Newsletter
This time around we’re comparing two sister flagships, the OnePlus 12 vs Vivo X100 Ultra. Why do we say sister flagships? Well, these two phones come from sister companies, both of which are under the BBK Electronics umbrella. These two devices do look similar from the front, but there are a number of differences here that we’ll talk about. There are some similarities, but also a lot of differences.
As per usual, we will kick things off by listing the specifications of both devices. Following that, we’ll compare their designs, display, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output. Both of these devices are large flagship offerings, and both of them are compelling in their own regard. With that being said, let’s get down to it.
Specs
OnePlus 12 vs Vivo X100 Ultra, respectively
– Screen size:
6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED display (curved, 120Hz LTPO, HDR10+, 4,500 nits)
6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display (curved, adaptive 120Hz, HDR, 3,000 nits max brightness)
– Display resolution:
3168 x 1440
3200 x 1440
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
– RAM:
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (f/1.6 aperture, 23mm lens, 1.12um pixel size, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, 14mm lens, 114-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture, 0.8um pixel size, PDAF), 64MP (periscope telephoto, 0.7um pixel size, OIS, PDAF, 3x optical zoom, 6x “in-sensor” zoom)
50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 23mm lens, 1-inch type sensor, 1.6um pixel size, PDAF, gimbal OIS), 50MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 116-degree FoV, 14mm lens, 0.8um pixel size, 1/2-inch sensor), 200MP (periscope telephoto, macro, f/2.7 aperture, OIS, PDAF, 3.7x optical zoom, 1/1.4-inch sensor, 0.56um pixel size)
– Front cameras:
32MP (f/2.4 aperture, 0.8um pixel size)
50MP (wide, f/2.5 aperture, 0.64um pixel size, 1/2.76-inch sensor)
– Battery:
5,400mAh
5,500mAh
– Charging:
100W wired, 50W wireless, reverse wireless (charger included)
80W wired, 30W wireless, 5W reverse wired (charger included)
– Dimensions:
164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm
164.1 x 75.6 x 9.2 mm
– Weight:
220 grams
229 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.4
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) & facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic) & facial scanning
– OS:
Android 14 with OxygenOS 14
Android 14 with OriginOS 4
– Price:
$799.99+
CNY6,499+ ($898)
– Buy:
OnePlus 12 (Best Buy)
Vivo X100 Ultra (China only)
OnePlus 12 vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Design
If you look at these two phones from the front, you’ll notice how similar they are. Both phones offer the so-called ‘glass sandwich’ designs. Their front and back sides are curved towards the sides, into the frame. The side frame is thin on both phones due to that fact, it’s not flat. Both phones are made out of aluminum and glass, by the way. You will notice a curved display on the front, with a centered display camera hole.
The bezels around the two displays are very thin, while physical buttons sit on the right-hand side of both devices. The OnePlus 12 also has the alert slider switch on the left-hand side. The OnePlus 12 includes a circular camera island in the top-left corner. The Vivo X100 Ultra has an even larger camera oreo which is centered in the upper portion of the phone’s backplate. Both devices do offer three rear-facing cameras.
The two devices are almost identical in terms of height and width, the difference is less than 1mm. They are exactly the same when it comes to thickness. The Vivo X100 Ultra is 9 grams heavier than the OnePlus 12. Both devices do offer water and dust resistance, but the Vivo X100 Ultra is a bit better in that regard. It offers an IP68 certification, compared to an IP65 rating on the OnePlus 12. Both devices are very slippery, which is not surprising considering their glass + metal design. Using a case is recommended. The build quality is really good on both sides, though.
OnePlus 12 vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Display
The OnePlus 12 includes a 6.82-inch QHD+ (3168 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. That panel is curved, and it has an adaptive refresh rate. It can project up to 1 billion colors and supports Dolby Vision too. HDR10+ content is supported here, while the peak brightness is 4,500 nits, in theory. The screen-to-body ratio of the OnePlus 12 is around 90%, while the display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
The Vivo X100 Ultra, on the flip side, has a 6.78-inch 3200 x 1440 LTPO AMOLED display. That panel is also curved, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It can project up to 1 billion colors, and it also supports Dolby Vision. HDR content is supported too, while the peak brightness of this panel is 3,000 nits. The display aspect ratio is 20:9, while the screen-to-body ratio is set at around 89%. The display protection is unknown.
Both of these panels are outstanding. They’re not only vivid and bright but have great viewing angles too. The blacks are deep as you’d expect them to be, while the touch response is also very good. Both displays do get more than bright enough, even in direct sunlight. We don’t really know what sort of display protection the Vivo X100 Ultra offers, so you may want to keep the screen protector on. The OnePlus 12 is well-equipped in that regard.
OnePlus 12 vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC fuels both of these smartphones. That is Qualcomm’s most powerful processor, it is a 4nm chip. Both devices also offer up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and utilize UFS 4.0 flash storage. Neither company skimped out on the performance-related components, which is always good to see. Great hardware only gets you so far, though. The question is, do both of these devices offer good performance?
The answer is yes, they do, very much so. Do note that the Vivo X100 Ultra does not come with Google Play Services out of the box, though. You’ll need to install the Google Play Store manually if you decide to import this phone, as it’s not sold outside of China. Both phones do offer great performance, across the board. They do great in terms of regular, everyday tasks, such as opening apps, consuming multimedia, image editing, browsing, etc. The same can be said for the gaming aspect, though.
With less demanding games, they do a fantastic job, but very demanding games are not a problem either. Both of these phones can easily run Genshin Impact and other truly graphically-demanding titles. They will get quite warm after a while, but that won’t affect the gameplay. The OnePlus 12 in particular has a great cooling system, so that’s always a good thing. The bottom line is, don’t worry about the performance here, both of these phones are up to the task.
OnePlus 12 vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Battery
There is a 5,400mAh battery included inside the OnePlus 12. The Vivo X100 Ultra, on the flip side, has a 5,500mAh battery on the inside. You’ll be glad to know that both of these devices offer great battery life. They offer some of the best battery life numbers out of any flagship from this generation, actually. Getting over 7 hours of screen-on-time is not a problem, and some of you could even go over the 8-hour mark. Gaming and other demanding processes could affect that, though, of course.
Even if you’re a demanding user, these two phones will do the trick. The battery life is that good. Yes, those large battery packs do help the matter, but both phones are also well-optimized. Even if you end up draining them sooner than you’d hope, however, you’ll be able to easily amend that as they both offer fast charging. Speaking of which, let’s see what exactly do they offer in that regard.
The OnePlus 12 supports 100W wired (80W in the US), 80W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. The Vivo X100 Ultra, on the flip side, supports 80W wired, 30W wireless, and reverse wired charging. It is worth noting that both devices ship with chargers in the box too. So you’ll be ready to go. In regards to wired charging, they’re both blazing fast, while the OnePlus 12 has the advantage in terms of wireless charging, if that’s what you prefer.
OnePlus 12 vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Cameras
The OnePlus 12 has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultrawide unit (114-degree FoV), and a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). The Vivo X100 Ultra, on the flip side, includes a 50-megapixel main camera (1-inch type sensor, gimbal OIS), a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (116-degree FoV), and a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3.7x optical zoom, macro). OnePlus’ handset is backed by Hasselblad, while the Vivo X100 Ultra has ZEISS support.
Technically speaking, the Vivo X100 Ultra has a more powerful camera setup. It has a 1-inch main camera sensor, not to mention an immensely capable periscope telephoto camera. They both do a great job, though. They both provide great-looking photos during the day, though the ones from the OnePlus 12 are a bit more contrasty. Images from the Vivo X100 Ultra tend to look more processed at times, not in a bad way, though. Secondary cameras do a good job of keeping up with the color profile of the two main cameras here
The Vivo X100 Ultra takes the cake when it comes to high-zoom images. It also does a better job with portrait shots, and macro photography as well. That periscope telephoto camera is immensely powerful. Both ultrawide cameras are great during the day. When the light goes away, both main cameras do a great job. The images from the OnePlus 12 do end up looking more contrasty in such conditions too, though. The Vivo X100 Ultra does a better job of fighting light flares in low light. Both of these smartphones do a great job when it comes to photography.
Audio
You’ll find a set of stereo speakers on both of these smartphones. They are actually very similar in terms of loudness too. They’re not the loudest speakers we’ve used, not even close. They are, however, well-balanced and offer good sound output.
Neither phone includes an audio jack, unfortunately. You can, however, use their Type-C ports if you’d like to connect your wired headphones. If you prefer wireless connectivity, you’ll realize that Bluetooth 5.4 is available on both devices.