The Redmi 12 5G, a product of Xiaomi Inc., is a testament to the company’s reputation for releasing budget-friendly smartphones packed with premium features. This mid-range device is a standout in the market, mainly due to its integration of 5G technology, a feature typically reserved for higher-end models. It boasts a vibrant display, a powerful Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 processor, and a robust 5000mAh battery, assuring users of impressive performance that lasts throughout the day. Coupled with an ample 6 GB of RAM and an expandable 128 GB of storage, it caters to a wide range of needs. The aesthetic appeal is not left out, with the pastel blue variant adding a stylish touch to this technological marvel. In this review, we delve deeper into the Redmi 12 5G, examining how it seamlessly combines affordability and advanced tech.
Design and build quality.
The Redmi 12 5G sports a minimalist design that oozes elegance and sophistication. It comes in a sleek pastel blue colour that certainly adds a touch of class to the overall appearance. However, the device’s aesthetics are not solely limited to this hue, as it offers a variety of other colour options catering to different tastes. The construction of the phone feels robust, and it comfortably fits into the hand, offering a secure grip. Its feather-light structure and sleek design make it perfect for single-handed operation. The careful placement of buttons and the intuitive layout contribute to its user-friendly design. The Redmi 12 5G’s build quality is commendable for its price point, suggesting that Xiaomi has not compromised on durability in its bid to offer a low-cost 5G smartphone.
Display quality and features.
The Redmi 12 5G packs a generously sized 6.6 inch Full HD+ LCD display that offers a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The ultra-high-definition display guarantees a crisp and vibrant viewing experience, perfect for surfing the web, engaging in games, or streaming videos. The device’s display exhibits impressive brightness levels that hold up well in various lighting conditions, ensuring optimal visibility whether indoors or outdoors. The colour accuracy and contrast are commendable, with vivid, well-saturated hues and deep blacks that enhance the overall viewing experience. Furthermore, the Redmi 12 5G’s display offers wide viewing angles, ensuring consistent colour and brightness levels even when viewed from different perspectives. These attributes make the Redmi 12 5G’s screen one of its standout features, providing an immersive and enjoyable visual experience for users.
Performance and connectivity.
Under the hood, the Redmi 12 5G is powered by a Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 processor coupled with 6GB of RAM, a combination that ensures efficient handling of everyday tasks. Whether you’re multitasking, scrolling through social media, browsing the internet, or checking emails, the device delivers a smooth and lag-free experience. Its ample RAM also enables the smooth running of multiple apps simultaneously, further enhancing the user experience.
When it comes to gaming, the Redmi 12 5G performs admirably. While it may not rival high-end gaming phones, it handles most games with ease. The gaming experience is smooth, with minimal frame drops and a responsive touchscreen that makes gameplay enjoyable. For the more demanding games, the device may show some signs of struggle with high graphic settings, but adjusting these to medium ensures a satisfactory gaming experience.
The key feature of the Redmi 12 5G, as the name suggests, is its 5G capability. With support for a wide range of 5G bands, the device ensures you can connect with diverse networks in multiple regions. Experience the ultra-fast internet speeds of 5G for uninterrupted streaming, speedy downloads, and lag-free online gaming. However, the availability and performance of 5G will depend on the network coverage in your location. But when available, it makes for a markedly improved internet experience over 4G.
In summary, the Redmi 12 5G offers satisfactory performance that goes beyond its price point, delivering on everyday tasks and gaming alike. Its 5G connectivity is a significant advantage, preparing the user for the future of mobile internet.
Battery life and charging speed.
The Redmi 12 5G comes with a robust 5000mAh battery, offering abundant power for daily tasks. With moderate use involving activities like browsing, sending emails, using social media, and making a few calls, the battery easily lasts over a day and a half, making it a reliable companion for those long days away from a charging point. Even with more intensive use, such as streaming videos or playing games, the battery life is impressive, easily powering through a full day.
The phone features an 18W fast charging capability, ensuring a quick battery top up. From 0 to 100%, the device takes approximately two hours to fully charge, which is acceptable given the battery’s large capacity. So whether you’re a light user or a heavy consumer constantly on your phone, you can rest assured that the Redmi 12 5G’s battery performance and charging speed won’t let you down.
Camera Performance.
Equipped with a dual-camera configuration, the Redmi 12 5G incorporates a 50 MP main sensor and a 2 MP sensor for depth perception. The main camera captures high-resolution images that are rich in detail and vibrant in colour during daylight conditions. The photos exhibit good dynamic range and contrast levels, with the camera successfully managing to reproduce a variety of hues accurately. The HDR mode works well to ensure the preservation of details in both the shadows and highlights, compensating for scenes with tricky lighting conditions.
In low-light scenarios, the performance of the camera is satisfactory. While there is a noticeable drop in detail and increase in noise compared to daylight shots, the night mode feature helps to brighten up the scene and reduce noise. However, it’s worth mentioning that the low-light performance may not be on par with higher-end phones, but it is commendable for a phone in this price bracket.
The 2MP depth sensor assists in capturing portrait shots, enabling a decent bokeh effect with adequately blurred backgrounds and well-defined subject outlines. However, the edge detection in portrait mode may come off as a bit inconsistent, with the camera occasionally struggling to accurately differentiate between the subject and the background.
The front-facing 8MP camera delivers sharp and well-exposed selfies under good lighting conditions, making it suitable for social media. The beauty mode might be useful for those who prefer a more polished look, although it tends to smooth skin textures excessively.
Shifting focus to video capture abilities, the Redmi 12 5G can take 1080p video footage at a rate of 30 frames per second. The video quality is solid, with good detail and stabilisation. The autofocus is reasonably quick, and the colours are mostly accurate. The audio captured during video recording is clear, without any major distortion.
To sum up, the Redmi 12 5G’s camera performance is respectable for its price segment, delivering good quality photos in most situations. Though it may not compete with higher-end models in terms of low-light photography or video capabilities, it certainly does a commendable job for everyday photography needs.
User interface and software.
The Redmi 12 5G, running on the MIUI 12 system based on Android 11, offers a user experience that is both efficient and uncomplicated, ideal for all Android users. It boasts a variety of customization settings, empowering users to make the device uniquely theirs. The iconography is clean, and the animations are smooth, making for a pleasant visual experience.
One standout feature of MIUI 12 is the Control Centre, which separates the notification shade and quick settings panel, akin to iOS. It proves to be a convenient feature, providing quick access to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, the brightness slider, and other key settings.
The Redmi 12 5G also comes with a native screen recording feature, which is a useful addition for gamers and those who frequently give online presentations or tutorials. The Game Turbo mode, another highlight of the software, optimises the device for gaming by clearing the RAM, boosting the performance, and blocking notifications for an uninterrupted gaming experience.
The device also boasts an integrated AI assistant, XiaoAI, which can perform tasks like setting alarms, making calls, or searching the web using voice commands. However, its utility may be limited for those who do not speak Chinese, as it currently does not support English.
MIUI 12 also boasts excellent privacy features. For instance, the software provides granular control over app permissions, ensuring users have a say in what data each app can access. Furthermore, the browser comes with a built-in ad blocker, making for a cleaner browsing experience.
In conclusion, the software experience on the Redmi 12 5G is feature-rich and user-friendly. The device also keeps up with regular security updates, ensuring it stays secure and up-to-date. While there might be occasional ads in the UI, they are not overly intrusive and can be disabled in the settings. Overall, the combination of a fluid user interface, robust features, and strong privacy controls make the software experience on the Redmi 12 5G a significant part of its appeal.
Price and value.
The Redmi 12 5G comes at a competitive price point, aligning with Xiaomi’s strategy of providing high-quality devices at affordable rates. Considering the impressive list of features that it brings to the table—a powerful battery, a capable camera system, an impressive display, and a feature-rich user interface—the phone’s price seems to provide excellent value for money. It caters to a wide range of users, from those seeking a reliable everyday device, to gamers who will appreciate the optimised performance and large battery capacity. While it may not match up to the flagship devices in some aspects, such as low-light camera performance, it stands its ground solidly against its competitors in the same price range. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Redmi 12 5G offers commendable value for its price, making it a worthy consideration for those looking for a high-performance, budget-friendly smartphone.
Final thoughts and recommendations.
In conclusion, the Redmi 12 5G is a compellingly packaged device that impressively balances affordability and performance. It delivers an all-around experience with its robust hardware, feature-rich software, commendable camera system, and substantial battery life. While it might not excel in certain areas, like low-light photography, it provides satisfactory performance that justifies its price point. The Redmi 12 5G is an excellent choice for those seeking a budget-friendly device without compromising on essential features. Therefore, I would definitely recommend the Redmi 12 5G to potential buyers, especially those seeking a balanced, affordable smartphone capable of meeting day-to-day and advanced usage requirements.
Product Rating.
Based on the review and taking into account factors such as design, performance, battery life, camera quality, and value for money, the Redmi 12 5G earns the following ratings:
- Design: 8.0/10
- Performance: 8.5/10
- Battery Life: 9.0/10
- Camera Quality: 7.5/10
- Value for money: 9.0/10
This culminates in an overall score of 8.4/10 for the Redmi 12 5G. This score reflects its strong performance in various aspects while considering the areas that could do with some improvement. However, considering its price bracket, the Redmi 12 5G provides excellent value, and its strengths considerably outweigh its weaknesses.
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