OnePlus 12R Sunset Dune hands-on: A stunning addition to the OnePlus portfolio

I've always maintained that OnePlus is at its best when designing unique color options, and the company has a rich heritage in this area. Last year's OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey edition showcased just how innovative is at unique designs, and it followed that up with the gorgeous OnePlus 11R Solar Red, one of my favorite phones of 2023.

OnePlus is continuing that momentum this year; we already got the OnePlus 12 Glacial White, and the company is now introducing a new color option of the OnePlus 12R. Dubbed Sunset Dune, the variant is a combination of pink and soft gold hues that makes the phone stand out that much more against the standard blue and grey models.

OnePlus does a good job explaining its methodology behind new color variants, and it notes that the Sunset Dune edition is designed to capture the "transcendent beauty of flowing dunes bathed in the evening sun." I like the bold hue of the standard 12R, but the Sunset Dune edition has a distinct visual characteristic that is just brilliant. 

Although OnePlus says that the Sunset Dune edition is "tactilely sublime" (whatever that means), what would have made the phone stand out a little more is if it featured a matte or gritty texture, similar to Sandstone models in the past. Given the color option and the narrative behind the naming, a matte back would have been ideal in this situation, but that isn't the case — the OnePlus 12R Sunset Dune has the same glossy coat as the standard model. 

This is what the manufacturer has to say about the colorway: "The delicate fusion of gold and pink creates a visual symphony that echoes the wind-sculpted sand's serene and majestic contours. This new variant of the OnePlus 12R offers users an experience that is visually and tactilely sublime, with a texture that is smooth to the touch, reminiscent of the flawless surface of desert dunes."

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Thankfully, the Sunset Dune model has matte sides — just like the standard edition — and that makes holding and using the phone a little easier. The pink and gold hue looks great in its own right, and what I like the most about the design is the color-matched camera housing and sides; this uniformity allows the 12R Sunset Dune edition to look that little bit upmarket.

Otherwise, the same design touches remain; the camera housing has a glittery texture that shines when light is reflected onto it, and the design of the housing continues to be among the best around. In fact, the OnePlus 12R Sunset Dune is one of the best-looking devices in this segment, and OnePlus absolutely did the right thing by emulating the design of the regular OnePlus 12.

Switching over to the hardware, there isn't anything different to the standard OnePlus 12R; the Sunset Dune edition gets the same 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and you get a 50MP camera at the back, 5500mAh battery that lasts nearly two days, and 100W charging tech.

Now, the same issues I have with the 12R are carried over here as well — the Sunset Dune model will get three platform updates, one less than the OnePlus 12 and the mid-range Nord 4. But the bigger issue is that the 8MP wide-angle lens is just not good enough, and colors don't have the same vibrancy as the main lens.

The software itself is identical to what you get on every other OnePlus phone based on Android 14, and while the interface has a lot of overt styling, it is fluid in daily use, and has a ton of customization. I don't have any issues with the software as such, and while it would have been nice to integrate additional Material You design elements, that isn't the way OxygenOS is going.

Ultimately, what makes the Sunset Dune such an enticing option is that it doesn't cost any extra — it is available in a single 8GB/256GB model, and it costs ₹42,999 ($514) in India. Similar to other limited editions models released by OnePlus in recent years, the 12R Sunset Dune edition isn't making its way outside India. But if you're in the country and are looking to get a new phone, the styling of the Sunset Dune model is different enough that I can recommend it over the regular Cool Blue edition.

To sweeten the deal, OnePlus is throwing in the Buds 3 with every purchase. While I like the Cool Blue 12R, I think the Sunset Dune model is a better choice if you need a phone that looks equal parts stylish and elegant. In my OnePlus 12R review, I said that the device is a much better value than the standard model, and that hasn't changed as we head to the tail end of 2024 — this is still one of the best mid-range phones available today.