What is it like to spend a month with a midrange smartphone?
For someone spoiled with high-end, flagship smartphones, a watered-down experience terrifies me. I couldn’t fathom using just a midrange smartphone, even if I’m counted as a casual user.
But spending a month with the realme 12+ 5G gave me a new perspective on what midrange smartphones at 2024 can do.
Powerhouse at a fraction
A lot of times, I’ve used the realme 12+ 5G to play Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. I know, I know. It’s 2024 and I’m still playing the same old MOBA but it’s a game I know all too well that helps me de-stress after a long day.
See, I’m an athlete balancing my work and life. Sometimes, I just want to rot in bed while playing on my phone.
The realme 12+ 5G helped keep me sane thanks to its lag-free gameplay. Not once did I feel any heat or slowing down even while playing in an Ultra Graphics and Super High Frame Rate setting.
The Vapor Chamber Cooling System came into play, dissipating the heat so even if under heavy usage, the gameplay is still optimal.
Moreover, the realme 12+ 5G uses a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset. When you combine this with a 12GB dynamic ram that’s expandable through your storage space, you won’t have to worry about a watered-down experience from using a midrange device.
The RAM can take up from 4GB up to 12GB to be re-allocated from the 256GB internal storage. Though, I only used 4GB since I didn’t feel the need to turn it up to the highest configuration. It’s already smooth even when multi-tasking.
It may not be as smooth as the flagship smartphones I held, but it’s enough particularly for people who just needs a smartphone they can use for their everyday lives. However, if you want a midrange device dedicated for an even more intensive gameplay, I’d suggest looking elsewhere.
Daily companion for viewing, listening
When I was on my way home from my training, I drove past a busy road in Pasig City where vendors are in the streets, bystanders are frolicking, and loafers gossip while taking space through the plastic stools they sat on spread out near the sidewalk.
What do they have in common? Smartphones. There was a realization that the Filipino masses rely on their devices to be entertained and connected.
I have a feeling that if I wasn’t a multi-passionate person with an insanely hectic schedule, I’d bury my head on a smartphone, too.
This is where having a spectacular audio-visual performance comes into play, especially for budget and midrange devices. Luckily, the realme 12+ 5G has a 120HZ Super AMOLED Display and Dual Stereo Speakers.
It’s one of the reasons why I started playing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang again when I was decompressing for the day.
Aside from doomscrolling on TikTok, I just like it when the display is fluid, vivid, and smooth while the audio can be as loud and immersive. Unlike most midrange smartphones, the audio-visual performance is always a hit or miss.
Sometimes, they have an excellent screen while the audio suffers, or vice-versa. The realme 12+ 5G just have it both.
Capture it, remember it
The realme 12+ 5G uses a 50-megapixel SonyLYT 600 OIS Portrait Camera, an 8-megapixel 112° wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel macro sensor, and a 16-megapixel selfie camera on the front.
I used the smartphone to capture photos I send to my loved ones. From selfies, coffee runs, hotel visits, group photos, food shots, and just anything and everything in my life.
The quality for low-light shots is a hit or miss, but for photos taken during daytime and with good lighting? It’s just spectacular.
Here are some sample photos to look at:
Portraits & Selfies
Food
Sceneries
Everyday photos
Real on reliability
The realme 12+ 5G’s battery capacity is just *chef’s kiss*.
Its ability to retain its battery life even on standby is just incredibly helpful for someone who keeps forgetting to charge his devices.
The realme 12+ 5G lasts long enough when out for the day, and even if you spend a lot of hours playing games and doomscrolling.
One time, I played Mobile Legends: Bang Bang for three hours straight from a full charge, and I still had enough juice to keep playing. That 5000mAh battery surely is a lot of juice that doesn’t drain easily. I had to be the one to give up playing since it hurt my eyes already.
Charging it with 67W SuperVOOC, the realme 12+ 5G gets full charge in less than an hour. This is why even if I forget to charge it at night, I just have to plug the charger in the USB-C port while I was taking a bath and prepping for work.
Could’ve been a real premium
Aside from its performance and capabilities, the realme 12+ 5G comes with a strong and beautiful exterior. The unit I have came in Pioneer Green, resembling an emerald-touch of old money.
Without a plastic case, it’s soft, feels luxurious, and easy to hold even with a boxy frame. At a glance, it’s even more beautiful with its luxury watch-inspired design, thanks to designer Ollivier Savéo.
For a midrange device, realme has a knack for making its devices look and feel sophisticated. Furthermore, it’s dust and splash proof with its IP54 rating. It’s a win-win, right? Strong and pretty at the same time.
My only issue would be the realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14 that’s packed with bloatware. Look- and feel-wise, the realme 12+ 5G would be a premium stunner, even with its camera, audio-visual, and battery performance.
But the UI design along with the unnecessary bloatware made it cheap and annoying to look at.
Is this your GadgetMatch?
The realme 12+ 5G delivers what you’d expect out of a midrange smartphone. It’s premium-looking, long-lasting, offers reliable performance, and captures vivid portraits and pictures.
It’s easily a GadgetMatch for casual users requiring enough power and juice on a device that looks pretty and strong. If the realme 12 Pro+ 5G is a midrange marvel, consider the realme 12+ 5G almost the same, but at a lesser cost.
It retails for PhP 19,999 for the 12GB+256GB variant, while the 8GB+256GB unit is priced at PhP 17,999.
