireless charging, 15W Qi2 wireless charging, wireless charging 7.5W Qi and 4.5W reverse wired charging. Note, however, that only the OnePlus 12R comes with a charger.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs OnePlus 12R: cameras

The iPhone 16 Plus comes with a 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.56-inch sensor) and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide unit (120-degree FoV). The OnePlus 12R, on the other hand, features a 50-megapixel unit (1/1.56-inch sensor), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera (112-degree FoV), and a 2-megapixel macro shooter. . Both phones do a good job at photography, but neither comes close to rivaling the best.

The OnePlus 12R doesn’t have Hasselblad’s color calibration, but despite this it manages to deliver very good results. There is not much to complain about the performance of its main camera, in different scenarios the images end up being very good and somewhat contrasty. The iPhone 16 Plus delivers images with warmer tones, but it also does a good job across the board. The images end up looking different, and those in low light, a little darker.

When it comes to the ultra-wide camera, the iPhone 16 Plus wins. It simply provides better images in almost every area. They end up providing more detail and being better balanced. The OnePlus 12R’s macro camera is forgettable, 2-megapixel macro cameras shouldn’t be a thing at all. When it comes to video, it’s an easy win for the iPhone 16 Plus, even though the OnePlus 12R can shoot solid video content.

Audio

Both of these smartphones feature a set of stereo speakers. These speakers are actually pretty good and more than adequate. In fact, they are very close in terms of overall volume and output quality as well.

There is no audio jack on either phone. You can, however, connect your audio headphones to the Type-C port on either device. If you prefer wireless audio, Bluetooth 5.3 is supported by both smartphones.