Much is known about the OnePlus 12, including the global release date for OnePlus' next flagship: after a release in China in early December, the OnePlus 12 will make its global debut on January 23, 2024. And it looks like it will bring a friend in the form of the OnePlus 12R, a lower-priced version of the flagship with stripped-down specs.

Since the OnePlus 12 launched in China, we already have an idea of what we'll get with that model: a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 system-on-chip, a 6.82-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a OnePlus 11 has an upgraded telephoto lens from the OnePlus 11. However, we don't know how much OnePlus expects to pay for the OnePlus 12.

And in all likelihood, there will be no official announcement regarding the OnePlus 12's price until the January 23 launch event; rumors regarding the OnePlus 12's price may surface between now and then, but confirmation from OnePlus will probably have to wait.

But that doesn't mean we can't speculate on how much the OnePlus 12 will be priced when it arrives in January.

Price is always an important detail for new phones, but especially so for OnePlus devices. Existing players like Samsung and Apple dominate the smartphone market. Part of OnePlus' strategy to compete with the major handset manufacturers was to undercut other flagship devices on price.

Consider the OnePlus 11, which debuted at $699. This was $100 less than the Samsung Galaxy S23 and a real bargain considering that both models offered premium features such as the then top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.

With the Galaxy S24 coming next month, and rumors suggesting that it will appear just before the global launch of the OnePlus 12 on January 23, one would imagine that OnePlus will once again be competing on price. And while we have not heard any official confirmation on the price of Samsung's upcoming flagship, the latest rumors suggest that the Galaxy S24's price has not changed from the S23's cost.

However, Samsung is reportedly making one key compromise to keep costs down: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is widely reported to be featured in only some models of the new phone. Depending on where in the world they ship, the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus could run on the cheaper Exynos 2400; with all OnePlus 12 models running the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, this could put price pressure on OnePlus' new flagship is likely to be a problem.

The OnePlus 12's price in China gives some clues. In the country, OnePlus is charging RMB 4,299. At the current exchange rate, the price in the U.S. would be just over $605

. Handset makers rarely use a straight currency conversion when setting prices; instead, they adjust the cost of the handset for each market. The $605 price represents a potential range, but one should not assume that this will be the actual price.

When the OnePlus 11 debuted in China earlier this year, it had a starting price of 3,999 yuan. That's about $565 at today's exchange rate. The main point here is that the OnePlus 12 debuted in China at a slightly higher price than its predecessor.

It is unclear if this pattern will be repeated in the U.S. or if OnePlus will maintain the $699 starting price it launched with the OnePlus 11.

Potential price estimates for the OnePlus 12 are somewhat complicated by the presence of the OnePlus 12R, which will debut on January 23; since this is the first time that OnePlus' R series phones will ship outside of China and India, pricing history is less and no clues as to how it relates to the OnePlus 12's price.

OnePlus is treating the R phone as a modest version of its flagship, with less premium specs than its siblings, but with more features than the budget Nord series that OnePlus also offers. As such, rumors about the OnePlus 12R's specs suggest that it will be powered by the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and will feature ultra-wide and telephoto lenses with lower resolution than the OnePlus 12.

The OnePlus 11R is listed at Rs. 39,999 in India, which translates to about $480 in US currency. Again, I don't trust straight currency conversions to give us a definitive idea of the price, but this would suggest that the R model phone may be $80 to $200 cheaper than OnePlus' main flagship. (The OnePlus 11's Indian price translates to about $680 in the U.S.)

Assuming OnePlus keeps the OnePlus 12's starting price at $699, the OnePlus 12R could be about $599. Even if component costs make the OnePlus 12 cost more than its predecessor, the OnePlus 12R could serve as a lower-cost alternative for those who value OnePlus' traditionally low prices.

Again, these are all speculations, and official pricing for the OnePlus 12 lineup is not likely to be announced before January 23. Still, while we wait for the last piece of the OnePlus 12 puzzle to be filled in, we can get some idea of the choices facing OnePlus.