They’re both vying to be among the best phones you can get for under Rs 35,000. But they’re about as different as chalk and cheese. One promises terrific photography and insane fast charging, while the other is loaded with a load of CPU power and clean software. Both also climb up the price scale. So which of the two should you choose – the recently launched OnePlus Nord 3 or the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus? Let us try to figure this out for you.
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: Design and appearance
They both sport tall screens, straight sides and slightly curved backs, and come with a glass front and back, but there’s no way to mistake a OnePlus Nord 3 for a Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. or vice versa.
The Nord 3 follows OnePlus’ minimalist approach to design, and its Misty Green variant has a slightly glossy finish while the Tempest Gray has a more matte touch. The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is more flashy with its glossy Arctic White, Iceberg White and Obsidian Black colors.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus has also placed its three cameras on a rectangular camera unit that protrudes very strikingly, while the Nord 3 has placed its three cameras in two fairly large spherical enclosures at the back.
The Nord 3 is slightly more compact, measuring 162.6mm versus the Note’s 162.9mm, is significantly thinner (8.1mm versus 8.9mm) and is also lighter at 193.5g versus 208g , but the difference is usually not very apparent.
The Nord 3 also sports narrower bezels around its screen, which is actually slightly larger than the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. Both phones are splash resistant, although the Nord 3 has an IP54 rating compared to the IP53 on the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus comes with Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front, while the OnePlus Nord 3 comes with Dragontrail Glass protection.
All told, we think the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is the more likely of the two devices to turn heads thanks to its flashier back and distinct camera, although those who prefer something understated might like the OnePlus Nord 3.
Winner: Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: Display
Both phones come with AMOLED FHD+ displays with a 120Hz refresh rate, which can change depending on the content displayed on it.
The OnePlus Nord 3 has a slightly larger screen at 6.74-inches compared to the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus’ 6.67-inch screen though, and also has a higher resolution – 2,772 x 1,240 pixels compared to 2,400 x 1080 pixels.
We also felt the OnePlus Nord’s screen was brighter, although colors looked a bit more vibrant on the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus. The higher resolution and brightness win this one for the Nord 3.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 3
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: Processor
Both phones run on MediaTek Dimensity processors. But on very different levels.
The OnePlus Nord 3 runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor, while the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chip. The Dimensity 1080 is a good midrange processor, but the Dimensity 9000 is a level chip flagship and is also found on much more expensive devices. This is undoubtedly a victory for the OnePlus Nord 3.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 3
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: RAM and storage
It’s a very interesting battle. The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus has a storage advantage with 256GB for its two variants, with RAM being 8GB in both. The OnePlus Nord 3, meanwhile, comes in 128GB and 256GB storage variants, with 8GB and 16GB of RAM.
Simply put, the base Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus has as much RAM and twice the storage as the base OnePlus Nord 3, while the top-end OnePlus Nord 3 has twice the RAM and the same storage as the high-end Redmi Note 12. Pro Plus.
The OnePlus Nord 3, however, wins based on higher quality RAM and storage, LPDDR5X and UFS 3.1, compared to LPDDR4X and UFS 2.2 on the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 3
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: Camera
Both phones come with plenty of core muscle sensors. The OnePlus Nord 3 sports the same 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 with OIS found in the flagship OnePlus 11, but the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus comes with a very formidable 200-megapixel Samsung HPX sensor with OIS. And it’s really a battle between these two sensors, as the others on both phones are very very similar – an 8-megapixel 2-megapixel ultra-wide macro on the back, and a 16-megapixel selfie snapper on the front. .
In terms of performance, both phones offer excellent shots from the main sensors, ultra-wide sensors and barely usable macros. We felt the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus generally offered better detail and slightly richer colors.
The extra megapixels on the sensor also allowed us to get really good shots even after cropping out parts of it, providing a zoom-like experience. The Nord 3 seemed to take better selfies, but if you focus on photography, we think the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is superior.
Winner: Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: Games and multimedia
The OnePlus Nord 3 has the gaming department all stitched up. It has a better processor, larger and higher resolution screen, and faster storage and RAM. All of this makes it by far the best phone for anyone looking to do high-end gaming – you can play most titles on high settings.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is very good for casual gaming, but enter the high-end zone and the settings will need to be tweaked for it to work. That said, we felt the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus gave it a good performance when it comes to viewing content – its display is good and the speakers seemed better in terms of audio quality.
Some might also like that the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus has a 3.5mm audio jack. Overall, the OnePlus Nord 3 is the better option here.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 3
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: Software
This is a clash between two very different UI cultures. On the one hand you have OnePlus’ clean, minimalist OxygenOS and on the other Xiaomi’s feature-rich MIUI.
Which one you prefer will be a very personal choice – we think those who like to customize the way their phone’s user interface looks will prefer OxygenOS, while those who want things to work from the moment they take the phone out of the box would prefer MIUI.
For us, the deciding factor here is the fact that the OnePlus Nord 3 runs on Android 13, while the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus runs (rather oddly) on Android 12, despite having been updated to MIUI 14. The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus should get the Android 13 update soon, but until it does (and it’s already taken a while to get there), this cycle is firmly in OnePlus’ favour.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 3
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: General use
In common use, there wasn’t too much to separate the two phones. Whether browsing the web, tracking social media, or exchanging emails and messages, both phones performed equally well. Multitasking also worked very well, as both devices have at least 8GB of RAM.
Both phones have 5G connectivity and also come with IR blasters, so they can be used as remote controls with devices like TVs and air conditioners.
We felt that the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus handled calls a little better and that its side-mounted fingerprint scanner performed better than the OnePlus Nord 3’s in-screen fingerprint scanner (a common occurrence with in-screen scanners), but then the OnePlus Nord 3 was slightly more compact and still offered a bigger screen. We call this one a tie.
Winner: Tie
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: Battery life and charging
The OnePlus Nord 3 comes with a 5000mAh battery supporting 80W charging, while the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus comes with a 4980mAh battery supporting 120W charging.
In terms of battery life as well as charging speed, the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus has a clear advantage over the Nord 3. It comfortably lasted beyond a day and a half of use, while the Nord 3 lasted about a day and a half. .
The Nord 3 can be charged from zero to 100% in just over half an hour, while the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is charged in around 20-22 minutes. It’s a clear win for the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus here.
Winner: Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: Price
In terms of price, the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus has a clear advantage over the OnePlus Nord 3. The Note is available at Rs 29,999 for its 8GB + 256GB variant and Rs 32,999 for its 12GB + 256GB variant .
This is well below the Rs 33,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant and Rs 37,999 for the 16GB + 256GB variant of the OnePlus Nord 3.
If money is tight, then the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus is the better option here – you can get the top-end Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus for less than the price of the base OnePlus Nord 3.
Winner: Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus
OnePlus Nord 3 vs Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus: final verdict
So which of the two to choose? As you can see, the contest between them is very tight – with the Nord 3 winning on five fronts and the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus on four, with one round tied.
We think a lot really comes down to how much you value CPU power and gaming. If they matter a lot, then the OnePlus Nord 3 is for you, as it has both a better processor and faster RAM. However, take the processor out of the picture and the Redmi Note is back in contention.
The Xiaomi device has a very good camera (better than the OnePlus, we think) and it comes with much faster charging.
The Nord 3 has much cleaner and newer software, but the Note 12 Pro Plus software lets you do so much more right out of the box.
We recommend the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus to someone who wants a great all-around device that looks flashier but isn’t too into gaming (and also wants to save a few bucks). However, if you need a powerful processor, as well as the OnePlus feel, choosing between these two phones is a no-brainer.