Realme 12 review: a decent option for budget buyers

The Realme 12 finds its positioning between the more recent Realme 12x and the 12+ (review) smartphones. The handset is priced in India starting at Rs 16,999, which makes it compete against the likes of Redmi Note 13 and Infinix Note 30 5G. Does the Realme 12 have what it takes to give its arch-rivals a run for their money? Read this review to find out.

Verdict

The Realme 12 is a compelling smartphone for value-oriented users. While it may not outshine its competitors in terms of performance, its price makes it a worthy consideration. The smartphone boasts a beautiful design, likeable daylight cameras, and dependable performance. The viewing experience could have been better though.

Design and display

The Realme 12 design resembles the ‘Plus’ variant but without the vegan leather back. The handset boasts a matte finish around the back with flat, glossy edges. While relatively more comfortable to hold, it may not offer a secure grip without the addition of a case. We received the Twilight Purple colour variant for review, which looks quite appealing in real-world settings. The vertical artificial seam and the slightly protruding circular rear camera module add to the overall appeal of the smartphone.

The smartphone features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, which is accurate and relatively quick to unlock the device. As for I/O, the phone sports a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer, sandwiched between a speaker grille and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the front, the Realme 12 is equipped with a 6.72-inch punch-hole display of LCD variety that bears FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 950 nits of peak brightness. The peak brightness may not be ideal for harsh bright environments, but otherwise, it provides a decent picture quality for the price.

The handset is Widevine L1 certified for streaming FHD content from OTT platforms. The viewing angles might not be the best, but colour calibration looks good in indoor settings with sharp text and visuals.

Cameras

Camera-wise, the Realme 12 sports a pretty straightforward setup, comprising a 108MP primary sensor paired with a 2MP portrait lens. For selfies, the smartphone features an 8MP camera in the punch-hole at front. There is no jitter in the camera performance in well-lit environments, where it is relatively quick to focus on the subjects. The image quality you get is pretty decent for the price. The colours look punchy and vibrant, giving them a social-media-ready vibe with slight oversaturation. The details and dynamic range are also nice, comparable to its closest rival, the Redmi Note 13. However, it is worth mentioning that the Realme smartphone offers better colour calibration than the Redmi smartphone, which leans towards cooler colour tones.

In low light conditions, the phone manages to capture respectable images with a hint of graininess, even when using night mode. Similar to other smartphones in its segment, details and sharpness suffer. Additionally, colours appear subdued. Portrait shots offer a pleasing separation of foreground from background. However, the bokeh effect appears somewhat artificial and inconsistent, particularly around the edges of the frame. The selfie camera of the phone captures acceptable shots in daylight. The facial details appear underwhelming, but I think that can be excused given the price of the phone.

Performance and software

The Realme 12 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ SoC paired with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB user-expandable storage. Starting with synthetic results, the handset achieves 417,413 on AnTuTu, whereas on Geekbench, it scored 738 and 1,935 on the single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. These scores are on par with its competitors, and so is the real-world performance of the smartphone.

The Realme 12 performs admirably, handling regular usage with ease. The handset also takes care of multitasking and casual gaming quite well. Even though the smartphone can run graphically demanding games such as BGMI, it may not provide an enjoyable gaming experience. We tested BGMI with HD graphics for half an hour, and there were some noticeable frame drops. Additionally, the handset’s thermals increased by roughly 9 degrees, whereas its battery life dropped by 8 percent. In comparison, the Redmi Note 13 performed much better, with its thermals increasing by approximately 5 degrees and experiencing a 4 percent reduction in battery life.

In terms of software, the Realme 12 comes pre-loaded with Android 14-based Realme UI 5.0. The app drawer looks a bit cluttered with app recommendations and third-party apps pre-installed. However, on the bright side, most of these apps, such as Amazon, LinkedIn, and Agoda are useful, boasting millions of downloads. If these apps are not useful for you, they can be removed. Besides this, the software offers several customisation options to tweak the smartphone per your preference. Realme has promised to provide two years of OS updates for the smartphone.

Battery and charging

The Realme 12 is equipped with a typical 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast charging support. The handset achieves a full charge from roughly 20 percent to 100 percent in 65-70 minutes using the compatible charger, which is provided in the box.

The full charge can last up to an astounding 19 hours and 15 minutes, according to the PCMark battery test. With real-life usage, the handset should provide at least 5-6 hours of screen-on time. In our 4K YouTube video playback test, with 50 percent brightness and volume, the phone experienced a 5 percent drop in battery life, which is acceptable for a budget smartphone.

Final verdict

When compared with its competitors, the Realme 12 loses out to the Redmi Note 13 (review), which packs an AMOLED display with higher peak brightness and a better chipset for gaming needs. The Infinix Note 30 (review), though slightly dated now, boasts a JBL-powered speaker, ensuring crisp audio quality.

The Realme smartphone, in contrast, offers a sleek design. Its performance is also satisfactory for most daily activities, and the cameras excel in daylight. Furthermore, its battery life aligns well with its performance, offering long-lasting backup, making the Realme 12 a viable choice for those prioritising endurance over other features.

Editor’s rating: 7.5 / 10

Reasons to buy

• The design is sleek with appealing aesthetics.
• The performance is satisfactory for daily activities.
• The cameras output good images in daylight.

Reasons not to buy

• The UI looks a bit cluttered with a bunch of third-party apps that come pre-installed.
• Low light camera performance of the smartphone is average at best.

The post Realme 12 review: a decent option for budget buyers first appeared on 91mobiles.com.

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