Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G

INTRODUCTION

Redmi Note 12 Pro, Xiaomi‘s latest mid-range 5G smartphone, was launched in India last week. First launched the phones in China last year. In India, the company launched them under the same name. The Redmi Note 12 Pro has its predecessor’s exact display specification and all-about designs. Still, it features new display features, a faster processor, and a better camera.

REDMI NOTE 12 PRO DISPLAY

The Redmi Note 12 Pro has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ Pro LED display with a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels, a 20:9 aspect ratio with a 2.5D curved glass screen, and a pixel density is 394 PPI. A high brightness mode of 900 nits makes the display brightness. Brightness is used when viewing HDR content. The display supports DCI-P3 wide color gamut, which makes the colors vibrant.

The Note 12 pro has a 120Hz refresh rate, and the touch sampling rate is 360Hz. A high Refresh Rate allows a smooth experience when scrolling through the interface or gaming. It has an adaptive refresh rate that can change between 30Hz to 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, or 120Hz, depending on the content it views. HDR 10+ support is also available, which can be used for YouTube and Netflix. Dolby Vision is available for Netflix. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection is included on the phone.

You can use display settings to enable the always-on display option on the phone. Although this AMOLED screen doesn’t use much power, the company claims it can increase power consumption. The phone will turn off when it is dark, or batteries are low.

A tiny punch hole in the phone houses a 16-megapixel camera. It doesn’t interfere with video viewing as it occupies very little space. The earpiece is at the top of the display and used as a secondary speaker. You will also find the standard proximity and ambient light sensors and a magnetic sensor (a magnetometer).

BODY & DESIGN

The phone’s 2.9mm ultra-narrow bezel is a good feature. It also has a 61deg curve screen and 2160Hz PWM dimming. The volume rockers and the power button are on the phone’s right side. The power button is also used for the fingerprint sensor. On the Bottom side, we found a dual sim slot, Speaker grill, Microphone, and charging c-port. The top has a 3.5mm audio Jack, a speaker and secondary Microphone vent, and an infrared sensor.

The phone’s polycarbonate frame means that there are no antenna cutouts. The phone has an X-axis linear vibration motor for the best haptic feedback that allows you to create a custom vibration feel throughout the UI.  The phone’s large screen is 76mm wide and easy to hold. It measures 7.98mm in thickness and weighs 187g.

Stardust Purple is the color of this phone. It has tiny speckles in the glass. The phone is also available in Frosted Blue or Onyx Black. The phone’s matte anti-glare finish doesn’t attract fingerprints. Xiaomi claims the phone uses hardened glass but doesn’t include Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. You will not find IP53 ratings on this phone like other phones in its price range.

REDMI NOTE 12 PRO CAMERA

Redmi has turned on Cam2API default. Cam 2API allows you to side-load Google Camera APKs and do advanced editing, including RAW capture.

The image quality of daylight shots was good, with good dynamic range. You get 13.3MP output after pixel-binning technology. HDR images have a better dynamic range and are more appealing. 8MP wide-angle shots look good. This mode offers many details and is 50MP. It does not have a telephoto lens, but it can use the software to offer a 10x digital zoom. It is similar to taking an image and then cropping it later. The performance of the 2MP macro sensor is average. Even though it does not have a dedicated portrait camera, edge detection is suitable for decent portrait shots.

The sensor and tuning make low-light shots possible. Night mode makes the images brighter and offers more detail. It was even more impressive in pro mode. The flash works well, and images with flash are great. 

The 16-megapixel front camera’s daylight shots are good, but the sensor is small and does not produce the best results in daylight. The image resolution is 16MP, and the file size is approximately 5MB. Even though the image is processed using software, portrait shots show good edge detection.

You can record 4k resolution videos at 30 frames per second, 1080p at 60 frames per second, and slow motion 1080p at 120 frames per second. It also records 720p resolution video at up to 960fps. However, this should be converted to 240fps to get 960fps. You can also shoot 1080p videos with the macro camera. The front camera can also record 1080p at 60fps.

SOFTWARE

The Redmi Note 12 Pro comes with Android 12 out of the box and MIUI 13. The company announced that it would receive the Android 13 update. The MIUI 14 update has yet to be released globally, so it is unclear when it will be available. MIUI 13 allows you to uninstall multiple system apps.

You can use the standard features like the Gesture shortcut, Quick Ball, One-handed Mode, Quick Ball, and many others. The phone comes with Mi Remote; this remote can control your home smart devices from anywhere. 

CHIPSET & PERFORMANCE

This phone is the first to use the MediaTek Dimensity1080 6nm SOC. It is just an overclocked Dimensity920 used in the 9 Pro+. 2 x A78 CPUs power it at 2.6GHz and 6 x A55 CPUs at 2GHz. It comes with Mali-G68 M4 and up 8GB LPDDR4X RAM.

The phone uses VC liquid cooling heat dissipation and 12 layers of graphite sheets. The cooling system is an improvement over the previous model. While playing intense games like Genshin Impact and 4G data can get a little warm, it is still manageable.

STORAGE

You get 7.5GB usable RAM from the 8GB LPDDR4X RAM. The remaining 3GB is available when default apps run in the background. You can also disable virtual RAM or memory extension up to 5GB from the additional settings. You get 225GB of free storage out of 256 GB. We were able to read sequentially at 996.85MB/s using UFS 2.2 storage.

SECURITY

The power button is also used for the fingerprint sensor. The phone will be instantly unlocked by you simply pressing the power button. The fingerprint scanner is very fast than an in-display fingerprint. You can add a Maximum of five fingerprints.

SOUND & SPEAKER

The Redmi Note 12 Pro has a stereo speakers sound system. The speaker can produce loud audio. Stereo speakers make the phone sound loud. You can also use the phone with earphones for good audio quality. Dolby Atmos, Hi-Fi, and other audio options enhance the audio quality. FM Radio is not available.

You can also stream HD content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and other streaming services because the phone supports Widevine L1. The Note 12 Pro supports Dolby Vision Content.

CONNECTIVITY

It supports 5G and 5G carrier aggregate. Dual-Band WiFi 6 802.11ac is another connectivity option. It supports VoWiFi/WiFi calling, Bluetooth 5.2 LE, and Dual GPS/AGPS. However, it does not have NFC. You can also connect USB drives via USB OTG. The call quality was excellent, with no drop calls and the volume of the earpieces loud.

REDMI NOTE 12 PRO BATTERY

The phone’s battery life is excellent. It has a typical 5000mAh battery. With heavy usage, it will last for over a day. However, with average usage, it will last for longer than a day. Thanks to optimizations in the MIUI 13, the phone can last for over an entire day. With a 120Hz refresh rate and over 6 hours of screen time, I could get more than 6 hours.

The phone supports 67W fast charging. Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has a smaller 4980mAh battery and 120W fast charging. The Xiaomi 11i came with a 5160mAh battery.

OUR OPINION

The Redmi Note 12 Pro, a decent upgrade to the Xiaomi 11i, is priced at Rs. 24,999. It features an adaptive refresh rate, Dolby vision. The Dimensity 1080 SoC provides a solid and decent gaming performance without any heating issues. The design, ultra-wide, and macro cameras of 2MP are the same as the predecessor. Android 12 is still available.