OnePlus says the 12R has slower storage than originally advertised (Update: Refunds OK)

Update, February 12, 2024 (03:50 PM ET): In the original article below, we mention that we asked OnePlus about what it plans to do regarding refunds for this OnePlus 12R storage controversy. In a message to Android Authority, a company spokesperson confirmed that anyone who feels the need to request a refund due to this advertising error is welcome to chat with a customer support representative and get the ball rolling.

Original article, February 12, 2024 (08:47 AM ET): The OnePlus 12R looks like one of the best mid-range phones of 2024, but it turns out the phone isn’t quite as good as OnePlus originally advertised in one area.

OnePlus claimed that some variants of the OnePlus 12R would ship with UFS 4.0 storage. This is a more recent storage standard that delivers faster speeds than UFS 3.1. More specifically, the company said that the 128GB model would come with UFS 3.1 storage, and the 256GB variant would offer UFS 4.0 storage.

Unfortunately, OnePlus has now backtracked on these claims and stated that all storage variants come with UFS 3.1 storage. Check out the screenshots below, showing the old, archived listing on the left and the new listing on the right.

“I’m writing today to let you know that we have made a mistake in our communications for OnePlus 12R and to explain what happens next,” wrote OnePlus president Kinder Liu on the OnePlus Community forum.

“Due to an error, we stated that the storage enhanced by Trinity Engine would be UFS 4.0 in some variants. I can now confirm that the storage in all variants of the OnePlus 12R is still enhanced by Trinity Engine but is actually UFS 3.1.”

The Trinity Engine refers to a suite of software technologies to maintain storage, RAM, and multitasking performance over time. 

“On behalf of our team, I’d like to apologize to everyone for this error,” Liu noted while adding that consumers who have bought or pre-ordered a OnePlus 12R can contact customer service. 

This isn’t the biggest mistake in the world (it’s not quite promising OLED and giving you an LCD screen), but it’s still a notable error on the brand’s part that misled customers. After all, UFS 4.0 storage is typically restricted to flagship phones. This is also disappointing given that the OnePlus Ace 3 — which is effectively the OnePlus 12R in China — is listed with UFS 4.0 storage across all variants.

We’ve asked OnePlus whether customers who have bought the 256GB OnePlus 12R can obtain a refund as a result. We’ve also asked OnePlus to confirm the Ace 3’s storage specs. We’ll update the article if/when it gets back to us.