More OnePlus 12 specs have been teased over on OnePlus' official Weibo page, and one that's particularly attention-grabbing is the promise that the new phone will feature an IP65 dust/water resistance rating.
On the positive side, since the current OnePlus 11 has an IP64 rating, the new model is an improvement on this. The bad news is that this is not quite as good as the IP68 rating found on the current Galaxy S23 series, the iPhone 15 series, likely the incoming Galaxy S24 series and many of the best phones sold in the past several years.
IP ratings are set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to measure how well an electronic device like a phone can defend itself against intrusion from dust and water. The first number in the rating refers to solid particle protection, and the second to liquid protection.
Per the IEC website, an IPx5-rated device like the OnePlus 12 is resistant to water sprayed from jets from all directions. An IPx8-rated device however can be submerged in water for an extended period without any ill effects.
OnePlus has long promised that its flagship phones are waterproof, but it's gone back and forth on getting this properly tested. The 2020 OnePlus 8 Pro was OnePlus' first phone to offer an IP68 rating, and the OnePlus 9 series that followed did too. However, that disappeared for the OnePlus 10 Pro, with the OnePlus 11 now offering an IP64 rating — officially tested but lower than previous models in the series.
It's not just the IP rating of its phones that OnePlus keeps changing its mind on, with wireless charging being another prominent example. After selling several phones with rapid wireless charging systems, the OnePlus 11 didn't even offer the common Qi charging standard. Wireless charging is set to return to the OnePlus 12, so hopefully OnePlus won't change its mind again.
The IP rating of its next phone isn't all OnePlus had to reveal. Further Weibo posts have confirmed that the phone will come with a chunky 5,400 mAh battery, larger than the vast majority of Android flagship phones' 5,000 mAh cells. This battery will apparently be powered up with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, the same wired speed as the OnePlus 11, but with the wireless charging standard of the OnePlus 10 Pro and older models on top.
The OnePlus 12 also looks to be futureproofing its connectivity offerings, with both the latest Bluetooth 5.4 standard, and USB 3.2 Gen1 wired data transfer speeds. OnePlus also mentioned the phone's watch-inspired "TIME Design" again, showing off the phone in its green, black and white colorways.
OnePlus is actually launching the 12 tomorrow, December 5, but only for the Chinese market. A global launch date will be announced on December 15, which likely in early 2024, when you can expect to see the phone finally go up for sale with your local retailers and mobile carriers.
