Xiaomi 14T Pro vs OnePlus 12R: Which mid-range Android comes out on top?

Following on from Xiaomi’s latest T-series launch, we gave the premium yet affordable Xiaomi 14T Pro a solid four-star rating. The question is, how does the new Android smartphone compare to the OnePlus 12R that launched earlier this year?

Despite both earning a four-star rating from us at Trusted Reviews, there are important differences between the capable handsets that you should be aware of before splashing your cash. These range from small differences, like a 5W difference in charge time, to bigger differences like the levels of processing power available.

We’ve compared the specs and our reviews of both the Xiaomi 14T Pro and OnePlus 12R right here to help you decide which Android smartphone is better suited for you.

Price

The Xiaomi 14T Pro starts at £649 / €799.90 for the base model with 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage space. Like other Xiaomi smartphones, the 14T Pro is not available in the US.

The OnePlus 12R has a starting RRP of £649 / $599 / €699 for the base model with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage space, though as it was released in January 2024, it could well be found at a discount.

Design

• With an IP68 rating, the Xiaomi 14T Pro offers better water resistance
• The Xiaomi 14T Pro comes in a choice of three colours
• The OnePlus12R’s rear cameras are housed in a large, circular module

To start, both handsets sport an aluminium frame, which Xiaomi claims is 116% stronger than the one found on last year’s Xiaomi 13T Pro. 

Flip the Xiaomi 14T Pro over and you’ll find its camera setup housed in a neat square at the top corner of the handset, whereas the OnePlus 12R’s rear cameras are in a circular module which blends seamlessly into the back, negating any possibility of the handset getting caught in pockets. 

With rounded edges along its frame and a 3D curved glass back, the Xiaomi 14T Pro may look visually appealing but, ergonomically, we found it doesn’t have the same level of comfort in hand as other handsets like the Xiaomi 14. 

While the Xiaomi 14T Pro’s back is great at repelling fingerprints, which is a bugbear of other handsets such as the Pixel 8 series, we did find it to be slippery when in hand with a finish not too dissimilar to Teflon. Similarly, the OnePlus 12R with a Cool Blue finish also has a very glossy, and therefore slippery, finish. 

The Xiaomi 14T Pro is available in a choice of three colours: Black, Blue and Grey, while the OnePlus 12R comes in just two: the aforementioned Cool Blue and Iron Grey. 

Finally, while the 14T Pro has an IP68 rating, which is usually exclusive to pretty premium handsets, the OnePlus 12R sports a fairly standard IP64 rating. Even so, the OnePlus 12R uses its CPU and AI smarts to detect if the screen is wet and alter how responsive it is, resulting in fewer mistouches and delayed reactions. 

Winner: OnePlus 12R

Screen

• Xiaomi 14T Pro has a flat display while the OnePlus 12R is curved
• AI-controlled display features on the Xiaomi 14T Pro
• The OnePlus 12R has a larger screen

With a 6.67-inch AMOLED flat panel, we found that the Xiaomi 14T Pro serves up “superb visuals, with the inky blacks and vibrance you’d expect of a high-quality OLED panel” which is further enhanced thanks to its HDR10 Plus and Dolby Vision support. 

While it is possible for the 14T Pro to reach a refresh rate of 144Hz, it’s worth noting that everyday users will rarely benefit from this, as the majority of the UI runs at 120Hz at best. 

The screen of the 14T Pro is also fitted with an AI-controlled dynamic colour temperature which adjusts the screen’s warmth and brightness according to usage scenarios and the time of day.

Unlike the 14T Pro, the OnePlus 12R’s panel is curved which makes both general use and gaming much harder to hold, so a flat screen would have been a better option.

Otherwise, its 6.78-inch OLED panel is covered in Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and has a 120Hz refresh rate. While not quite as fast as the Xiaomi 14T Pro, it’s actually an upgraded LPTO 4.0 panel that’s somewhat of a rarity on smartphones in 2024, allowing the screen to drop down to as little as 1Hz to improve battery life.  

Winner: Xiaomi 14T Pro

Camera

• The 14T Pro is designed in partnership with Leica
• The OnePlus 12R has an unusable 2MP macro lens as part of its triple camera set-up
• Both have a total of three rear lenses

Xiaomi continues its partnership with photography brand Leica with the 14T Pro which is evident once you start capturing images. You’ll need to choose between Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic, with the former adding a more dynamic finish while the latter aims for true-to-life images.

Made up of a 50MP main sensor, 50MP ultrawide and 12MP 2.6x telephoto lens, we found the 14T Pro to be impressive, with colours packing a punch without being overbearing, and low light capture is admirable. 

The OnePlus 12R is also made up of three rear lenses, including a 50MP main, 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro. Unfortunately we found the latter two cameras to be poor at best, with the ultrawide lacking detail and the macro sensor deemed useless. 

Having said that, the main lens is capable of capturing solid images that boast a nice balance in its colours with plentiful detail too. 

Winner: Xiaomi 14T Pro

Performance

• The Xiaomi 14T Pro runs the Dimensity 9300+ chipset
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powers the OnePlus 12R
• There’s a lack of AI prowess in the OnePlus 12R

The two handsets both sport different chipsets, with the Xiaomi 14T Pro running on MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300+ and the OnePlus 12R running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.

Although benchmark scores only tell part of the story, we have to mention just how high the Xiaomi 14T Pro scored in our tests, as it comfortably surpassed handsets that run on Qualcomm’s latest chipset, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, let alone the 12R’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. 

Thanks to its peak 16GB of RAM, the 14T Pro is able to handle multitasking between apps and heavy use with ease. Gaming performance was also admirable, however we did find its performance dropped during extended gaming sessions despite Xiaomi’s 3D IceLoop thermal management working behind the scenes to keep the phone cool. 

Although the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor is less powerful than the Dimensity 9300+, we still found it to be a perfectly capable handset. Paired with 16GB or RAM, the OnePlus 12R means scrolling between apps and gaming works smoothly, however much like the Xiaomi 14T Pro, it can get hot during longer gaming sessions. 

Winner: Xiaomi 14T Pro

Software

• Xiaomi 14T Pro uses the HyperOS skin while OnePlus 12R uses OxygenOS
• Both handsets promise four years of OS updates
• OnePlus 12R lacks proper AI smarts

The biggest and most glaring difference between the two handsets comes from the lack of AI in the OnePlus 12R. It did get a small handful of features months after launch, but these are fairly limited in scope, focused mainly on removing people from images and transcribing audio.

On the other hand, the Xiaomi 14T Pro is packed with AI features from both Xiaomi and Google. 

While the bulk of the 14T Pro’s AI smarts relate to imaging, with tools including AI Expansion which lets you crop out from an image and fill in the gap with an accurate generative fill, there are also Xiaomi’s Notes and Recorder apps which allow you to transcribe and translate in real time. 

Aside from Xiaomi’s own AI tools, there’s also Google’s Circle to Search and Gemini, Google’s voice assistant. 

Otherwise, the 14T Pro sports Xiaomi’s revamped HyperOS which unfortunately comes packed with heaps of bloatware and adverts. In fact, our reviewer noticed adverts scattered throughout the 14T Pro handset, from the Theme store to Xiaomi’s Game Turbo overlay and even within home screen folders.

It’s a similar story with the OnePlus 12R, however our reviewer concluded that although there’s a bit of bloatware “most of it is at least well-designed and has some thought behind it.”

The two handsets will also benefit from four years of OS updates, taking both comfortably up to Android 19. 

Winner: Xiaomi 14T Pro

Battery

• Xiaomi 14T Pro supports 50W wireless charging
• The OnePlus 12R has a bigger battery cell
• Xiaomi 14T Pro has faster charging

Both handsets sport fast charging however the Xiaomi 14T Pro takes the lead with rapid 120W wired charge support. In fact, we found that it took just 23 minutes for the handset to reach 100% in tests. 

The OnePlus 12R still boasts impressively speedy charging performance with its 100W wired support that takes just 28 minutes to reach 100%. It’s just not quite as fast. In addition, the OnePlus 12R also sports a huge 5500mAh cell which helps the handset easily survive two days before a recharge is needed.

One big omission from the OnePlus 12R is its lack of wireless charging support, a convenient way to top your phone up on the go. The Xiaomi 14T Pro, on the other hand, supports a whopping 50W wireless charging which Xiaomi promises should take 45 minutes for a full recharge. 

It’s worth noting that to take advantage of the fast charging speeds, you will need to invest in compatible chargers for the 14T Pro as it doesn’t come with either charger in the box.

Winner: Xiaomi 14T Pro

Verdict

As both handsets are similarly priced in the UK, the Xiaomi 14T Pro is a clear winner thanks to its impressively powerful processor, excellent camera setup and AI toolkit that borrows from Google’s smarts. 

However, as the OnePlus 12R is older, you’re more likely to find yourself a bargain with this handset, so if you simply need a solid Android for everyday use and aren’t that fussed about AI features, then the OnePlus 12R should more than suffice. 

Buy the Xiaomi 14T Pro if…

You want an excellent camera set-up, faster charging and a powerful chipset that can handle AI tasks with ease.

Buy the OnePlus 12R if…

You want a solid all-rounder with an impressively fast, bright and crisp screen that makes everything from streaming to gaming smooth.