Celebrating its tenth year of making smartphones, OnePlus has today confirmed the global launch date of its latest flagship device which was unveiled earlier this month in China. During a fireside chat to celebrate the company’s tenth anniversary, OnePlus founder Pete Lau confirmed that we are just a month away from the global launch of the OnePlus 12, and also broke the news that the R series which has been sold exclusively sold in India and China until now will also make its global debut at the same event.
When Is The Global Launch Of The OnePlus 12?
January 23rd is when the new OnePlus 12 and 12R will enter the global market, bringing with them wireless charging for the first time since the OnePlus 9 Pro, a repositioned alert slider and of course, Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset under the hood.
For the moment, no specific details on where the “OnePlus Smooth Beyond Belief Launch Event” launch date will be held have been disclosed, but we surmise from the kickoff time of 7:30 PM IST that it will be held in India. In the past, OnePlus has held in-person global launch events in New York and London previously, but India has been the focal point recently.
What’s The Difference Between The OnePlus 12 And The OnePlus 12R?
For the first time in a while, the OnePlus 12 series consists of a pair of handsets called the OnePlus 12 and then the OnePlus 12R. As previously mentioned, 2024 will be the first time that the R-series will launch globally. The brand says that a “smartphone doesn’t need to be “Plus” “Pro” or “Ultra” to provide the best hardware specs and software experience”, and instead they just need to offer ‘unique attributes’.
While the OnePlus 12 is an ‘all-round’ flagship, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and sporting a Hasselblad tuned 64MP 3x Periscope Telephoto lens, in the Flowy Emerald colorway, the OnePlus 12R will be the performance flagship model. This means that we can expect the OnePlus 12R will feature higher charging speeds and perhaps more RAM, although little else was confirmed regarding the phone’s hardware.
What Else Was Said During the Fireside Chat?
Besides confirming the OnePlus 12 launch date, the founding members Pete Lau and Kinder Liu also revealed that the R-series flagship which had so far remained exclusive to Indian and Chinese markets would make its global debut in 2024. They also talked about how, when OnePlus first opened its doors in 2013, the company consisted of a small team with really big ideas. During the intervening years the brand has adapted but remains the same in essence, holding “on to the “Never Settle” ethos.
“As an R&D and product person, being able to take part in the research and implementation of truly cutting-edge technologies has been the most fulfilling aspect of this journey for me,” said Kinder Liu, President and COO of OnePlus, “Throughout these ten years, every OnePlus product, and even the company itself, has been built hand in hand with our users. Co-creation is an inseparable part of our DNA, and I hope that OnePlus will continue to push the boundaries of technology with tech enthusiasts everywhere for the next ten years and more to come.”
Kinder Liu, President And COO of OnePlus
With brands such as LG pulling out of the smartphone segment entirely, for OnePlus to celebrate its tenth anniversary is an achievement in itself. Having made its debut in the folding segment this year with the OnePlus Open, the next ten years for the brand promise to be just as exciting – especially if it can maintain some semblance of its personality despite pooling resources with sister company Oppo. Frankly, we can’t wait to get our hands on the new OnePlus 12 and 12R having enjoyed our time with the OnePlus 11 5G so much earlier this year.
