balanced and without a high price, what more could you ask for

At the end of March, Xiaomi announced the arrival in Europe of the new Redmi Note 12 series, its flagship models for the mid-range, within the Redmi sub-brand.

Five models were presented, covering a wide spectrum ranging from entry-level terminals under 200 dollars to mid-range models with specifications that some high-end models lack.

We wanted to test the one that is the most balanced in terms of price and performance, the one that we think can appeal to a wider audience, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G.

Features Redmi Note 12 Pro

Simple straight frame design

Fads affect the smartphone industry as much as any other mainstream industry.

Design is something that is often underestimated in mobile analytics and is one of the most important parameters when it comes to changing mobile phones for many consumers.

However, Redmi is not a brand that focuses on this, being forced to adjust the price to be competitive. The Redmi Note 12 Pro is a good example. It’s a compact terminal, with a good finish, but it doesn’t feel high-quality in the hand. Probably not looking for it either.

It is a device that bets on straight edges, a simple back with a fairly normal camera module that makes no concessions to histrionics or typing.

It is functional, nothing more.

And this is noticeable in the adoption of a double speaker, an infrared port, the presence of a headphone jack (this is already rare in this price range) as well as connectivity like the NFC, Wi-Fi 6, etc.

The processor is a success

MediaTek has long managed to match Qualcomm in the midrange of processors, perhaps not in raw power, but without price-performance.

This Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro uses the Dimensity 1080, a chipset that would have been a top of the range of the past but which was designed for the mid-range and which gave us a lot of joy, allowing a more than remarkable use of the terminal here .

Even in demanding games we have seen that the processor is compliant, although there is a difference with other more expensive models, of course. The sentiment is one that has spread to the rest of the sections: it’s good enough to be considered valid, although it’s not a very standout item.

The RAM memory is 6 or 8 GB and the internal memory is 128 GB, although there is a 256 GB version. Here we already see that brands like Vivo and OPPO offer more basic memory in the middle of the range, although it is true that at the cost of a standard price a little higher as well.

We didn’t like the sound very much., because despite having two speakers we saw how poor the quality was, with metallic tones that surprised us. Redmi is a mid-range brand, but Xiaomi’s speaker quality was superior to its rivals.

The standard screen

Xiaomi is one of those brands that cares about numbers. The Redmi Note 12 Pro features a 6.67-inch panel with FHD resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and AMOLED technology. Come on, what one would expect from a model from this company in this price range, although many rivals fall short of this point.

This, yes, the fingerprint sensor stays out of the screenon the side, which takes the feel of a high-end mobile down a notch.

The display quality is very good, and we notice that Xiaomi hasn’t cut corners here, although we don’t see much progress over the screens of previous years.

This, yes, maximum brightness is 900 nitssomething small but enough for everyday life.

A camera system that’s not surprising, but compliant

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro offers a standard set of cameras for its class. A front camera, an angle behind, accompanied by a wide angle and a macro, which we have ignored.

He main sensor it offers pretty decent quality during the day, and even at night it’s able to control the lights, although the textures look a bit washed out, without too much detail, we guess due to the noise reduction usually applied in these scenarios.

He Big angle It offers good detail, although it doesn’t have much resolution. In favorable light conditions, of course, because indoors and at night it suffers but not excessively. Of course, it’s one of those angles that distorts the edges a lot to widen the field of vision.

There Front camera It’s the one we liked the most, although it sometimes overtook the use of digital makeup. Yes, we come out more beautiful, but that’s not us.

The video recording is not one of the best we have seen, but we must admit that the front camera, in good light, offers a very good result, especially in stabilization, which is also appreciated at night, but with much more noise in the last stroke.

Battery is good, but not amazing

The battery of this mobile is what we already expect in any decent mid-range. It has a capacity of 5000 mAh and, although it does not have wireless charging, it has 67W fast charge, and the charger is included in the box. This is one of the differences with its big brother, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, which has 120 W.

Autonomy is consistent, without being crazy. We did several mixed tests, with indoor games, lots of outdoor photos and videos, synchronization with certain bluetooth devices, some research and web browsing…

The results have always been between 4 and 5 hours of screen time and around 30 or 35 hours of total usage.

Obviously, when you only use the mobile indoors, with Wi-Fi, because you don’t leave your home at a given time, screen time can very easily go up to 6 hours.

The interface, this interface

MIUI has become a polarizing element at Xiaomi. Some defend it for its customization, its multiple options… Others position it as a heavy layer that consumes too many resources and comes with a lot of bloatware.

Unfortunately, I’m closer to the second than the first.

MIUI was designed in such a way that mobile phones with other layers, or without, feel faster. The feeling of waiting for icons to load when changing desktops, copying Apple’s aesthetics in the notification center, the large number of pre-installed applications… all means that MIUI is no longer a point in favor of Xiaomi to hopefully become a neutral element and, at times, something against it.

Conclusion: a good mid-range

When I decided to choose a mobile from the new Redmi Note family to analyze, I wanted to choose the most balanced, as I have already mentioned. Obviously I did it on paper, but I’ve been into it for many years, so I knew where to go.

After a week of use I can say that I was right, and that I found what I was looking for, a good mid-range mobile, recommended, with a price not too high, at least by 2023 standards.

The official price of this mobile is 399.99 dollars, although we have already seen it on Amazon for a few 330 dollars offered, a price that makes it very interesting.

• Buy Redmi Note 12 Pro

Are there better alternatives? It depends on what we are looking for. The Pixel 6a is still a great option, but this model offers a better screen, better battery and dual-speaker sound system, as well as greater availability, especially through carriers and major retail chains.

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