By no means a better phone than the OnePlus 12, the slightly smaller and less powerful OnePlus 12R might just be a smarter buy right now for a lot of cash-strapped Android enthusiasts. That’s because Amazon is selling the 6.78-inch device with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor under its hood for 120 bucks less than its regular price of $499.99 in an entry-level 128GB storage configuration.
No, that doesn’t make the cheapest OnePlus 12R model quite as affordable as, say, a Moto G Power 5G (2024) or Moto G Stylus 5G (2024), but only because the three’s spec sheets are in no way comparable. Incredibly enough, the 12R powerhouse is just as affordable as a Pixel 8a, arguably eclipsing Google’s latest mid-ranger in a number of important ways.
For one thing, you get 80W charging support here, which is faster than almost all the best Android phones available in the US today. That aforementioned Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC is also undeniably speedier than the Google Tensor G3 chip inside the Pixel 8a, even though it obviously can’t match the level of overall performance delivered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered OnePlus 12 or Samsung Galaxy S24.
The unquestionably premium build quality, almost shockingly large 5,500mAh battery, and… not-too-shabby 50 + 8 + 2MP triple rear-facing camera system of this bad boy are another three big strengths that make the OnePlus 12R an absolute must-buy for budget 5G phone fans this fall… with an Amazon Prime membership.
Yes, you do unfortunately need to meet that special and totally predictable requirement today (or tomorrow) in order to save a rare $120 on a gray-only OnePlus 12R with 128GB internal storage space and 8GB RAM. The same unsurprisingly goes for a top-of-the-line variant with 256 gigs of local digital hoarding room and a bonkers 16GB memory count, which can be had in your choice of Iron Gray or Cool Blue colorways at an even higher $125 discount from a list price of $599.99. Hard to find a better phone at similar prices, eh?
