Realme 12 5G review

The affordable smartphone segment has a myriad of options for one to choose from today, across brands. Each of these smartphones is also suited to several different needs and preferences. However, a major drawback of many of these smartphones also happens to be lackluster designs, and therefore a lack of appeal.

Now if you’re someone for whom design aesthetics matter just as much as performance, Realme has something in store for you – Realme 12 5G. The phone, for the unaware, is the latest affordable addition to the Realme 12 series of smartphones, alongside the Realme 12+ 5G. The lineup also consists of the Realme 12 Pro and Realme 12 Pro+ 5G smartphones, launched in January. Having spent the past few days putting it through its paces, here’s our Realme 12 5G review. Read on.

Realme 12 5G design

While the Realme 12 has missed out on the attractive vegan leather back of the more expensive Realme 12 Pro+, it still gets an appealing gradient finish. The Twilight Purple variant we tested looks particularly beautiful under the light. The shiny metal frame and the large circular camera island in the center, also give the phone a premium appeal.

ALSO READ: Realme 12 Pro+ review

The metal frame, however, is a fingerprint magnet. Moreover, the side-mounted fingerprint scanner, while quick, also means you often end up leaving your device unlocked unintentionally. Though not a lot can be done about the fingerprint scanner, a clear case will let you enjoy the Realme 12’s attractive finish, without worrying about smudging or damaging it. The camera island doesn’t protrude too much either, which means you needn’t worry too much about dents and dings.

Realme 12 5G display

The Realme 12 5G gets a 6.72-inch display, which is marginally bigger than the one found on the Realme 12+ 5G. It is however not an AMOLED panel like the one found on the more expensive variant. What you get though is an LCD panel with FHD+ resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and a 120Hz refresh rate.

ALSO READ: What is AMOLED?

Text on the large screen is sharp, and ensures reading our favorite stories on Unboxed by Croma is no hassle. The screen is pretty bright as well. There is also an “Extra brightness” mode, which allows you to brighten the screen beyond its default range. The setting came particularly handy when stepping out with the phone, in the harsh Mumbai sun.

The phone, for the most part, provides a great viewing experience at this price point – whether binge-watching Friends on Netflix, or during a marathon Call of Duty Mobile session.

Realme 12 5G performance and battery

The Realme 12 5G has a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset under the hood coupled with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The phone managed to run Call of Duty Mobile and BGMI smoothly at medium graphics settings, with no lag at all. What’s more, the phone also manages temperatures quite well, and showed no signs of heating even when we plugged in the charger and continued to use it.

8GB of RAM suffices for everyday use cases, and the phone can handle multiple apps simultaneously like a breeze.

What’s more, it manages its battery quite well too. The 5,000mAh battery, on a full charge, with about two hours’ worth of video playback, about an hour of gaming, and about two hours of continuous shooting as well, still had about 60 per cent of juice left. In other words, the battery should easily last a day for most of us. In addition to this, the 45W SuperVOOC charging support also means that the phone charges fairly quickly.

Realme 12 5G cameras

The device has a dual camera setup at the rear, which comprises of a 108MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor. Yes, it does have the makings of a potent camera. However, real-world performance may leave you wanting a bit more. Especially if you happen to be a photographer.

While the camera does manage to capture most finer details on subjects, it tends to struggle a  bit in brightly lit conditions and appears to almost overexpose pictures. Image contrast is a little weak as well, and it appears to soften edges on human subjects while clicking portraits. The colour recreation on the camera tells a similar story, with subjects often appearing to be oversaturated, even without the use of any filters on images.

Unboxed Take: Should you get the Realme 12 5G?

The Realme 12 5G is a well-equipped budget device and offers decent bang for its buck. The phone, except perhaps for the camera, and to some extent, the display, doesn’t compromise on any other front. Add to it the attractive design, and Realme has a winner on their hands.

ALSO READ: Realme 12 Pro 5G, Realme 12 Pro+ 5G are mid-range phones with a liquid cooling system

Of course, should you happen to be looking for a phone with a slightly better camera setup and faster charging support, you could consider investing in the Redmi Note 13 5G, or the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite.

However, for those looking for a phone that can do a little bit of everything on a budget, (while also offering a feel-good factor with its design), the Realme 12 5G certainly makes for a great option in the sub-Rs 25,000 segment.