OnePlus 12 slated to add the 11's biggest missing feature

News
By Michael L Hicks
published

Charging is an area of strength for most OnePlus phones, but the brand left wireless charging fans behind last generation.

OnePlus 11 review
The OnePlus 11's 100W charging port (Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Leakers have claimed the OnePlus 12 will have 50W wireless charging.
  • Recent OnePlus flagships like the OnePlus 11 and OnePlus Open have eschewed wireless charging. 
  • We expect the OnePlus 12 to arrive in December with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, 6.7-inch 120Hz display, and some key upgrades to the camera and battery.

OnePlus traditionally gives its phones some of the speediest charging in the industry, both wired and wireless. Last generation, the company decided wireless charging wasn't a priority, now, based on recent leaks, it appears the OnePlus 12 will shift back to offering 50W wireless charging, as the OnePlus 10 Pro did. 

Leakers Digital Chat Station and Max Jambor both made this claim on Monday, matching a July specs leak that first suggested the 50W standard would return. The OnePlus 12 should also offer 100W wired charging. 

With the OnePlus 11, our reviewer asked the company about the missing wireless charging coil. OnePlus responded that it "left out the feature because it wanted a thinner device this time, and adding a charging coil would have made it bulkier." 

The foldable OnePlus Open likely missed out on wireless charging for a similar reason: to keep it skinny enough to fold easily in your pocket.

We can now assume the OnePlus 12 will end up thicker than the 8.53mm-thick OnePlus 11 when it launches, thanks to its built-in charging coil. Otherwise, leaked phone renders show the design hasn't changed much from this year's model. Current rumors point to the OnePlus 12 arriving this December in China and January 2024 for its global launch.

The OnePlus 12 will hit a faster wireless charging speed than brands like Samsung (15W), Google (23W), and Apple (15W) while matching rival phones like the Xiaomi 13 Ultra (50W). 

Leaks have already given us a pretty comprehensive look at the OnePlus 12's alleged specs. It'll have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, up to 16GB of RAM, a 6.7-inch 120Hz display, and OxygenOS 14 out of the box. 

As for more significant upgrades over the 11, the OnePlus 12 should get a larger battery capacity (5,400mAh instead of 5,000) and a 64MP telephoto lens with 3X optical zoom (beating the 11's 32MP with 2X zoom). 

Just like the OnePlus 11, we fully expect the OnePlus 12 to be one of the best Android phones of the year. We gave the 11 a glowing review, but we hope the newer model will fix its other downsides, not just wireless charging. It will mainly come down to how well OxygenOS performs, now that it's essentially a variant of ColorOS; we spoke to OnePlus about the future of OxygenOS, and have reason to be optimistic about its future. 

Michael L Hicks
Michael L Hicks
Senior Editor, VR/AR and fitness

Michael is Android Central's resident expert on fitness tech and wearables, with an enthusiast's love of VR tech on the side. After years freelancing for Techradar, Wareable, Windows Central, Digital Trends, and other sites on a variety of tech topics, AC has given him the chance to really dive into the topics he's passionate about. He's also a semi-reformed Apple-to-Android user who loves D&D, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings.

For wearables, Michael has tested dozens of smartwatches from Garmin, Fitbit, Samsung, Apple, COROS, Polar, Amazfit, and other brands, and will always focus on recommending the best product over the best brand. He's also completed marathons like NYC, SF, Marine Corps, Big Sur, and California International — though he's still trying to break that 4-hour barrier.

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • rayjacksonokusa
    I would rather it stay thinner and instead give it IP68 water resistance rating. I have wireless charging already and never use it.
    Reply
  • RonanTetsu
    LOL it's 2023 and people still whine about useless wireless charging. Oneplus has never needed it, but when they do have wireless charging it beats everyone else's wired charging speeds. Otherwise, don't bother trying to charge your phone with sluggish qi wireless chargers. Why heat up battery so unnecessarily on a heat death pad.
    Reply
  • Bkdodger1
    There are plenty of people that use wireless charging.. I can't remember the last time I used a wire charge.. It's very convenient especially if you're carrying around different phones that all support it... And everyone says about undo heating of the phone if you buy the right wireless charging pad or stand you won't heat up the battery..
    Reply
  • fuzzylumpkin
    RonanTetsu said:
    LOL it's 2023 and people still whine about useless wireless charging. Oneplus has never needed it, but when they do have wireless charging it beats everyone else's wired charging speeds. Otherwise, don't bother trying to charge your phone with sluggish qi wireless chargers. Why heat up battery so unnecessarily on a heat death pad.
    I charge my phone wirelessly via a magsafe case and stand every night at 5w. The battery, phone or charger never even get warm and it's full (well, at 85%) every morning when I pick it up. But I hope you continue to enjoy plugging a wire into your phone, it's a bit 2001 for me, but everyone's different.
    Reply