The OnePlus 12 may fix one of the OnePlus 11’s biggest mistakes

By Christine Romero-Chan October 23, 2023

Leaked OnePlus 12 render — OnePlus 12 render SmartPrix

OnePlus, which just launched its first folding phone, is set to release the OnePlus 12 in a few months. Now, the latest rumor suggests that it will be fixing one of the biggest mistakes of the OnePlus 11 and the OnePlus Open: the lack of wireless charging.

According to reliable leaker Max Jambor on X (formerly Twitter), the OnePlus 12 will revive wireless charging. Not only will it bring back wireless charging, but it will also wirelessly charge at 50-watt speeds to boot. This wireless charging rumor is also being touted by Digital Chat Station on Chinese social network Weibo.

OnePlus 12 does indeed bring back wireless charging at 50 Watts!

— Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) October 23, 2023

There’s a bit of history behind OnePlus and wireless charging. For years, the brand said that it was hesitant to include wireless charging because it was too slow. But when it released the OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 9 Pro, and OnePlus 10 Pro with wireless charging at 50-watt speeds, it impressed many. However, when the OnePlus 11 came out, wireless charging was mysteriously absent. OnePlus often brings up that fast charging via a cable is more useful since you can use your phone while it charges.

OnePlus also just released its first foldable, the OnePlus Open, with a price tag of $1,700. But even its most expensive phone doesn’t have wireless charging, even though its competitors, the Google Pixel Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, do.

OnePlus Open in Emerald Dusk showing Flexion Hinge standing up. — Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

At some point earlier this year, OnePlus did say that it was considering adding wireless charging back in future releases, but never specified when that would happen.

But as we approach the OnePlus 12 launch toward the end of this year or the start of next year, it’s likely we’ll see it return sooner rather than later. This would also make the OnePlus 12 a possible candidate to be one of the first Android phones equipped with Qi2 wireless charging, a technology built on Apple’s MagSafe standard that was introduced at CES 2023.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Christine Romero-Chan

Staff Writer, Mobile

Christine Romero-Chan has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade. She graduated from California…

Mobile

The worst thing has happened to one of 2023’s best Android phones

A person using the OnePlus 11.

I’ve been using the OnePlus 11 again, but if you press me on how I feel about the phone, you’re going to get a very cold, clinical answer.

I may say it’s very good for the price or that it does most of what you could want without spending a fortune, but I won’t say that I love it. I don’t actually feel anything for the OnePlus 11 because, since its release in February, it has become a bit … boring.
There's nothing wrong with the OnePlus 11

Mobile

Here’s our first look at OnePlus’ next Apple Watch killer

Leaked render of OnePlus Watch 2.

OnePlus’ first attempt at making a smartwatch was mostly a meh attempt, even though it looked extremely sleek. The biggest drawback, of course, was the software. It was essentially a bare-bones software reskinning atop a very basic real-time operating system (RTOS) foundation.
Put simply, it was a not an app-loving operating system and was far away from the deep functional goodness that the likes of Google’s Wear OS and Apple’s watchOS have to offer. The second attempt, which just surfaced online, could atone for those sins.
Leaker OnLeaks (via MySmartPrice) has shared alleged renders of the second-generation OnePlus Watch. Instead of mimicking what Samsung and Fossil have done with their smartwatches, OnePlus seems to be chasing an original design that blends a round dial and a flattened right edge reminiscent of Casio’s G-Shock series timepieces.

The metallic arms extend a little further from the main frame compared to what we’ve seen on Samsung’s recent Galaxy Watches. It’s a subjective aesthetic deviation, but from the top, it seems the arms could offer a more secure grip on the strap attachments.
But the juiciest elements of the latest leak are the chip inside and the software shift it could bring to the table. OnePlus will reportedly go for the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip, a wearable platform that is a familiar name in the Wear OS territory.
The leaked report doesn’t explicitly go into the details of a OnePlus-ified Wear OS experience on the smartwatch, but that Qualcomm chip is a little too overpowered for RTOS, so there’s that. There's also a separate report from leaker Max Jambor, who claims that the OnePlus Watch 2 will indeed be powered by Wear OS — specifically, Wear OS 4.
https://twitter.com/MaxJmb/status/1723031095896076776?s=20
Embracing Wear OS not only saves OnePlus the trouble of managing an entirely custom software experience on its own — it also adds a whole dimension of convenience for users. The biggest and most notable advantage would be the availability of apps and seamless cross-device linking with Android phones.

Mobile

2023’s newest folding phone is already putting Samsung to shame

Hinge view of OnePlus Open foldable phone.

OnePlus’ first foldable smartphone — the OnePlus Open — has had a far smoother sailing compared to Samsung’s debut. Of course, OnePlus relied heavily on sister company Oppo’s foldable experience to deliver a knockout device. The end product feels significantly more refined from an aesthetic perspective and raw camera prowess compared to Samsung’s latest offering.

But getting the hardware is only half the job done when it comes to foldable devices. Surprisingly, the OnePlus Open delivers a UI experience more polished than I had anticipated. I’ve been pushing the device for the past few weeks, and more than neat tricks, I’ve been surprised by the sheer fluidity of the OxygenOS experience on this one. The experience is particularly rewarding for app multitasking, and notably, it involves fewer barriers compared to what Samsung serves with One UI 6.
An incredible multitasking experience