Here’s Why I Bought the OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition

Brand collaborations in the smartphone space are rare but the few times two completely different companies have decided to collaborate, we’ve seen exceptionally unique devices. One of the brands that has always been at the forefront of unique collaborations is OnePlus.

From McLaren to Avengers, Cyberpunk, Pacman, Star Wars, and Genshin Impact, the firm has produced meaningful and eye-catching designs catering to their respective fanbases. Their recent collaboration for a Keqing-themed OnePlus 12R piqued my interest and as someone who loves Genshin Impact and at some point main-ed the character Keqing, I knew from the get-go that I had to buy it.

However, this isn’t OnePlus’ first Genshin collaboration as MiHoYo (Now HoYoverse) has collaborated with OnePlus before to bring Sucrose, Hu Tao, Xiangling, and Paimon-themed smartphones.

In the long gap between the phone’s announcement and sale, I did a lot of self-questioning but decided to buy it anyway for a few reasons. Here’s why I bought the OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition, or rather here’s me trying to justify why I bought the limited edition OnePlus 12R.

OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition Was Available in India!

The last time India got an exclusive limited edition OnePlus was the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition. A limited edition OnePlus making it to the subcontinent, let alone the themed edition of a game that’s not very popular in the country was a huge deal for me.

I’ve been playing Genshin Impact since its release in 2020 and it has me hooked with an impeccable storyline, characters, and serene locations. The phone’s availability in India alongside my enthusiasm for the game were good enough reasons to grab the OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact edition.

OnePlus 12R is a Good Offering

I’ve been rocking a Pixel 6 for almost three years and it was beginning to show its age. The OnePlus 12 series caught my eye, and while the vanilla OnePlus 12 was significantly out of my budget, the 12R, although lacking a few features (more on this later), seemed like a good upgrade. Although, I wasn’t keen on buying a OnePlus mainly due to the software and cameras, but was motivated by the Genshin Impact edition to get one.

I was a OnePlus user till the OnePlus 7T but when the company announced its decision to merge OxygenOS with ColorOS I wasn’t pleased and moved on. The current “OxygenOS” feels like a far departure from what OxygenOS originally was but I don’t hate it as much as I thought I would.

The OnePlus 12R is priced decently. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is fast, the battery life is excellent, and the cameras, although OnePlus could improve in the software processing department, click good pictures.

Besides, it has an excellent display and I found OxygenOS extremely responsive and interactive. The animations are smooth, the curved edges look great, and the phone retains OnePlus’ signature elements such as the Alert Slider.

Although, for a price of Rs 39,999 (~$479) for the base variant and Rs 45,999 (~$551) for the 16/256GB variant, it’s hard to ignore the lack of UFS 4.0 storage and a USB 3.1 Type-C port. It pains you even more when you pay upwards of Rs 49,999 and don’t get these features that are being offered by phones in the sub-25k segment like the POCO X6 Pro. I wish OnePlus had used UFS 4.0 in the Genshin Impact Edition of the OnePlus 12R. Does the custom gift box and packaging make it worth the money? I guess?

Extremely Nice Packaging, Lots of Goodies!

The Hu Tao and Sucrose editions still hold the crown for some of the best-looking Genshin Impact collaborations, and the Keqing one is a bit underwhelming but not too far behind. For starters, you get a Keqing-themed Case, a lightning stiletto SIM ejector that resembles Keqing’s elemental skill, a purple Keqing-themed SuperVOOC fast charger, a purple L-shaped charging cable with the light embedded in it, stickers, pins, stands, and a badge.

The unboxing experience was exceptional and you also get a “Letter to the traveler” which shows you how to assemble the box to showcase your OnePlus 12R. The letters in the Hu Tao and Sucrose editions contained codes for 1000x Primogems but the 12R Genshin Impact Edition doesn’t come with any (my disappointment is immeasurable, HoYo!)

Then we have the phone in its unique violet-purple color, with Keqing’s peacock feather accents found in her default outfit. The silky smooth texture on the back, combined with these unique elements and a custom Keqing text at the bottom with her lightning stiletto makes the phone a joy to hold and look at. It’s one of the best limited-edition phones I’ve held. The engraved “Keqing” text which appears when light is flashed on it is a nice touch.

I’m not a fan of the custom theme but I can tell you that the firms have paid great attention to detail. The live Keqing wallpaper to the static stiletto, fingerprint, charging animations, custom ringtones, and notification sounds will put a smile on the face of all Keqing mains.

OnePlus Should Bring More Collaborations to India

I got extremely lucky during the sale as the phone went out of stock in 30 seconds. I’m unsure about how many units of the OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition were on sale but they were probably only a few hundred judging by how soon the open sale ended.

Regardless, this is a sign that OnePlus should bring more limited-edition phones to India. Not necessarily Genshin Impact ones but like the ones it used to like McLaren, Avengers, and Star Wars. Limited edition devices are exciting, and I hope other manufacturers like Nothing, Xiaomi, and Samsung bring unique collaborations to the subcontinent and around the globe.

What are your thoughts on the OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition? Did you succeed in grabbing one for yourself? Let us know in the comments below.