OnePlus 12R vs Samsung Galaxy S23 – Which is Better?

OnePlus 12R vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Maybe the most exciting sector of the smartphone industry right now is the mid-range phone market. All the manufacturers are here, trying to figure out how to strike the sweet spot between cost and quality. Two excellent smartphones, the OnePlus 12R, and the Galaxy S23 FE, are up for comparison this time.

Design and Display 

These mid-range devices take design cues from their more costly siblings; for example, the OnePlus 12R takes design cues from the OnePlus 12 and the S23 FE from the S23 series. We think Samsung looks superior, but everyone has their own opinion.

Glancing at the 12R and S23 FE side by side, the Galaxy’s diminutive size becomes apparent; this, in turn, makes it somewhat more pleasant to grip and transport. The OnePlus has rounded corners where the back panel and display meet, while the Samsung has flat sides. Both feature metal frames and glass backs.

Both the 12R and the S23 FE have satisfyingly tactile buttons, but the 12R is only water resistant to an IP65 degree, while the S23 FE is dust and water resistant to an IP68 degree and can be submerged up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, just like most flagship phones.

Screen size is directly proportional to body size; the OnePlus 12R has a 6.78-inch display compared to the S23 FE’s 6.4-inch display. However, it is not the last advantage of OnePlus’ screen. We also noticed that the 12R gets brighter than the Samsung when we put the two phones side by side.

The 120Hz refresh rate of both phones makes the screen animations and scrolling really fluid and enjoyable. Compared to its predecessor, the 12R is much more energy efficient thanks to its 4th generation of LTPO display technology.

The OnePlus 12R and Galaxy S23 FE both have fast and accurate biometrics, so there’s no need to be concerned. The same holds true for facial recognition and fingerprint scanners, but the latter is still the safer choice when it comes to unlocking phones.

Camera

The OnePlus 12R has a 50MP primary (wide), 8MP ultra-wide, and 2MP macro camera, whereas the other phone has a dual-lens configuration. Although the 12MP ultra-wide on the S23 FE doesn’t produce superior photographs, as we’ll find later, and the 8MP telephoto with 3x zoom are its selling points, the primary camera on the device is 50MP as well. The 12R’s front-facing camera is 16 megapixels, while the S23 FE’s has 10 megapixels.

Despite how subtle it is, the Galaxy S23 FE seems to take images with better clarity. In this instance, the OnePlus 12R’s improved color reproduction—with more accurate hues—is what we prefer. It feels like the S23 FE adds a magenta tint and increased contrast, which makes it seem wrong.

We like the 12R’s ultra-wide camera over the Galaxy S23 FE’s because the former produces much crisper and more detailed photos. Only the middle of the picture is somewhat clear in the Galaxy’s photographs; the corners are very fuzzy. Furthermore, the magenta hue is once again distorting the natural colors and obscuring the true subject of the shot.

When recording video with the 12R and S23 FE, you’ll see many of the same features that we found when shooting still images. To begin with, the Samsung captures video with more contrast and a more saturated appearance. The FE’s 3x zoom telephoto camera really comes into its own, however, when you begin to zoom in.

Performance and Software

When comparing the features of the OnePlus 12R with the Galaxy S23 FE, you’ll notice a significant performance and software gap. As an example, the S23 FE uses the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (Exynos 2200) in the US, whereas the 12R uses the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It’s funny how the S23 FE differs from the rest of the S23 series in terms of silicon, yet the OnePlus shares the same technology.

While the S23 FE is limited to UFS 3.1 storage, the OnePlus 12R’s 256GB storage option comes with UFS 4.0, which is twice as fast and far more power efficient. On top of that, the 12R with better specs has 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB like the Samsung.

Also, OnePlus uses OxygenOS and Samsung uses OneUI, two distinct Android skins, on their phones. In contrast to Samsung’s OneUI, which contains a plethora of customizations and additions, OxygenOS is far more akin to the standard Android appearance and feel, similar to that of a Google Pixel phone. For additional details regarding Samsung’s most recent software upgrade, be sure to check out our post on OneUI 6.0.

Although Samsung has extended the time between software upgrades for its flagship range by seven years, this does not apply to the Galaxy S23 FE, which was released before the new S24 variants. That is to say, you will still get security fixes and Android upgrades for five years. However, with just three expected Android upgrades and four years of security fixes, the OnePlus 12R falls behind in this regard.

Battery Life

We noticed right away that the OnePlus 12R’s huge 5,500 mAh battery was a conscious decision on OnePlus’s part. With normal usage, we can easily extend the 12R’s life to two days. While the 4,500 mAh battery of the Galaxy S23 FE isn’t terrible, it might need some tweaking.

Conclusion

A few mid-range smartphones compete with each other: the OnePlus 12R and the Samsung Galaxy S23. The 12R borrows design elements from higher-end models in the OnePlus 12 and S23 series and the S23 FE. While the S23 FE is dust and water-resistant to an IP68 degree, the 12R is smaller and has rounded edges, metal frames, and glass backs. Although the 12R only has IP65 water resistance, both phones include satisfyingly haptic buttons. 

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