OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition Review: Delightfully Crafted, Top To Bottom

The OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition is an exercise in hyperindulgence. The device's innards are largely the same as the standard OnePlus 12R, but everything else is made to sparkle with the essence of "Genshin Impact." Or more specifically, the "Genshin Impact" Electro character Keqing (刻晴 Kèqíng).

We reviewed the original OnePlus 12R in February 2024 — our rating of the device hasn't changed since then. The question we're answering today is: Does giving this smartphone a full "Genshin Impact" makeover change the underlying quality or value of the device?

We also need to decide whether the price difference between the standard OnePlus 12R and the "Genshin Impact" version is justified. The difference is around $50 — if you were wondering — the 16GB RAM + 256GB internal storage version of this device costs approximately $600, while the special edition costs around $650. Or you could buy the most basic version (8GB + 128GB) for around $500. OnePlus provided us with a OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition for this review.

This "Genshin Impact" version of the OnePlus 12R is as much about the packaging experience as it is about the custom phone. The box unfolds to create an environment for the phone to be displayed. You wouldn't want to place a phone like this on some everyday average countertop — this "collectible custom gift box" makes sure you're aware of how special your purchase was.

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The box also includes a set of chibi stickers, a set of pinback buttons, and a Keqing-themed protective case for the phone. Also in the mix is a "Glinted Lightning" themed 100W SUPERVOOC power adapter, a "Glinted Lightning" themed fast charging cable, and a "Lightning Stiletto" style SIM ejector. This SIM card ejector tool is not one you'll likely lose — no more using silly SIM card tool alternatives for you.

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The SIM ejector is, without a doubt, the fanciest SIM ejector I've ever seen. This tool has two types of finishes on it and comes packaged with a protective layer of clear plastic to avoid scratches or fingerprints in transit — this is a SIM ejector that someone took a significant amount of time and effort to design.

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This box also includes a chibi Keqing acrylic phone stand and a "custom acrylic stand ornament" with Keqing holding the special edition OnePlus 12R. 

The OnePlus 12R itself comes in "Electro Violet" with elements inspired by the character Keqing — as you might guess, given the device's packaging and promotional materials. In the center of the back of the phone is the OnePlus logo, and at the base of the back is an iteration of the graphics used to illustrate Keqing's own Lightning Stiletto. More than one finish and reflective materials make for a visual experience that makes it difficult to want to use this device with a protective case covering its backside.

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At the head (the top frame) of the smartphone is an engraving of the name Keqing engraved in a very interesting way. In most lighting environments, you might not notice the engraving at all. But shine a light on the phone and angle the top down to reflect the light to a nearby surface and you'll see the name KEQING appear. 

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This level of attention to detail that the average person would never notice makes us feel like the design process was a labor of love on the part of its creators.

Many of the cross-brand customized special edition devices we've seen over the past decade have stopped their customization at this point — once inside these lesser machines, nothing's changed. This smartphone has custom software, too. It still runs Oxygen OS, a version of Android crafted by OnePlus — but a few key features have changed. 

The phone includes a custom power-on animation (AKA boot animation), fingerprint unlock animation, and charging animation. The device's always-on display is also pre-loaded with a fancy custom purple clock widget.

The phone includes custom wallpaper and an array of finely-crafted custom icons. Normally I wouldn't mention this — icons are just tiny graphics, not much you can do to make them pop, right? But each of these custom icons was designed and executed with the same care as everything else with an illustration in this package, and they all look very nice.

A set of unique audio clips is included with the phone for alternative takes on the device's standard app notification sound, clock alarm, message alert, and ringtone. Each has a quote spoken by the original Keqing voice actor. Starting at around 17:50 in the video embedded above, you'll hear each of the clips, as played by OnePlus.

If you're looking for judgment on the performance, camera quality, battery life — all of that — head back to our full OnePlus 12R Review. We found no significant difference between that version of the device and this special edition concerning its real-world functionality. It's still a very, very nice piece of hardware.

If you're only looking for the most basic version of the 12R, get the 12R that costs around $500 — that'll be the 8GB/128GB version, and it'll come with the phone, charger, and USB cable.

If you're planning on buying the 12GB/256GB version of the OnePlus 12R, you might want to consider the "Geshin Impact" version, if only because you get a unique purple set of accessories and a phone case. Of course, you'll probably want to be a big enough fan of Keqing to consider using said hardware — it's not easy explaining what's going on here without knowing what the game is all about.

This OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition device makes most other "special edition" smartphones look pathetic. This is the new high-water mark for limited-edition phones. The OnePlus 12R Geshin Impact Edition can be purchased starting on March 21, 2024, from the OnePlus store for approximately $649.99.