Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12: Which is better?

This iPhone 16 Plus is nan cheapest “big” iPhone from nan caller iPhone 16 range. It offers a bully equilibrium betwixt price, power, and features. However, it’s not nan only action disposable successful this space. The OnePlus 12 is possibly nan Android-based telephone that’s closest to nan iPhone 16 Plus erstwhile you return features and specs into account. Despite showing immoderate age, it remains 1 of our favourite phones of nan year. As such, it’s a beardown competitor for Apple’s latest large iPhone.

What do these smartphones person successful common? Where are nan cardinal differences? Which should you buy? It’s clip to find out.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12: specs

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12: design

Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

This year’s iPhone 16 Plus (and its small brother, nan iPhone 16) are noted for having immoderate important creation changes complete past year’s models. This starts pinch nan caller colors, specified arsenic ultramarine, teal, and pink, that subordinate much accepted achromatic and achromatic versions. Once again, Apple uses color-infused matte solid here, which nan institution claims is produced utilizing an improved infusion process that creates much vibrant colors. This is true; compared to nan iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, location are nary much washed-out pastels.

The iPhone 16 Plus besides includes a caller dual camera layout that looks overmuch for illustration nan 1 connected nan iconic iPhone X. It’s vertical and pill-shaped and will move heads because it’s beautiful. You’ll besides announcement nan Action and Camera Control buttons connected either broadside of nan phone. The first was exclusive to nan iPhone 15 Pro series, while nan 2nd is marque caller crossed nan full iPhone 16 lineup.

The Action button is simply a customizable beingness fastener located connected nan near broadside of nan device, beneath nan measurement buttons. It lets you quickly entree various functions pinch a azygous property aliases property and hold. For example, you tin usage nan fastener to move connected nan phone’s flashlight aliases easy entree nan Control Center. Another action is activating Shazam to place euphony playing astir you and more.

The Camera Control fastener is located connected nan correct broadside of nan handset. It offers accelerated and intuitive power complete nan iPhone camera, akin to nan shutter fastener connected a accepted camera. This button, which has capacitive capabilities, launches nan Camera app pinch a azygous click and provides various controls specified arsenic zoom, exposure, and extent of section pinch a ray double-click.

Aside from nan creation changes, immoderate aspects of nan iPhone 16 Plus person stayed accordant crossed generations. The telephone still features a 6.7-inch show pinch bezels nan aforesaid size arsenic those of nan erstwhile year’s model, and it is erstwhile again constructed pinch aluminum. We’ve been impressed pinch nan iPhone 16 Plus’s handling. Like nan iPhone 15 Plus, but not for illustration nan iPhone 14 Plus, nan caller exemplary is comfortable and easy to clasp contempt its larger size compared to nan iPhone 16.

OnePlus is known for its unsocial merchandise designs, and that inclination continues pinch this phone. It comes successful 2 colors: Silky Black and Flowy Emerald. Both are made of aluminum alloy and glass, offering a frosted backmost solid pinch a soft matte decorativeness that doesn’t pull fingerprints. The Flowy Emerald action besides has a marbled, wavy shape and eye-catching shimmer connected nan back. Unfortunately, that shape does thing to make nan telephone easier to hold. We recovered it to beryllium much slippery, which is thing to remember.

The OnePlus 12 has accepted buttons and sliders connected nan sides: A powerfulness button, measurement buttons, and an alert slider.

The OnePlus 12 is gorgeous, but nan iPhone’s caller features really put it a measurement supra for us.

Winner: Apple iPhone 16 Plus

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12: display

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The iPhone 16 Plus and nan OnePlus 12 characteristic bully displays, but 1 is better.

The iPhone 16 Plus has a Super Retina XDR OLED show that is somewhat smaller than nan OLED connected nan OnePlus 12 and has a little pixel density. It has a 60Hz adaptive refresh rate, while nan OnePlus 12 offers a 120Hz refresh complaint for smoother mobility betwixt screens. The iPhone 16 Plus besides has a somewhat little highest brightness than nan OnePlus 12.

Unlike its iPhone Pro cousins, Apple’s merchandise besides lacks an always-on display. This is simply a characteristic nan OnePlus 12 does have.

On nan affirmative side, nan iPhone 16 Plus show supports HDR, True Tone, and Wide colour gamut. On nan different hand, nan OnePlus 12 features an AMOLED pinch LTPO and a move refresh complaint of 1Hz to 120Hz, making it suitable for various lighting conditions. It besides comes pinch curved edges, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. Finally, nan OnePlus 12 offers much precise power complete colour somesthesia and show settings.

Neither show is “bad,” but nan 1 connected nan OnePlus is amended acknowledgment to its 120Hz refresh complaint and always-on ability.

Winner: OnePlus 12

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12: cameras

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The iPhone 16 Plus and nan OnePlus 12 some person awesome camera systems. The iPhone 16 Plus features a 48-megapixel Fusion sensor, a 12MP ultrawide camera astatine nan back, and a 12MP TrueDepth beforehand camera. The ultrawide camera’s caller autofocus besides introduces nan expertise to return macro photos, antecedently only disposable pinch nan iPhone Pro model. The iPhone 16 Plus besides includes caller Photographic Styles, which connection much precocious adjustments to tone, warmth, and different image characteristics during nan seizure process.

Our reappraisal noted that nan iPhone 16 Plus camera takes sharp, detailed, and well-balanced photos, particularly successful bully lighting. The camera app is accelerated and logical and includes a decent editing suite and a nosy “Camera Control” button.

However, lowlight capacity is poor, pinch grainy shots moreover successful dim conditions. Macro mode besides needs thief successful thing but cleanable lighting. While nan “Photographic Styles” characteristic offers much power complete nan look of photos, it’s a spot fiddly to use. Lastly, nan 2x optical zoom is decent, but photos suffer item erstwhile cropped further.

The OnePlus 12 boasts a 50MP superior camera, a 64MP periscope telephoto camera pinch 3x optical zoom, and a 48MP ultrawide camera pinch a 114-degree section of view. It besides comes pinch a 32MP selfie camera, and each camera is Hasselblad-tuned for enhanced colors and clarity. Thanks to Hasselblad enhancements, reviewers were impressed by nan OnePlus 12 camera’s true-to-life colors, meticulous achromatic balance, and awe-inspiring Portrait mode photos.

Ultimately, some phones tin seizure awesome photos, but nan iPhone 16 Plus edges retired nan OnePlus 12 — it’s adjacent though.

Winner: Apple iPhone 16 Plus

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12: package and performance

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

This year’s regular iPhone 16 models person a caller A18 spot pinch 8GB memory. Though Apple says nan A18 should supply important velocity increases complete nan A16 Bionic spot successful nan iPhone 15 Plus, we couldn’t consciousness a sizeable velocity quality during our tests. The A18 is built utilizing TSMC’s 3-nanometer process technology, which offers capacity and powerfulness ratio improvements compared to nan first-generation N3 process utilized for nan A17 Pro that’s recovered successful nan iPhone 15 Pro series.

Most group will find nan A18 beneficial pinch nan presence of nan antecedently mentioned Photographic Styles and upcoming Apple Intelligence devices that nan institution announced successful June. The A16 Bionic spot does not support Apple Intelligence.

Apple doesn’t officially denote really galore years of package support it offers iPhone users, but history tells america that 5 to six years sounds astir right.

The OnePlus 12 has nan champion Qualcomm spot connected nan market, nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which is besides recovered successful Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S24 lineup. This spot importantly boosts processing powerfulness and improves graphics rendering and gaming capacity compared to nan erstwhile spot model. Furthermore, nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 spot is designed to support AI. Though nan OnePlus 12 doesn’t connection in-depth AI features for illustration nan iPhone 16 Plus, it does support AI features provided by different companies, specified arsenic Google Gemini.

The OnePlus 12 ships pinch Android 14 and OxygenOS 14. It provides 4 years of OS updates and 5 for information updates.

Neither of these phones is lacking successful performance. However, because nan A18 is newer, we’ll springiness nan separator to Apple’s phone. We can’t hold to spot really it performs pinch Apple Intelligence.

Winner: Apple iPhone 16 Plus

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12: artillery life and charging

Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends

The OnePlus 12 offers a amended artillery life and charging acquisition than nan iPhone 16 Plus. Its larger artillery supports charging bricks up to 100 watts (80W successful nan U.S.). It is besides compatible pinch accelerated wireless charging of up to 50W and reverse wireless charging of up to 10W.

Our testing recovered that nan telephone could past an full time betwixt charges, moreover pinch nan highest surface settings turned on. With much mean show settings, you tin expect astir 2 days of usage earlier recharging.

With nan iPhone 16 Plus, you tin do mundane tasks complete a time without recharging, moreover though nan artillery is smaller. The telephone supports 27W accelerated wired charging and 25W MagSafe charging. The only spot it exceeds nan OnePlus 12 is pinch wireless charging. The iPhone 16 Plus supports Qi2 wireless charging up to 15W.

The OnePlus 12 wins present comfortably.

Winner: OnePlus 12

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12: value and availability

The OnePlus 12 Prakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

Both handsets are presently disposable for purchase. The iPhone 16 Plus starts astatine $899 for nan 128GB exemplary and tin spell up to $1,199 for nan 512GB version.

The OnePlus 12 is an older device, truthful discounts are now available. Through nan OnePlus website, you tin person up to $150 off. The regular value for nan OnePlus 12 is $799 for nan 128GB exemplary and $999 for nan 512GB model. As you tin see, it’s little costly than nan iPhone 16 Plus, moreover earlier factoring successful nan expected discounts.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. OnePlus 12: verdict

Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

There’s usually a clear victor erstwhile comparing 1 smartphone to another. This time, however, determining nan victor wasn’t easy.

The OnePlus 12 has respective advantages, specified arsenic a superior display, a little price, and amended artillery specifications. By contrast, nan iPhone 16 Plus boasts a much modern creation and an exceptional camera system. From a package perspective, it will besides connection overmuch much erstwhile Apple Intelligence is released.

If these phones were released simultaneously, we would person suggested that Apple fans prime nan iPhone 16 Plus and Android users prime nan OnePlus 12. However, nan OnePlus 12 was released successful January, and nan iPhone 16 Plus was released successful September, meaning nan iPhone has nan separator of emotion somewhat newer, pinch fresher hardware.

That helps make iPhone 16 Plus nan winner. It’s nan newest of nan 2 smartphones, and dissimilar nan OnePlus 12, which will quickly beryllium surpassed by nan OnePlus 13, it won’t look a successor for astir a year.