Last March, realme unveiled its latest realme 12 series 5G comprising of two new models under its Number series – the realme 12 Pro+ 5G and realme 12+ 5G. These two realme 12 series 5G smartphones offers a luxurious design, great hardware performance, and innovative flagship-level cameras.
Completing the realme 12 series 5G line-up, the brand offers its latest realme 12 5G an affordable model within the series. The appealing side of the new realme 12 5G is its inclusion of many features found in its top-tier variants with its luxurious design, impressive cameras, and high-performance hardware.
The realme 12 5G is an ideal choice for yuppies, seasoned workforce, millennials, executives, and even parents who’s looking for a phone with excellent aesthetics and camera quality with an attractive price point.
We’ve spent the past few days with the realme 12 5G for us to share our first impression of the new device. So, let’s dive in for a first look.
Unboxing
The overall packaging of the realme 12 5G is all-clad in its very iconic golden yellow box, it’s made of thick cardboard type material.
If you look closely at the packaging box, there’s an attractive striped line patterns enhanced with UV coating for a glossy finish while
The box design is very simple that showcase only essential printed elements like the model’s name on the top cover, the realme logo on both sides, and its key features, company information, and certification marks placed on the back.
Upon opening the box, you’ll immediately see at front a compartment box that holds some of the included accessories, and beneath that is the realme 12 5G phone. Taking out the phone will let you another compartment box for the other included accessories.
Taking everything out of the box, you’ll have the following content:
- realme 12 5G unit
- 45W SUPERVOOC Power Adapter
- USB-A to USB-C Cable
- Safety Guide
- Quick Guide
- SIM Ejector Pin
- Clear Protective Case
realme also included a screen protector that’s already pre-applied on the phone.
Build Quality and Design
The realme 12 5G is lightweight tipping the scales at just 188 grams and its slim profile measuring at 7.69mm thick with its other dimensions at 165.7mm in length and 76.1mm in width. The phone is sleek and still comfortable to hold.
The aluminum frame of the realme 12 5G has flat edge sides with rounded corners in a premium-gloss metallic finish which makes it easier for leaving fingerprint marks on it. Using the included clear protective case is much better to prevent fingerprint marks on the device.
Despite the flat edge design, I’m pleased with how comfortable the phone feels in my hand, while the rounded corners makes it easier to hold.
The most notable design feature of the realme 12 5G is found on its back panel and we got the Woodland Green color for our review. The Woodland Green variant offers an elegant deeper shade of green, similar to nature and lush forest. Plus, it’s a color for those who prefer a subtler or more understated look.
One of the most prominent aesthetic features found in all of the 12 series is the large circular camera module that’s encased in a shiny metal frame. Positioned at the top center which protrudes slightly, but not excessively, and shows minimal wobble when placed on a flat surface.
When light shines on the camera module and you tilt it sideways, it reveals the 500 gradient sunburst patterns which in return creates the classic sunburst effect of luxury watch dials.
Inside the camera module are four circular design patterns that house the dual lens and LED flash, with the center having a printed “108MP AI Camera” label.
Spotted at the center lies a 3D Jubilee Bracelet design, which may initially appear to resemble like a zipper line. But if you look very closely, one can distinguished some diamond patterns that elegantly flow from the bottom, to the camera module, and extends all the way to the top of the phone. It also resembles the textured effect of luxury watch straps.
Instead of putting on the attractive vegan leather back found on its top-tier variant, the realme 12 5G’s rear panel is made of durable polycarbonate plastic material. But, they still made it look so premium offering an appealing gradient finish and adding that fantastic shimmer effect.
A second color is available with the Twilight Purple variant which also looks particularly beautiful under the light.
The bottom edge holds the USB-C port for charging and data transfers, speaker grille, microphone, and a 3.5mm audio jack for your wired headphones.
On the right-side edge are its power/sleep button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner and volume rockers both made of durable plastic material with a matte finish.
The left-side edge is completely clean.
We have the SIM card tray, a microphone and another speaker located on the top edge of the phone
The realme 12 5G has an IP54 rating allowing good protection from dust and water resistance suitable for use in various environments.
Display
The display of the realme 12 5G offers a bit larger from the realme 12 Pro+ 5G that boasts of a 6.72-inch display with FHD+ resolution at 2400×1080 pixels. The phone’s screen has thin bezels all around except for the bottom chin which is slightly raised. Positioned at the center is the front-facing camera with a tiny punch-hole design.
While the two other variants boast an AMOLED display, the realme 12 5G is equipped with an LTPS LCD panel for its screen. However, this model will also feature a maximum refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
It has a 91.4% screen-to-body ratio which makes a great device for multimedia consumption, making every scene feel even more bigger and engaging.
The brightness of the device can go up to 950 nits via the Sunlight Mode feature which can help users view the display even under bright sunlight during outdoors.
For now, here’s what you should know
The realme 12 5G has a dual camera setup with the main camera getting a 108MP lens and 2MP black and white lens.
You get a large 5,000mAh battery capacity with support for a SUPERVOOC fast charging technology.
We will share with you more details of the new realme 12 5G as we are currently under embargo with its full specs until its official launch on April 25 at 6PM which you can join the livestream on realme’s official Facebook page.
There’s still a lot for us to do and to share the other set of features of this phone.
So, stay tuned!
