What I like the most about OnePlus is its ability to churn out limited-edition variants of its phones. This isn’t something new either; the first limited-edition OnePlus device was the 5T Star Wars edition that debuted back in 2017, and since then we got plenty of standout collaborations, including the McLaren 7T Pro, Pac-Man Nord 2, and the Harry Potter OnePlus Watch.
While the limited-run collaborations are always enticing, OnePlus regularly releases custom colorways, and these are no less special. Last year saw the introduction of the OnePlus 11 Marble Odyssey, which had a gorgeous marble design with no two devices featuring the same pattern at the back, and my favorite was the OnePlus 11R Solar Red.
Earlier this year, OnePlus showcased the Genshin Impact 12R, which is easily the manufacturer’s most ambitious effort yet. The company is now following it up with the launch of the OnePlus 12 Glacial White, a striking new white color variant of the OnePlus 12 that looks elegant.
The OnePlus 12 already looks incredible in the standard Flowy Emerald color option, which is inspired by flowing rivers and has an etched design with a bold green hue and a satin texture that’s great in daily use. OnePlus did a good job using the same hue within the camera island, and the metal encircling the cameras, which then flows into the mid-frame.
The Glacial White variant has all the same design characteristics, and it switches out the patterned texture at the back for a smooth white finish. Obviously, it isn’t as flamboyant a design as we’re used to from OnePlus — particularly with its limited editions — but it is elegant, and it highlights the camera island a little better.
Talking about the camera island, each module now gets a chrome accent, and there’s a shimmery silver design within the island that accentuates the cameras. You still get the stylized H logo to the left that indicates the Hasselblad integration, and the steel mid-frame contrasts well with the white color scheme.
The only point of contention with the design is that the OnePlus 12 Glacial White has a glossy back; a matte texture would have made the device feel a little better in-hand, and hid smudges. Similarly, the sides also have a glossy coat, and the standard black model is the only option if you want a OnePlus 12 with a matte finish.
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Other than that, the design is identical to the regular OnePlus 12; you get the alert slider on the left, the power and volume buttons on the right, the SIM card tray at the bottom to the left of the USB-C port, stereo sound, and an IR blaster that’s located up top.
Because of that oversized camera island, there’s no wobble when using the OnePlus 12 Glacial White on a table, and it has the same dimensions — and weighs the same at 220g — as the standard model. The in-hand feel is great thanks to the curves at the front and back along with rounded corners, and it has a good heft to it.
The hardware itself is unchanged, and that’s a good thing; the OnePlus 12 Glacial White has the same 6.82-inch AMOLED as the standard model, and it is just as vibrant here. Colors look vivid, there’s plenty of customizability, and it continues to be one of the brightest AMOLED panels on any device today.
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You get the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, and I would have liked to see a 16GB/512GB model instead; limited editions usually get the highest storage configuration, but that isn’t the case this time.
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Cameras are identical to the regular model, and you get a 50MP Sony LYT-808 with a 1/1.4-inch sensor and OIS, 64MP telephoto lens with OIS, and 6x in-sensor zoom, and a 48MP wide-angle lens with autofocus. The camera is easily the best of any OnePlus phone, and while it’s not quite on par with the likes of the Find X7 Ultra, Xiaomi 14 Ultra, and Magic 6 Pro, it comes mighty close, and that’s an achievement in and of itself.
As for the software, the OnePlus 12 Glacial White runs OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14 out of the box, and my unit had a day-one update that installed the April 2024 security patch. The software had a few issues at launch, but that isn’t the case now, and it is fluid in daily use and comes with plenty of useful features.
Ultimately, the OnePlus 12 Glacial White doesn’t feel quite as special as earlier limited-edition models. That said, the white color option looks elegant, and makes the OnePlus 12 look just that little bit more upmarket. If you didn’t like the look of the existing color variants, the Glacial White is a notable addition to the OnePlus 12 portfolio.
Like the best limited-edition models released by OnePlus over the years, the OnePlus 12 Glacial White is exclusive to India, and won’t make its way to other regions. While that’s annoying, customers in India can get their hands on the device by shelling out ₹64,999 ($782) — what the standard 12GB/256GB model costs.