OnePlus 12R The OnePlus 12R is the new mid-range king from the flagship maker. It features a powerful triple camera setup, a flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and a large 5,500 mAh battery that easily lasts a full day. It supports 80W wired charging, taking 0-100% in around 30 minutes. Nothing Phone 2 $649 $699 Save $50 The Nothing Phone 2 features a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED display with LTPO technology. It ships with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 and also has a 50-megapixel dual camera setup. Powering it all is a 4,700 mAh cell that will allow for all day use.
When it comes to offering exceptional value for money, there aren’t many brands out there, but OnePlus, with its feature-packed devices, and Nothing, with its balanced hardware, are two that fall into this bucket. Here, we will compare the $500 OnePlus 12R against the $600 Nothing Phone 2 to see which of the two devices better suits your needs.
OnePlus 12R vs. Nothing Phone 2: Price and Availability
The 8GB/128GB variant of the OnePlus 12R retails for $499.99 in North America, with the upgraded version that offers 16GB/256GB selling for $599.99. It’s sold in two colors — Iron Gray & Cool Blue — and is available via OnePlus.com, Amazon, and BestBuy.
Coming to the Nothing Phone 2, it’s available in three variants, 8GB/128GB, 12GB/256GB, and 12GB/512GB, each costing $599, $699, and $799, respectively. You can find it in two colors, Dark Gray or White, with the brand-defining white Glyph LEDs on the back.
With how closely priced the two devices are (excluding offers), it can be difficult to pick one, so let’s look at how the hardware compares.
OnePlus 12R vs. Nothing Phone 2: Technical Specs
OnePlus 12R Brand OnePlus SoC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Display 6.78-inch, AMOLED, 120Hz, 4500 nits peak brightness Battery 5,500 mAh Ports USB-C Operating System Android 14 Front camera 16 MP, f/2.4 Connectivity 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 Dimensions 163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8 mm Colors Iron Gray, Cool Blue Weight 207 g Charge speed 80W wired charging IP Rating IP65 Security Fingerprint (under display), Face Unlock, PIN, Pattern, Password Material Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Main Camera 50 MP, f/1.8, Laser AF, OIS Wide-Angle Camera 8 MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide Nothing Phone 2 Brand Nothing SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 Display 6.7-inch, OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1600 nits Battery 4,700 mAh Ports USB-C Operating System Nothing OS 2.0 (based on Android 13) Front camera 32-megapixel (f/2.45) Connectivity 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 Dimensions 162.1 x 76.4 x 8.6 mm Colors Dark Gray, White Weight 201 g Charge speed 45W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, 5W reverse wireless charging IP Rating IP54 Security Under-display fingerprint scanner Material Glass front and back, Aluminum frame Main Camera 50 MP, wide, f/1.885 Wide-Angle Camera 50 MP, f/2.2
Related OnePlus 12R vs Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: Which one should you buy? OnePlus 12R vs Samsung Galaxy S23 FE – which smartphone is right for you? Let’s find out!
OnePlus 12R vs. Nothing Phone 2: Design & Display
Regarding how the two devices look and feel, the approaches on the OnePlus 12R and Nothing Phone 2 are quite different. The OnePlus 12R features subtle curves around its chassis, making it easier to hold in some ways. The Nothing Phone 2, on the other hand, embraces an iPhone-like design featuring square edges. However, a subtle curve on the back panel does keep it from digging too much into your hands. Lastly, either brand does not skimp on the materials used, as both phones feature aluminum midframes and glass backs.
Coming to the numbers, the OnePlus 12R measures 163.3 x 75.3 x 8.8 mm and weighs 207 grams. The Nothing Phone 2 measures 162.1 x 76.4 x 8.6 mm and weighs 201.2 grams. So, the two devices are quite similar in size, which is also shown in the display dimensions.
The OnePlus 12R features a 6.78-inch FHD+ (2780 x 1264) LTPO AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate (adaptive). It also has a peak reported brightness of 1,600 nits and can be further pushed to 4,500 nits. However, we’d write off the latter as a marketing gimmick since the metric comes from measuring brightness in highly controlled situations. This display panel is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
On the Nothing Phone, you’ll find a 6.7-inch FHD+ (2412×1080) LTPO AMOLED display, too, but due to the use of a flexible panel, there’s the allure of having uniform bezels on this device. Regarding brightness levels, Nothing reports a peak brightness of 1,000 nits and 1,600 nits when viewing HDR content. This display uses a Gorilla Glass 5 cover.
If you don’t mind a slightly curved screen, the OnePlus 12R outdoes the Nothing Phone 2 in brightness and overall hardware, making it a marginally better pick. If you often find yourself around water, note that the OnePlus 12R has no official IP rating; the Nothing Phone 2 has an IP54 rating.
OnePlus 12R vs. Nothing Phone 2: Performance
Despite costing $100 less, the OnePlus 12R has a newer processor than the Nothing Phone 1. The OnePlus 12R ships with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, whereas the Nothing Phone 1 made its way to the market with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. Regarding raw capability, the 8 Gen 2 outperforms the 8 Plus Gen 1 with its additional performance core, and while you may expect this to cause a drop in efficiency, this isn’t the case either.
Nevertheless, it’s unlikely that you’ll tell any major difference when it comes to day-to-day performance, though gaming experiences, which can push these processors, may showcase the gap between the two phones.
OnePlus 12R vs. Nothing Phone 2: Battery
When it comes to battery life, the OnePlus 12R maintains a significant advantage over Nothing Phone 2. It ships with a 5,500 mAh battery, and its performance closely resembles the impressively efficient OnePlus 12. And if you set it down for a charge, you’ll see the phone quickly power up — within 30 minutes — to 100% due to its support for 100W charging.
Coming to the Nothing Phone 2, rather than pushing for top-of-line specs, this device also takes a more balanced approach. It ships with a 4,700 mAh cell and features 45W fast wired charging — which will take the phone from 0 to 100% in 55 minutes — 15W wireless charging, and 5W reverse wireless charging. These add-ons make this device more versatile than the OnePlus, so keep it in mind.
OnePlus 12R vs. Nothing Phone 2: Camera
Lastly, we’ll take a look at the camera hardware that’s available to buyers. On the OnePlus 12R, the primary shooter is a 50MP wide camera, while the secondary is an 8MP ultrawide. There’s also a third 2MP macro, but we’d leave that out of this comparison. And on the front is a 16MP shooter. On the Nothing Phone 2, you’ll find a similar setup featuring a 50MP wide primary and a 50MP ultrawide. For the front, Nothing uses a 32MP camera.
Comparing the hardware on paper, you’ll see that the Nothing Phone 2 holds an advantage over the OnePlus 12R. The latter has a higher ultrawide resolution that should result in better images for most use cases. When it comes to the primary, we expect the two devices to go head-to-head.
OnePlus 12R vs. Nothing Phone 2: Which should you buy?
When it comes down to choosing between the two phones, we’d say, if you’re looking for raw performance and the ideal mobile gaming experience, the combination OnePlus has developed; when it comes to processor, battery, and cooling, there’s no better choice. The OnePlus 12R will not disappoint.
But if you’re looking for a unique experience within a balanced package, the Nothing Phone 2 is the phone to keep in mind. It has a fresh new take on software and a unique lighting implementation on its hand that can be more than a gimmick if utilized well. It also features one of the nicer Android skins — via NothingOS — on the market at the moment.
OnePlus 12R The OnePlus 12R is the new mid-range king from the flagship maker. It features a powerful triple camera setup, a flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and a large 5,500 mAh battery that easily lasts a full day. It supports 80W wired charging, taking 0-100% in around 30 minutes. Nothing Phone 2 $649 $699 Save $50 The Nothing Phone 2 features a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED display with LTPO technology. It ships with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 and also has a 50-megapixel dual camera setup. Powering it all is a 4,700 mAh cell that will allow for all day use.