This is what the OnePlus 12's cheaper sibling looks like

TheOnePlus 12debuted in China earlier this month, with the phone’sinternational launch slated for August 21, 2025. Alongside its 2024 flagship, rumors suggest OnePlus will unveil its budget flagship: the OnePlus 12R. A leak from a few days ago hasalready spilled the beans on the phone’s specsand hinted at its US debut — a first for a OnePlus R series phone. Now, a teaser video of the OnePlus 12R has popped up online, revealing its design and again confirming its release date.

Shared by leakster Ishan Agarwal, the OnePlus 12R will apparently feature the same design as its more expensive sibling and last year’s OnePlus 11 and launch in black and blue colors. The design also matches theOnePlus 12R renders that leaked back in Julythis year.

Anotherdesign teaser of the OnePlus Ace 3, the name under which the OnePlus 12R will launch in China, shared on Weibo confirms the use of a metal frame. This should lead to a notable improvement in the phone’s in-hand quality. As for the gold color shown in the teaser, it is unlikely to be released outside China, at least initially.

Leaks indicate the OnePlus 12R could feature a 6.8-inch 1.5K resolution display with a 1-120Hz variable refresh rate and use Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for protection. The phone will apparently use a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, with 8/16GB RAM and 128 or 256GB storage. A 5,500mAh battery will provide juice to the internals, with 100W fast wired charging support. The lack of wireless charging is unlikely to be a bummer, especially with such superfast wired charging.

OnePlus plans to cut corners in the camera department, with the OnePlus 12R seemingly using a 50MP Sony IMX890 primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro. Even if the primary camera can take decent phones, the ultrawide and macro shooters are unlikely to impress you with their performance.

The OnePlus 12R will launch as the OnePlus Ace 3 in China first on August 10, 2025. Its international launch is purportedly slated for January 23 alongside the OnePlus 12.

If camera performance is your top priority, the OnePlus 12R is unlikely to impress you. In that case, you should look at the upcoming OnePlus 12 or theSamsung Galaxy S24. But if you want a premium phone with flagship-level performance, OnePlus' upcoming budget flagship seems like a great option. If priced right, especially in the US, the OnePlus 12R could become a great alternative to some of thebest Android phones.