Realme GT 5 Pro vs OnePlus 12: What are the Differences? Here's our Full Specs Comparison

Earlier this week, Realme unveiled its first smartphone to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. However, the Realme GT 5 Pro shared a lot of similarities with the OnePlus 12 5G, although the former is significantly cheaper than the latter.

This begs the question, what are the differences between the Realme GT 5 Pro and OnePlus 12 5G and is the extra odd 10K for the latter worth it? Let's find out!

Realme GT 5 Pro vs OnePlus 12: Full Specs Compared

Realme GT 5 Pro vs OnePlus 12: What's the Difference?

Design & Build

Both the Realme GT 5 Pro and OnePlus 12 feature glass protection on the front and back. However, while Realme uses unspecified Corning Gorilla Glass, the OnePlus 12 5G opts for Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and unspecified Gorilla Glass on the back. The Realme GT 5 Pro also comes with a vegan leather back panel option.

The OnePlus 12 5G uses an IP65 rating for protection against dust and water, while the Realme GT 5 Pro opts for an IP64 rating. Both phones also feature a curved OLED screen and a circular camera island. In terms of design and build quality, the two phones are pretty evenly matched on paper.

Display

Both the OnePlus 12 5G and Realme GT 5 Pro use an LTPO Pro-XDR OLED display from BOE. However, the OnePlus 12's screen features a higher resolution and pixel density, while the GT 5 Pro boasts a higher refresh rate.

Moreover, the display on the OnePlus 12 features a DisplayMate A+ rating and has broken several DisplayMate records. It might just be the best display on a smartphone to date. However, both the Realme GT 5 Pro and OnePlus 12 5G's screens can achieve a peak brightness of 4,500 nits.

Performance

When it comes to performance both phones use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, although the OnePlus 12 5G is equipped with up to 24GB of RAM. On the flip side, the Realme GT 5 Pro features a 20% larger cooling area. The Realme GT 5 Pro also features a better performance per dollar ratio than the OnePlus 12.

Cameras

For optics, both the OnePlus 12 and Realme GT 5 Pro use a similar 50 MP Sony LYT808 primary sensor with OIS. However, the 50 MP Sony IMX890 telephoto-periscope lens is the star of the show here as it is often used as the main camera sensor on most smartphones (OnePlus 11R, Oppo Reno 10 Pro, Realme GT 5).

In theory, the 50 MP telephoto unit on the Realme GT 5 Pro should deliver better results than the 64 MP Omnivision OB64 telephoto shooter on the OnePlus 12. But that's where Realme's advantage ends as the OnePlus 12 opts for a high-resolution 48 MP Sony IMX581 ultrawide shooter.

Apart from the hardware, the OnePlus 12 5G's camera also features Hasselblad color tunning, which in theory would give it an edge over the Realme GT 5 Pro, but we'll have to withhold judgement until the two devices can be tested. Both phones also feature a 32 MP selfie camera.

OnePlus 12 vs Realme GT 5 Pro: Conclusion

On paper, both the OnePlus 12 and Realme GT 5 Pro are pretty similar, although the former does offer a more premium smartphone experience with its 2K OLED screen and more premium build. The biggest advantage OnePlus has is the higher resolution ultrawide camera.

In our view, this isn't enough to justify the significantly higher price tag of the OnePlus 12 5G. If you are looking for a flagship smartphone that offers excellent value, then the Realme GT 5 Pro is the way to go. On the other hand, the OnePlus 12 5G offers a more premium smartphone experience.

The OnePlus 12 5G launch in India is expected to take place sometime in January 2024. While there is no official Realme GT 5 Pro launch date in India, we expect it to arrive in Q1 2024. Check out our other comparisons between the OnePlus 12 vs Xiaomi 14 Pro vs iQOO 12 5G here or our Xiaomi 14 Pro vs Redmi 70 Pro comparison here.