OnePlus has made a name for itself by offering flagship Android performance at a somewhat lower price, and while the phone's price has ballooned over the past decade, it is still well below the major players in terms of cost performance.

In a few weeks, this trend could become even more pronounced as OnePlus plans a global release of the OnePlus 12R. This is the first time an "R" series handset will be released outside of China and India, and it will be more sensible than the full-priced OnePlus 12 Price cuts should be made.

Here's what to expect from the OnePlus 12R.

OnePlus has confirmed that both the OnePlus 12 and 12R will be announced at the "Smooth Beyond Belief" event. The event will start on January 23, 2024 at 9:00 AM EST or 6:00 AM PST. A release shortly thereafter certainly makes sense.

As for pricing, that has not been determined at this time. However, given that this appears to be a rival to the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, a price around $599 does not seem out of the question.

Typically, OnePlus R phones have had limited launches, but that is changing with this model as CEO Pete Lau confirmed the US launch of the OnePlus 12R. In addition to India, we will be launching the OnePlus 12R in North America, Europe, and the rest of the world this time," CEO Lau said during an event with other OnePlus executives.

According to a recent leak from TechPlus, the OnePlus 12R will be priced at about $499 for a model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There are also reports that the model with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage will cost about $599 overseas.

There is no need to speculate about the OnePlus 12R's appearance; in late December, OnePlus shared a photo of a device that looks similar to recent OnePlus flagships. In fact, the 12R is nearly identical to what we've seen since the OnePlus 12's arrival in China. For what it's worth, the official images look similar to the renderings shared earlier by MySmartPrice and prolific tipster OnLeaks, but these renderings were white and not the blue and black colors OnePlus showed off.

As for the OnePlus 12R's specs, early leaks indicate that the phone will reportedly feature a 6.74-inch display. This is slightly smaller than the OnePlus 12's 6.82-inch panel. However, OnePlus has confirmed one aspect that the 12R will share with its premium flagship, namely that the OnePlus 12R's display will have a 120Hz refresh rate.

The biggest difference between the OnePlus 12R and the OnePlus 12 could be the phone's internals: the OnePlus 12 will be powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, while the 12R will have last year's model Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 rumored to be equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

Otherwise, the specs seem solid, and leaks indicate that the phone will start with 12GB RAM and offer up to 16GB configurations if it so chooses. In addition to confirming the display refresh rate, OnePlus also tells us that the OnePlus 12R will feature a 5,500mAh battery. Allegedly, the phone will also support fast charging right out of the box, but it is unclear how fast, as the U.S. versions of OnePlus phones often do not reach the maximum charging speed of OnePlus devices in other markets.

For camera specs, we can rely on recent revelations by reliable leaker Yogesh Brar.

Brar, posting on X (Twitter), stated that it will feature a triple camera array centered around a 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor. It will also come with a 32MP Sony IMX709 telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and an 8MP Sony IMX355 sensor for ultra-wide-angle photography The Hasselblad branding will only be used on the OnePlus 12 flagship model, Brar said.

The camera will be able to shoot 4K video at 60 fps, but that is still a compromise compared to the flagship OnePlus 12, which has a 48MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 64MP camera array with a 3x telephoto lens.

Not everyone expects the OnePlus 12R to have a telephoto lens. Another spec leak mentions a 50MP main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, while the third camera in the OnePlus 12R's rear array is described as a 2MP macro sensor.

At least according to the leaked specs so far, the OnePlus 12R, while not as powerful as the main OnePlus 12, appears to be a reasonable compromise for buyers looking to save a few bucks. The rumored specs seem solid, and the cuts seem to be made in sensible areas.

Much depends on the price, but if it comes in well below the OnePlus 12, this could be one of the best Android phones of 2024.