OnePlus 12: OnePlus enthusiasts have been waiting patiently, and their patience just paid off. The OnePlus 12 received a significant OxygenOS 15 update in late November 2024, finally bringing the AI features that were promised but mysteriously absent from the initial Android 15 rollout.
Strategic Update Rollout Addresses User Frustration
OnePlus released OxygenOS 15.0.0.305 for the OnePlus 12 starting in India, with global markets including North America and Europe receiving the update the following week. This wasn’t just another incremental patch – it represented OnePlus finally delivering on promises made during the initial OxygenOS 15 announcement.
The company’s decision to initially ship Android 15 without AI features had left many users scratching their heads, especially considering how much emphasis OnePlus placed on artificial intelligence during marketing campaigns. The November update corrected course, bringing genuine AI functionality that actually enhances daily usage rather than serving as mere marketing gimmicks.
What makes this update particularly noteworthy is OnePlus becoming one of the first manufacturers to deliver stable Android 15 with comprehensive AI integration, beating many competitors to the punch in practical AI implementation.
AI Features Focus on Real-World Photography Problems
The star attraction remains AI Retouch, which tackles genuine photography frustrations users encounter daily. The Enhance clarity feature rescues cropped, distant, or low-quality photos by intelligently upscaling details that would otherwise remain pixelated messes.
More impressively, the Unblur feature attempts to restore details, colors, and lighting in blurry photos – particularly useful for capturing those fleeting moments with pets, children, or during movement. While not magical, early testing shows legitimate improvements for moderately blurry images.
The Remove reflections feature addresses a common photography annoyance, using AI to eliminate unwanted glass reflections that often ruin otherwise perfect shots. Combined, these tools transform the Photos app into a more capable editing suite without requiring third-party applications.
AI Notes Revolutionizes Text Organization and Creation
Beyond photography, OnePlus introduced AI Notes that automatically organizes and refines text input with surprising sophistication. Whether jotting quick ideas or drafting detailed reports, the system can summarize key points, adjust tone for different audiences, and correct grammar while maintaining original intent.
The Clean up feature proves particularly useful for voice recordings, intelligently removing filler words like “um” and “uh” from transcriptions while preserving natural speech flow. This transforms meeting minutes, dictated notes, and personal recordings into polished, coherent text.
AI writing assistance now offers instant style suggestions, allowing users to switch between casual and formal tones depending on context – invaluable for professional communications or creative writing projects.
System Optimizations Deliver Tangible Performance Gains
OxygenOS 15 introduces what OnePlus calls “Parallel Processing” technology, allowing animations and app tasks to operate simultaneously rather than sequentially. While the improvements feel subtle during normal usage, intensive multitasking scenarios show noticeable smoothness gains.
The company achieved impressive storage optimizations, reducing system footprint by up to 20% compared to OxygenOS 14 on newer devices. However, existing OnePlus 12 users won’t see these space savings – the update actually requires additional 4-5GB storage, which feels counterintuitive to the optimization messaging.
Enhanced animation pipelines create more fluid transitions when rapidly switching between applications, though the improvements prove most noticeable in controlled testing rather than everyday usage scenarios.
Integration Features Bridge Android-iOS Divide
OnePlus added practical cross-platform functionality with “Share with iPhone” capabilities, allowing seamless live photo sharing with nearby iOS devices. This addresses real-world scenarios where mixed-platform friend groups struggled with media sharing limitations.
The integration extends to Google services, with Circle to Search functionality enabling contextual searches for anything on screen through simple gestures. Pass Scan automatically detects boarding passes, transit tickets, and similar documents, adding them directly to Google Wallet for convenient access.
These features demonstrate OnePlus’s understanding that modern users exist in multi-platform ecosystems and need seamless connectivity regardless of device preferences.
Hardware Foundation Remains Flagship-Competitive
The OnePlus 12’s underlying hardware continues performing admirably more than a year after launch. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor handles AI processing tasks efficiently, while the 6.82-inch AMOLED display with 4,500 nits peak brightness showcases enhanced photo editing results brilliantly.
The 5,400mAh battery with 100W fast charging ensures all-day usage even with AI features running continuously. Importantly, background AI processing doesn’t significantly impact battery life, suggesting efficient optimization work behind the scenes.
With IP65 rating and premium build quality, the hardware foundation supports these software enhancements without feeling outdated, validating OnePlus’s decision to focus software development resources on this device.
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Market Position Strengthens with Software Maturity
Currently available starting at ₹59,999 in India and $649 in the US, the OnePlus 12 presents compelling value considering the comprehensive feature set now available. The recent AI additions help justify the flagship pricing while competing effectively against similarly positioned devices.
With the OnePlus 13 now available globally, the OnePlus 12 benefits from attractive discounts while retaining flagship-tier capabilities. For users prioritizing value over having the absolute latest hardware, this represents an excellent entry point into premium OnePlus experiences.
The four-year Android update promise and five-year security patch commitment provide longevity assurance, while the recent AI feature additions demonstrate OnePlus’s commitment to enhancing existing devices rather than abandoning them for newer models.
OnePlus 12 Future Outlook and User Reception
Early user feedback regarding the AI features has been largely positive, with particular praise for the photo enhancement capabilities and note organization tools. The features feel genuinely useful rather than gimmicky, addressing real problems users encounter daily.
OnePlus hints at expanding these AI capabilities to other devices in its lineup, including Nord series phones and older flagships like the OnePlus 11. This broader implementation could significantly enhance the value proposition across the entire OnePlus ecosystem.
The OnePlus 12’s evolution from launch to its current AI-enhanced state demonstrates how software updates can fundamentally transform device capabilities, making it a more compelling purchase today than at its original launch.