The OnePlus 12R is a great phone, but it looks even fancier in the new Genshin Impact Edition unveiled this week at MWC 2024

The £699/$649 model is the latest in a series of OnePlus special editions that have partnered with popular action RPGs, but the partnership seems even more ideal this year as the OnePlus 12R focuses even more on gaming

The OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition sets itself apart from its siblings with a new electro-violet color and an anti-glare "silk glass" back In addition, the lightning bolt and peacock feather-inspired decorations match the design of the GI character, Kechin, on which the phone's design is based

The matte aluminum frame has also undergone a coloring change, but the top edge is now "electrolytically etched" It looks ordinary at first glance, but when it catches the light well, the Keqing name is projected on the surface

The design changes also apply to software: OxygenOS is almost unrecognizable with all of its new icons, wallpaper, always-on display design, animations, and sounds Some of these new noises are actually Keqing's voice lines from the game as well

Even if you are not a "Genshin Impact" superfan like myself, there is no denying that this phone looks stunning, something that the basic blue and gray versions do not But there is more to this phone than just a flashy purple reskin

As you might expect, the OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition is optimized for playing games; OnePlus has faster load times and speedier fast travel, Hyper HDR for enhanced in-game brightness and lighting effects rendering, and promises special memory management to keep games running in the background for up to three days without closing This could come in handy when you have to do other tasks on your phone, such as looking up tutorials or replying to messages

OnePlus also claims that it can provide an average frame rate of 595 fps for up to 3 hours without requiring external cooling while playing GI This is impressive considering that this special edition still uses the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset

The smartest change, however, is the charger, which is 100W brick (80W in the US due to voltage differences) and can be fully charged in just over 30 minutes, but now comes with a right-angle USB-C cable, making it much This makes it much easier to charge the phone while holding it horizontally, for example, while playing a game In addition, the purple cable lights up during charging, adding to the fun

As one would expect from a special edition phone, it is packaged in a luxury box with many additional goodies, including an acrylic Keqing standee, customized SIM tool, phone stand, pin badge and sticker, poster, and custom case Designed as a complete display stand for your phone, it will make a great impression on friends and family

You will probably want to use this phone properly rather than leave it in the display box With a 5,500 mAh battery that delivers incredible battery life, 16 GB RAM and 256 GB storage, a high-brightness display with Aqua Touch functionality for wet hands, and a triple rear camera including a 50 MP main sensor, the OnePlus 12R The result is one of this year's one of my most favorite phones of the year

Those interested in the OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition can pre-order it from February 28 through March 30, with general availability beginning March 31 And if a simpler experience is more to your liking, the standard, but wonderful OnePlus 12R is already available starting at $499