Xiaomi Redmi Note 12

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12, launched on January 11, 2023, presents a well-rounded mid-range option. It measures 165.9mm in height, 76.2mm in width, and 8mm in depth, weighing 188 grams.

Build Quality

The device feels relatively sturdy, constructed with a plastic frame and back, although the specific materials aren’t detailed. It's available in Frosted Green, Matte Black, and Mystique Blue. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is easily accessible. The phone is not foldable, and has a 3D curved glass screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, enhancing its scratch resistance.

Screen Quality

The Redmi Note 12 features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 395 ppi and an aspect ratio of 20:9. The panel boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and 1200 nits of peak brightness with a typical brightness of 450 cd/m². The 4,500,000:1 contrast ratio and DCI-P3 color gamut support contribute to vivid colors and deep blacks. Additional features include a hole-punch notch, 240 Hz touch sampling rate, SGS certification, and an Always-On Display. While HDR10 is not listed among the display capabilities, the screen is vibrant and smooth.

Camera Performance

The Redmi Note 12 has a triple rear camera system. The primary sensor is a 48MP Samsung S5KJN1 ISOCELL sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, 0.64µm pixel size, and 1/2.76" sensor size with 2x2 pixel binning capabilities. The secondary ultrawide lens features an 8MP Omnivision OV08D10 sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and 1.12µm pixels and a 1/4" sensor size. The third is a 2MP macro lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The camera system offers features like digital zoom, digital image stabilization, autofocus, and a number of shooting modes including panorama, HDR, and night mode. Video recording is capped at 1080p at 30fps, and there is support for 120fps slow-motion. The front-facing selfie camera is 13MP with an f/2.45 aperture and 1.12 µm pixel size. DxOMark gives the phone an overall mobile score of 69, with a photo score of 74 and a video score of 49, suggesting decent still photography but more modest video performance.

Software Experience

The device runs on Android 12, with no information on the potential for future OS upgrades. Given its release date, users might expect a future upgrade to Android 13 or beyond.

Battery Performance

The phone is powered by a 5000mAh Li-Polymer battery. It supports 33W fast charging, although wireless charging is not available. The battery is non-removable and features are otherwise standard.

Hardware

The Redmi Note 12 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 (SM4375) chipset built on a 6nm process. The octa-core CPU consists of two 2.0 GHz Cortex-A78 cores and six 1.8 GHz Cortex-A55 cores. Graphics processing is handled by an Adreno 619 GPU. It also has a cooling system. It includes either 4, 6 or 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM, along with 128GB or 256 GB of UFS 2.2 storage. There is no SD card slot. AnTuTu benchmark v10 recorded a score of 460,800. Connectivity options are ample, including Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with dual-band support, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, and Wi-Fi Display. Bluetooth 5.1 LE with A2DP, LE, LDAC, SBC, and AAC codecs is also available. The phone supports a variety of GPS technologies including A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, and Galileo. It uses a dual SIM setup with Dual SIM Dual Standby capability with Nano SIM support. USB Type-C 2.0 with OTG capabilities and a variety of sensor such as fingerprint, light, accelerometer, compass and gyroscope are also included.

Value for Money

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 falls into the mid-price range, with several configurations available. The 6GB/128GB variant can be found for around $108.35 to $169.13, while the 8GB/256GB version is generally priced at around $170. The device provides a competitive offering considering its AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, capable processor, and a large battery at this price point.