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Head to head

OnePlus 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

OnePlus 12 leads 9 to 7 on the 16 rankable specs and costs $500 less, which makes it the straightforward pick.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Manufacturer list price, not a live offer. Confirm current pricing before you buy.

OnePlus 12
$7999 spec wins
Swap
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
$1,2997 spec wins
Swap

Buying for

Every rankable spec counts once. Pick a lens to score only what matters for your phone.

Your devices

Select your ecosystem to flag non-functional features or platform lock-in.

Straight answer

Overall: 9 to 7

Buy the OnePlus 12.

  • Leads 9 of 16 rankable overall specs; Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra takes 7.
  • RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5X vs 12 GB
  • Capacity: 5,400 mAh vs 5,000 mAh
  • It is also $500 cheaper.

Check first: the OnePlus 12 has no stylus. the OnePlus 12 has under 5 years of OS updates. the OnePlus 12 is not IP68. Tick them under deal-breakers if that rules it out.

9 OnePlus 1216 rankable of 48 specsSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 7

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

  • row

    No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.

    Trips:OnePlus 12 · NoClear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE)
  • row

    Wired headphones need a USB-C dongle.

    Trips:OnePlus 12 · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
  • row

    Budget another $20 to $40 for a fast charger.

    Clear:OnePlus 12 · Yes (80W SUPERVOOC adapter included)Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
  • row

    Security patches stop sooner and resale value falls faster.

    Trips:OnePlus 12 · 4 major Android OS updates + 5 years se…Clear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · 7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years…
  • row

    Less dust and water protection than an IP68 rival.

    Trips:OnePlus 12 · IP65 (water resistant splash/spray)Clear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)
  • row

    Storage is fixed at what you buy.

    Trips:OnePlus 12 · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No

At a glance

The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.

6 of 6 differ

Weight

OnePlus

220 g

Samsung

219 g (7.72 oz)

Size

OnePlus

6.82 inches

Samsung

6.9 inches

Chipset

OnePlus

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm)

Samsung

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)

RAM

OnePlus

16 GB LPDDR5X

Samsung

12 GB (16 GB option)

Max optical zoom

OnePlus

3x optical (6x in-sensor zoom / 120x digital)

Samsung

5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom)

Capacity

OnePlus

5,400 mAh (dual-cell)

Samsung

5,000 mAh

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.

Post-Purchase Truths

OnePlus: What to watch for

  • Hidden Cost

    No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.

    Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

Samsung: What to watch for

  • Hidden Cost

    No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.

    Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

Body

leads 2-0
Body specifications. Middle column is OnePlus 12, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Dimensions164.3 × 75.8 × 9.15 mm162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm
Weight220 g219 g (7.72 oz) (wins this row: lower)
BuildCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front, glass back, aluminum frameTitanium frame with Gorilla Armor 2 front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back
Water / dust ratingIP65 (water resistant splash/spray)IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)
ColorsSilky Black, Flowy EmeraldTitanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver
StylusNoYes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE) (wins this row: has it)

Display

8 differences
Display specifications. Middle column is OnePlus 12, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
TypeProXDR LTPO AMOLED with Aqua TouchDynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X
Size6.82 inches6.9 inches (wins this row: higher)
Resolution1440 × 3168 (2K)3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher)
Pixel density~510 ppi (wins this row: higher)505 ppi
Refresh rate1–120 Hz dynamic120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO)
Peak brightness4,500 nits peak / 1,600 nits HBM (wins this row: higher)2,600 nits peak
HDRDolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLGHDR10+, HLG
ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2Corning Gorilla Armor 2 (anti-reflective)
Always-on displayYesYes

Platform

5 differences
Platform specifications. Middle column is OnePlus 12, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Operating systemOxygenOS 14 based on Android 14Android 15 (One UI 7)
Software support4 major Android OS updates + 5 years security7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years security updates
ChipsetSnapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm)Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)
CPU8-core (1× Cortex-X4 + 5× A720 + 2× A520)8-core Oryon CPU (2× 4.47 GHz Prime + 6× 3.53 GHz Performance)
GPUAdreno 750Adreno 830

Memory

leads 2-0
Memory specifications. Middle column is OnePlus 12, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
RAM16 GB LPDDR5X (wins this row: higher)12 GB (16 GB option)
Storage512 GB UFS 4.0 (wins this row: higher)256 GB
Storage options256 GB / 512 GB256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (UFS 4.0)
microSDNoNo

Rear camera

leads 3-1
Rear camera specifications. Middle column is OnePlus 12, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Main50 MP Sony LYT-808, f/1.6, 23 mm, 1/1.4", OIS200 MP (f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS) (wins this row: higher)
Ultrawide48 MP Sony IMX581, f/2.2, 14 mm, 114° FOV50 MP (f/1.9, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF, macro) (wins this row: higher)
Telephoto64 MP OmniVision OV64B periscope, f/2.6, 70 mm, 3x optical, OIS (wins this row: higher)50 MP 5x periscope (f/3.4, 115mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) + 50 MP 3x (f/2.4, 67mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS)
Max optical zoom3x optical (6x in-sensor zoom / 120x digital)5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom) (wins this row: higher)
StabilizationOIS on main and periscope telephotoOIS on main and both telephoto cameras
Video8K 24 fps, 4K 30/60 fps Dolby Vision HDR8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+, 10-bit LOG video

Front camera

leads 1-0
Front camera specifications. Middle column is OnePlus 12, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Selfie camera32 MP Sony IMX615, f/2.4 (wins this row: higher)12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF)
Selfie video4K 30 fps4K at 30/60 fps

Battery & charging

leads 3-0
Battery & charging specifications. Middle column is OnePlus 12, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Capacity5,400 mAh (dual-cell) (wins this row: higher)5,000 mAh
Wired chargingNot on the official sheet80 W SUPERVOOC (100W international) (wins this row: higher)45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min)
Wireless charging50 W AIRVOOC wireless15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0
Reverse wireless10 W reverse wireless4.5W Wireless PowerShare
Charger in boxYes (80W SUPERVOOC adapter included) (wins this row: has it)No

Audio

1 differences
Audio specifications. Middle column is OnePlus 12, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
SpeakersDual stereo speakers with Dolby AtmosStereo speakers tuned by AKG
Headphone jackNoNo

Connectivity

5 differences
Connectivity specifications. Middle column is OnePlus 12, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Cellular5G (sub-6 + mmWave)5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be tri-band)
BluetoothBluetooth 5.4Bluetooth 5.4
NFCYesYes (Samsung Pay / Google Pay)
USBUSB-C 3.2 Gen 1USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort video out)
SIMDual SIM (nano-SIM + eSIM)Dual eSIM / Nano-SIM + eSIM

Features

3 differences
Features specifications. Middle column is OnePlus 12, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
BiometricsUltra-fast optical in-display fingerprint + face unlockUltrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock
Extra controls3-position Alert Slider, IR blasterS Pen air gestures
Standout featuresAqua Touch wet-finger technology, Hasselblad Color Calibration, Trinity EngineBuilt-in S Pen, Galaxy AI 2.0 (Now Brief, Live Translate, Sketch to Image), Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2, Samsung DeX
Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

OnePlus 12

Value flagship with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 5400mAh battery, 80W wired charging, and 4th Gen Hasselblad camera.

  • Incredible value with top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 performance
  • Super-fast 80W wired and 50W wireless charging with charger in box
  • Massive 5,400 mAh battery capacity

What you give up

  • IP65 rating is lower than IP68 competitors
  • Curved display glass is more prone to accidental touches

Pick this one if

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Flagship titanium smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, built-in S Pen, 200MP quad camera with 50MP ultrawide and 50MP 5x telephoto, and Galaxy AI.

  • Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm custom Galaxy performance
  • Upgraded 50MP ultra-wide and dual 50MP telephoto sensors with 200MP main
  • Corning Gorilla Armor 2 anti-reflective display and built-in S Pen stylus

What you give up

  • Premium $1,299 starting price
  • Wired charging remains at 45W

Best for each use

Photos

Camera first: zoom reach, sensors, stabilisation and video

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

  • Leads 3 of 5 rankable photos specs; OnePlus 12 takes 2.
  • Max optical zoom: 5x optical zoom vs 3x optical
  • Main: 200 MP vs 50 MP Sony LYT-808, f/1.6, 23 mm, 1/1.4", OIS
  • OnePlus 12 is $500 cheaper. Pay the difference only if max optical zoom matters to you.

Battery & updates

All-day battery, fast top-ups and years of software support

For battery & updates, buy the OnePlus 12.

  • Leads 3 of 3 rankable battery & updates specs.
  • Capacity: 5,400 mAh vs 5,000 mAh
  • Wired charging: 80 W SUPERVOOC vs 45W fast wired charging
  • It is also $500 cheaper.

Games & video

Games and streaming: chip, refresh rate, brightness, speakers

For games & video, buy the OnePlus 12.

  • Leads 2 of 3 rankable games & video specs; Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra takes 1.
  • RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5X vs 12 GB
  • Peak brightness: 4,500 nits peak / 1,600 nits HBM vs 2,600 nits peak
  • It is also $500 cheaper.

Every answer above is scored from published figures. A lens uses only the rows that matter for that use, including marked rows that are not on the official sheet. Switch lenses interactively in the panel above.

Done deciding?

Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.

Manufacturer pages: OnePlus 12 · Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the OnePlus 12 or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

OnePlus 12 costs $500 less at list price.

What is the biggest catch with the OnePlus 12 or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

OnePlus 12 has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.

Which is better for photos, the OnePlus 12 or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Leads 3 of 5 rankable photos specs; OnePlus 12 takes 2. Max optical zoom: 5x optical zoom vs 3x optical

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 48 specs tracked here, 32 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.

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