The mobile phone industry in October was busier than expected.

OPPO, vivo, Honor, Xiaomi, Huawei... Almost all major phone manufacturers have preheated their new phone launches in advance, making it a feast for tech enthusiasts.

As the first phone launch event of October, following the introduction of the new OPPO K12 series on April 24, OPPO officially unveiled the OPPO K12 Plus series today.

Previously, the OPPO K series has been renowned for its balanced configuration and high cost-effectiveness. During this year's "618" shopping festival, the OPPO K12 series, which was launched just over a month ago, surged to the third place in sales within the thousand-yuan price range in the first week of "618" due to its durable design and long battery life.

As the Plus version of the K12 series, the OPPO K12 Plus has undergone significant upgrades in battery life and performance. According to the launch event, it is equipped with OPPO's largest battery ever, coupled with 80W SuperVOOC fast charging technology, allowing for a full charge in approximately 50 minutes. This battery life and charging speed are highly competitive among phones in the same price range.

Considering the special "Singles' Day" price of 1799 yuan, it seems that the domestic mid-range market has a new goalkeeper.

01. Large Battery, the New Standard for Mid-range Phones

Based on data from the second quarter of this year, China's smartphone shipments reached approximately 71.58 million units in Q2 2024, marking an 8.9% year-on-year growth and returning to 2022 levels. Canalys provided even more optimistic figures, with a long-awaited growth rate of nearly 10%, close to the global average of 12%.

While the overall growth rate still lags behind previous years, the current trajectory indicates a shift towards "quality over quantity." As the market warms up in the second half of the year, there are both opportunities and intensified competition.

Mid-range phones play a crucial role, often serving as the backbone of sales for manufacturers and a testing ground for innovative technologies. In this race, manufacturers are striving to differentiate themselves.

Large-capacity batteries have become a focus for many manufacturers.

On September 24th of this year, the iQOO Z9 Turbo+ with a massive 6400mAh battery was officially launched, and today's OPPO K12 Plus also boasts OPPO's largest-ever 6400mAh battery. Moreover, due to the use of a high-energy-density battery based on a high-voltage-resistant lithium cobalt oxide single-cell structure, the energy density has increased by 14% compared to the previous generation, allowing the phone to maintain a large battery capacity while only adding 6g to the overall weight.

It must be said that OPPO has developed its own expertise in the area of "lightweight yet long-lasting" batteries.

In terms of charging, the OPPO K12 Plus also supports the industry-leading long-lasting 80W SuperVOOC fast charging technology, which can charge the phone from 1% to 50% in just 20 minutes and to 100% in 53 minutes. Coupled with OPPO's self-developed "Smart Charging Engine 4.0," it offers long-term charging protection and can even charge normally in extremely cold conditions of -20°C. With OPPO's exclusive Smart Battery Health Algorithm and bionic electrolyte repair technology, the battery's health and durability are ensured for up to four years.

In low-battery mode, the OPPO K12 Plus still performs impressively, supporting over 5 hours of WeChat voice calls with 20% battery remaining and over 30 minutes of continuous calls with just 1% battery left.

In addition, OPPO K12 Plus offers a one-stop shared power bank service, with over 300 OPPO stores nationwide providing free SuperVOOC shared power banks and free charging time.

As previously emphasized in articles by Xinlichang, the future development direction of mid-range phones should gradually shift away from being purely "cost-effective" and towards "differentiation," even if this requires significant trade-offs in terms of specifications.

OPPO, by embracing large batteries while retaining plastic frames, seems to have found the right path.

02. A Powerful Performer with Style

In terms of design, the OPPO K12 Plus features a flat screen with a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED display, supporting high-frequency eye protection dimming and wet-hand touch capabilities. The back design carries on the legacy of the K12 series.

Regarding durability, the OPPO K12 Plus boasts impressive resilience, with a newly reinforced "Super Drop-resistant Diamond Frame Design" that provides shock protection on all six sides and corners. The corners are raised and reinforced, ensuring drop resistance from all angles.

Structurally, the OPPO K12 Plus employs a magnesium-aluminum metal frame that significantly reduces stress damage during drops. Notably, the motherboard is reinforced with a safety airbag design, further enhancing the phone's drop resistance and protecting critical components.

Although the highly anticipated "stiletto heel on screen" stunt did not occur at the launch event, a memorable "phone basketball" scene did take place.

One slight drawback is that the phone still uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, which has not seen significant upgrades from the previous generation. In comparison, the iQOO Z9 Turbo+, which also boasts a massive 6400mAh battery, is equipped with the more powerful Dimensity 9300+ chip. However, considering the OPPO K12 Plus's starting price of 1799 yuan, which is 400 yuan cheaper than the iQOO Z9 Turbo+, the difference in chips should not significantly impact sales.

In fact, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, fine-tuned by OPPO, performs admirably, effortlessly running multiple popular games at full frame rates, including "Honor of Kings" at 120 frames per second without any issues.

Furthermore, the OPPO K12 Plus supports Super Frame Interpolation and Game Frame Stabilization, enhancing game graphics and reducing frame rate fluctuations for a smoother gaming experience.

Inheriting OPPO's excellent imaging capabilities, the OPPO K12 Plus is equipped with a 50MP Sony IMX882 main camera with OIS optical image stabilization. With the support of OPPO's three flagship imaging algorithms - Ultra Vision Engine, Ultra Clear Engine, and Natural Bokeh Engine - it effortlessly captures stunning photos of landscapes and portraits. Additionally, it features an 112° ultra-wide-angle lens for capturing breathtaking vistas.

Of course, AI technology is not absent from this thousand-yuan phone. The OPPO K12 Plus integrates various AI features, including AI Removal, AI Cutout, AI Call Summary, and Xiao Bu Assistant, providing users with one-click smart removal, millisecond-level image cutout, automatic call summary generation, instant question-and-answer, and English translation capabilities.

The new AI Removal 2.0 function leverages an AI model to intelligently identify and remove passersby from photos, making it ideal for travel photography where unwanted subjects can easily intrude on your shots—a significant boon for photography enthusiasts.

*Images in the headline and article are sourced from the internet.