Flagship power at a mid-range price

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  OnePlus 12R

  Best overall

  The OnePlus 12R offers a flagship-esque experience at a mid-range price point, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It also features a vibrant 6.78-inch OLED display and a long-lasting 5,500mAh battery. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects the display against shatters, and it sports 80W wired charging with an 80W adapter in the box. 

  Pros

  • Great performance
  • Vibrant display
  • Fast charging

  Cons

  • No wireless charging
  • Cameras still not the best

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  OnePlus Nord N30 5G

  Best value

  $250 $300 Save $50

  The OnePlus Nord N30 5G isn’t a direct sequel to the Nord N20, but it still includes a lot of fan-favorite features at a lower price. Its 6.72-inch LCD refreshes at 120Hz with a 1080p resolution. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 695, a capable, budget chipset that results in excellent battery life. 

  Pros

  • Good display
  • 8GB of RAM for the price
  • Fantastic battery

  Cons

  • Shows signs of wear easily
  • Poor camera

The OnePlus 12R received a lot of attention when announced, offering fantastic specs at a mid-range price. Smartphone manufacturers proved in 2023 that we don’t have to spend over $1,000 for a high-end experience, and the OnePlus 12R continues the trend for 2024.

Meanwhile, the company attempted to stake its claim on the budget phone market with the Nord N30. While not a true successor to the impressive Nord N20, it still provides a quality option for sub-$300. To decide between the two, we’ll discuss how many features you will trade off for a better price.

Price, availability, and specs

The OnePlus 12R is available through OnePlus, Amazon, Best Buy, and elsewhere starting at $500. The base configuration features 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but the company sells a 16/512GB variant for an additional $100. It’s sold in two colors: Iron Gray and Cool Blue, a hue exclusive to the 16/512GB model.

The OnePlus Nord N30 is sold through OnePlus and Amazon for $300, but frequent sales bring the price down to $250. It has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and is available in one color: Chromatic Gray.

• 	OnePlus 12R	OnePlus Nord N30 5G
  SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G
  RAM	8GB or 16GB LPDDR5X	8GB LPDDR4X
  Storage	128GB or 256GB	128GB
  Battery	5,500mAh	5,000mAh
  Operating System	Android 14 with OxygenOS 14	Android 14 with OxygenOS 14
  Front camera	16MP	16MP, f/2.0
  Rear camera	50MP, f/1.8 main; 8MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 2MP, f/2.4 macro	108MP, f/1.7 main; 2MP depth-assist; 2MP macro
  Dimensions	163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8mm	165.5 x 76 x 8.3mm
  Colors	Cool Blue, Iron Gray	Charcoal Grey
  Weight	207g	195g
  Charge speed	80W wired (100W international)	50W wired
  Price	From $500	$300

Design

OnePlus borrowed heavily from the OnePlus 11 design for the OnePlus 12 and 12R. The 12R features a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 display tapering to an aluminum frame, with a slight texture to the back glass. It has a refined, premium feel in the hand, and the Cool Blue coloring is particularly attractive. As we’ve seen with the OnePlus 7 and 8, the company is capable of attractive phones, and we’re happy to see that on display with the 12R. It’s IP64-rated for protection against the elements, and fan favorites like the alert slider are present along the frame.

By comparison, the Nord N30 is a more budget build with a plastic back and frame. The device is a rebadged Nord CE 3, released overseas in 2023. We typically enjoy carrying plastic phones without a case, taking advantage of the more durable design, but that’s not the case with the Nord N30. It scratches almost immediately, so you’ll want added protection if you carry your phone in your pocket or a bag. Unlike the 12R, it lacks an IP rating and has no alert slider. While the 12R utilizes an under-display fingerprint sensor, the Nord N30 uses a side-mounted scanner. And if you’re an audiophile who enjoys wired headsets, the N30 still features a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Display

Like its more expensive brother, the OnePlus 12R has an outstanding 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display refreshing at 120Hz. It’s not quite QHD, but it’s still sharp at a resolution of 1264 x 2780. Viewing outdoors is no issue, as the 12R’s panel can output a peak brightness of 4,500 nits. If you enjoy vibrant, contrasty displays, the 12R doesn’t disappoint, providing an excellent experience while playing games or watching movies.

The Nord N20 had a gorgeous AMOLED display, but OnePlus opted for a 6.72-inch LCD panel for the N30. It refreshes at 120Hz — an upgrade over the previous generation, but it still can’t produce the brightness or vibrancy of an OLED. It’s also limited to 1080p, which isn’t surprising at this price point. Overall, it’s a decent display. The contrast is better than expected from an LCD, and the colors are nicely saturated.

Software

OnePlus ships the 12R running OxygenOS 14, its latest Android skin. OxygenOS is not for everybody, but it offers an old-school Android feel. If you’ve missed items like a vertical app drawer, you’ll feel at home with OnePlus software. The company promises four years of software support for the 12R, with three major Android upgrades. We would’ve enjoyed seeing a couple more years of support, but it’s still significantly better than what the company offers on the Nord N30.

Unfortunately, OnePlus limits the Nord N30 to one major Android upgrade and three years of security updates. Since the N30 has already received an update to OxygenOS 14, it will not see any further Android version upgrades. It’s a disappointing level of support at any price point, and it would’ve been nice if OnePlus offered at least two major Android upgrades for the N30. Overall, OxygenOS runs well on the N30, giving users a clean experience with plenty of customization.

Performance

Remembering the price difference between the OnePlus 12R and Nord N30 in terms of performance is important — the N30 costs nearly half what the 12R does. The 12R is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Qualcomm’s flagship processor from last year. It’s still powerful for daily tasks and capable of handling AAA games with excellent frames and graphics settings. The SD8G2 runs cooler than previous flagship chipsets, allowing devices to maintain performance longer and achieve better battery life. It’s hard to beat the power and performance of the 12R for $500.

Meanwhile, the Nord N30 features the Snapdragon 695, a budget chipset with impressive performance for the money. It was also used in the Nord N20, and OnePlus brought it back in the N30 for a reason. The SD 695 provides solid, reliable performance with fantastic power efficiency. Gaming is enjoyable on medium settings with decent frame rates, and the SD 695 can keep up with the Nord N30’s 120Hz display without issue. It’s a good experience for the money, but we worry about how well it will hold up in the long term — the SD 695 will start showing its age in the next year or so.

Battery life

OnePlus is known for excellent charging speeds and good battery life across its devices, and the OnePlus 12R and Nord N30 are no exception. The 12R uses its power-efficient SD8G2 chipset and massive 5,500mAh cell to achieve fantastic battery life. Two-day battery life is common, and you’ll rarely sweat extending a work day into an evening out. When it’s time to recharge, the 12R blazes with 80W wired charging. Thankfully, an 80W adapter is included in the box — a rarity in 2024.

Even though it doesn’t have the raw performance of the 12R, the Nord N30 does a similarly impressive job of achieving 8+ hours of screen-on time. It also features 50W wired charging, with a 50W adapter included in the box.

Camera

Even though the 12R does not include the Hasselblad color science of the 12, it still takes better photos than previous OnePlus devices. The 12R sports a three-camera setup: a 50MP main shooter, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro lens. Unfortunately, the macro lens is about as useful as expected, producing a significant drop in quality and clarity. However, the 50MP is serviceable, outputting images good enough for social media when taken in good lighting. Its 16MP selfie camera is OK, but don’t expect fantastic photos.

Similarly, photography is not the Nord N30’s strong suit, with images losing detail and vibrancy in less-than-ideal lighting conditions. Its 108MP main sensor gives you a photo worth a like on Instagram, but anything else asks too much of the budget device. Its 2MP macro and 2MP depth sensors are in support, but shutterbugs should look elsewhere. A front-facing 16MP camera handles selfies, and it produces decent portrait images.

Which is right for you?

If you’re comfortable spending the additional $250, the OnePlus 12R is your best choice. It provides superior performance, and the SD8G2 will be a capable chipset for years. The 12R will be supported longer, and you still get fantastic battery life and a premium build.

The Nord N30 is no slouch. It achieves excellent battery life and decent performance for the price. If you’re budget-conscious, the N30 will get the job done.