Introduction :

International regions received four Redmi Note 12 versions. Three of them are 5G capable. For special functions, two of them are labelled Pro. The most expensive Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has one Note to govern them all.

Don’t worry, there is a happy conclusion to this tale. Unlike the Redmi Note 11 series, which was mostly about downgrades and poor performance, the Redmi Note 12 versions will happily rectify this. And we’ll commence with the most powerful variant, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, which will be remembered for its 200MP camera, 120W fast charging, and all-around Dolby features.

The new edition is driven by the Dimensity 1080 platform, which is an improvement over the Dimensity 920 found inside the 11 Pro+. The RAM in the basic model has been raised from 6GB to 8GB.

Even better, the battery size has been increased, and the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ now boasts a 5,000mAh cell, an increase from 4,500mAh. The phone features one of the fastest charging options available – 120W HyperCharge, which has previously been demonstrated to deliver jaw-dropping charging speeds as part of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ and other Xiaomi-made phones.

The primary camera is one of the most noticeable improvements this year in the area of cameras. Now that the best Redmi Note 12 variant uses a 200MP Samsung sensor, it can offer picture and video clarity that is unmatched in its class. The 16MP face camera, 2MP macro, and 8MP ultrawide sensors are the same as on earlier versions.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is a dual-glass smartphone with an IP53 rating. Additionally, the curvy design and eye-catching colours are a pleasant touch. There are numerous networking options and the most recent version of MIUI.

Specifications for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ in short :

Body: 162.9×76.0x8.9mm, 208g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back; IP53, dust and splash resistant.
Display: 6.67″ OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 500 nits (typ), 900 nits (HBM), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
Chipset: Mediatek MT6877V Dimensity 1080 (6 nm): Octa-core (2×2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G68 MC4.
Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 2.2.
OS/Software: Android 12, MIUI 13.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.4″, 0.56µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 1/4″, 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.06″, 1.0µm.
Video capture: Rear camera: [email protected], [email protected]/60/120fps, [email protected]; Front camera: [email protected]/60fps.
Battery: 5000mAh; 120W wired, PD3.0, 100% in 19 min (advertised).
Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; Infrared port; 3.5mm jack; stereo speakers.

Design :

The complete Redmi Note 12 lineup has 6.67-inch displays and identical camera housings, which means they are lookalikes and will be difficult to discern if they are facing you.

The Redmi Note 12 phones also feature the clear camera housing seen on the Xiaomi 12 flagships, giving the phones a nice luxury feel and a lovely change from the messy island we saw on the Redmi Note 11 devices.

The guest of honor, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+, differs significantly from the normal Pro in terms of appearance in that it has a slightly curved glass back as opposed to the Note 12 Pro’s completely flat back panel. Additionally, it has a matte surface rather than the Pro’s shiny one.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+, one of the two dual-glass versions in the new line, has slightly curved matt glass on the back and flat Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top of its screen. The frame is constructed of plastic and has a lovely matte finish.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+, like all Note 12 phones, is water and spill resistant (IP53). It isn’t as watertight as the Galaxy A series, but it’s better than nothing.

The Note 12 Pro+ comes in three colours: Midnight Black, Polar White, and Sky Blue. (ours). Depending on the available light, the blue model’s colour shifts marginally towards dark/light blue. It’s not showy at all, but rather subtle, and we enjoyed it.

The 6.67-inch Flow AMOLED screen with enhanced 1080p resolution and 120Hz frame rate is the centrepiece of the Note 12 Pro+. It also enables Dolby Vision.

The display has fairly slim bezels, and the 16MP selfie camera is located in a tiny hole at the top of the screen.

The earpiece/speaker is located in a scarcely perceptible port just above the frame of the screen. This speaker also has a second sound port on the frame, similar to many other Redmi phones.

As previously stated, the lovely rear portion is slightly curved. The 200MP main and 8MP ultrawide cameras, as well as the 2MP macro camera and LED light, are housed in a jutting-out flat metal chassis. The main and UW shooters are encircled by extra metal rings, which raises the camera island even higher.

The right side houses the volume and power/lock keys. The fingerprint scanner is on the power key as usual, and it’s quite fast and reliable. You can adjust its trigger to be on Press instead of on Touch if you are waking it way too often.

The 3.5mm audio port, another outlet for the top speaker, the IR blaster, and a second microphone are all located on the top.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ measures 162.9 x 76 x 8.9 mm and weights 208 grams, which is about a millimetre shorter and a whisker thicker than the Note 11 Pro+.

Display :

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has a 6.67-inch FHD+ Flow AMOLED display (395ppi) and a tiny hole for the selfie camera. A Gorilla Glass 5 layer protects the screen.

While the display looks to be the same as on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+, it has been upgraded with 10-bit colour depth, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision approvals. Other specifications include 240Hz touch reaction, broad colour support, and 1920Hz PWM dimming to reduce eye fatigue in low-light situations.

Xiaomi promises 900nits of maximal brightness, which we can corroborate. In reality, using the Sunlight Boost, the display can be as brilliant as 990 nits of maximal brightness, while the usual manual brightness achieved using the brightness scrubber is 535nits.

Finally, the lowest brightness at point white was 2.1nits, which is comparable to the minimum brightness of most OLED screens today.

Refresh rate :

Let’s investigate the screen’s update rate powers. The screen has a maximum frame rate of 120Hz, and the settings menu offers two modes: Custom (where you can select either 120Hz or 60Hz), and Default. (automatic switching behavior).

Further investigation revealed that the screen supports four set frame rates per its specifications: 30Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz.

Custom 120Hz and Default (auto) do the same thing, as anticipated (based on our experience with many other MIUI-powered phones) – the system employs 120Hz for the phone’s UI and most applications (games included), at least while the user is engaging with the display or there is motion on screen. The device then reduces the refresh rate to 60Hz after seeing a motionless image for a few seconds to save power. The camera software, video viewing, and streaming are always at 60Hz.

The screen is also capable of operating at 30Hz, but we only saw it used for the Always-on Display and the Notification Light.

The screen should theoretically be able to switch to a 90Hz refresh rate, but we were unable to locate a programme that would initiate this specific refresh phase.

Durability of the battery :

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has a 5,000mAh capacity, up from the Redmi Note 11 Pro+’s 4,500mAh. The phone is equipped with an updated Dimensity processor and the latest version of MIUI. This variant, like the previous Plus edition, allows 120W fast charging.

We finished our battery life test, and for the first time in a long time, we have a Redmi Note with a grade of less than 100 hours.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ had an overall endurance value of 88 hours, which was 18 hours shorter than the Redmi Note 11 Pro+. Aside from that, all other battery durations (calls, browsing, video) are comparable to the earlier model and quite acceptable.

Charging speed :

The 5,000mAh battery in the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ enables 120W HyperCharge. The gadget comes with that charger as well as a 6A-rated cable, which is convenient given the current eco-friendly tendency.

This phone, like other Xiaomi phones with 120W charging capabilities, has Boost Charge option. This is the feature that allows for the quickest possible charging at 120W, but there is a catch: it only functions when the phone’s screen is switched off to avoid overheating. The Boost feature is disabled by default, but it can be enabled from the Battery options.

Speakers :

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has a stereo sound system. One of the speakers is located at the top of the phone and has two earphone ports, one top-facing and one front-facing. The other is located at the base of the Redmi.

Dolby Atmos improvement is activated by default on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+. We listened to songs with and without Dolby Atmos, and we liked it better with it on – the speakers are a little louder, and the audio is a little sharper. Turning on the Dolby Atmos enhancement results in an undoubtedly richer sound, but the bass and loudness are slightly lower.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ received a decent rating on our loudness test, and Good also best describes its audio quality – the voices are decent, there is bass, and Dolby Atmos contributes to improved high frequencies.

MIUI 14 on Android 12 :

On top of the outdated Android 12, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ runs the company’s newest MIUI 14. The MIUI 14 team revised the system design on the Android Kernel level with CPU, GPU, and memory resource scheduling, smaller system firmware size, and lower memory utilisation.

Let’s go over the new stuff fast. Only eight system applications cannot be removed, which is a significant improvement over previous MIUI releases. Other useful optimisations include automatic compression for inactive applications and a toggle to disable persistent alerts.

Looking over the list of MIUI 14’s anticipated new features from its formal release, we discovered that a lot of them are missing from our Redmi Note 12 Pro+ device. Perhaps some of the new functions will be included in future versions. For one thing, our device lacks the new animated figure icons, but it does have the new design of enlarged folders.

The recent applications menu, home page, and general settings interface all function normally. The search box has been positioned at the foot of the screen for convenience, and the programme drawer is also turned on by default. For quicker browsing, there are both pre-made and custom programme groups.

Customization is, as always, an important aspect of MIUI. You can customise the design of the Always-on display and the UI layout. Aside from the ones that come pre-installed on the device, there is a Themes shop with a large variety. Themes alter not only the overall look but also the sounds and system icons.

Performance :

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is driven by MediaTek’s Dimensity 1080 processor. It’s an improved variant of the Dimensity 920 found inside the Redmi Note 11 Pro+, with increased speed, efficiency, and camera support.

The camera powers of the chip are the most important improvements here. With the Imagiq ISP, the new Dimensity 1080 can process image data from cameras up to 200MP (previously 108MP). Hardware-accelerated HDR video at up to 4K resolution is mentioned, but this isn’t a novel function.

This new Dimensity 1080 5G chipset features two Cortex-A78 performance cores tuned at 2.6GHz (up from 2.5GHz), while the six Cortex-A55 cores stay at 2.0GHz.

The processor is still produced using the 6nm technology, and the GPU is the same Mali-G68. When compared to devices using the previous processor, test results might not significantly improve from a performance perspective.

There is only one memory configuration for the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ accessible globally: 8GB LPDDR4X RAM + 256GB UFS 2.2 storage. The Pro versions this year do not support microSD extension.

We started with the standard CPU evaluations. As you can see, the CPU speed of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ (DM920) and the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is identical. (DM1080). The processor is not the quickest in its budget range, but it will not disappoint.

A new triple camera with a 200MP Samsung main sensor :

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+, like the Redmi Note 11 Pro+, has three sensors on the rear and one on the front. The back camera system includes a 200MP OIS primary sensor (up from 108MP), an 8MP ultrawide sensor, and a 2MP closeup sensor. A 16MP imager powers the face camera.

Since the Redmi Note 11 Pro+, the primary camera has undergone a significant makeover; in fact, it seems to be the only one to receive an upgrade. The 200MP Samsung HPX 1/1.4″ sensor in the main on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has 0.56 m pixels and a Tetra2Pixel colour filter, making it the tiniest 200MP sensor Samsung has produced to date. The HP1 (200MP, 1/1.22″, 0.64 m) is used by the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra, while the HP2 (200MP, 1/1.3″, 0.6 m) is used by the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The 24mm f/1.6 stabilised (OIS) lens is attached to the camera. Additionally, because of the Tetra2pixel RGB Bayer Pattern colour filter, which combines 16 pixels into 1, the sensor essentially produces 12MP pictures by default.

Behind a 16mm f/2.2 lens, the ultrawide camera employs an 8MP Samsung S5K4H7 ISOCELL Slim sensor with 1.12m pixels. The focal point is set at eternity.

The miniature camera has a 2MP OmniVision OV02B1 sensor, a 24mm f/2.4 lens, and a preset focus of 4cm.

Finally, the front camera has a Sony IMX 471 1/3″ sensor with 1.0m pixels and an f/2.4 aperture. The perspective is also set.

The photo software on the Redmi 12 Pro+ is similar to that on other Xiaomi devices. The fundamental mode switching operation works as anticipated with side swipes, and you can also tap on the visible modes to transition to them immediately. You can add, delete, and reorganise options in the primary rolodex by heading to the More page and selecting the modify icon, which is also accessible from the settings menu.

A flash setting button, an HDR switch, and an AI toggle are located at the far end of the viewfinder. There’s also a hamburger menu with extra choices like aspect ratio, self-timer, and grid lines, as well as the Macro switch and a link to the settings. Except for the High-res 50MP/200MP setting, which outputs at full resolution, none of the cameras have a choice to change the output size (not that we care).

On the near end, there is a camera magnification button that can be used in one of two ways. The first is as simple as pressing one of the four spots representing the ultra-wide (0.6x), main (1x), and primary (2x digital zoom) choices. You can also discover more zoom options by tapping on the current magnification.

There is a Pro option that is very competent and allows you to change the photography settings on your own. You can choose from 4 different white balance settings or adjust the light temperature with a slider. You can also manually focus with the option of peaking, and you can adjust the shutter speed and ISO according to whether you’re using a main or ultrawide angle camera.

Selfies camera :

It appears that the 16MP face camera on this Xiaomi phone, as well as many others before it, uses a Quad-Bayer filter. It produces excellent selfies with a focused topic, vibrant colors, and strong contrast. Since this is a Quad-Bayer imager, which is designed to save 4MP pictures rather than the 16MP that it actually does, the detail is acceptable but far from great.

Although the dynamic range is limited, activating HDR mode will give you a correctly developed backdrop.

Video recording :

The main camera on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ can record 4K footage at 30 frames per second. The 2MP closeup camera enables [email protected] while the ultrawide camera’s maximum resolution is [email protected] Finally, the primary and face cameras both support 1080p at 60 frames per second.

All cameras, with the exception of the closeup, have an artificial stabilisation that is always active. Unfortunately, it is incompatible with [email protected] and 4K settings.

Audio is always recorded in stereo at a bitrate of 256Kbps.

The 4K movies from the primary camera have an extraordinary degree of resolved clarity, a natural balanced look, and accurate colors, making them unquestionably the best in their class. They have excellent dynamic range, low noise, and strong contrast.

Opinion :

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is a fantastic intermediate smartphone with an eye-catching glass frame that is IP53-rated and one superb Dolby Vision display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and 10-bit colour depth. We do value the consistently strong results across the board.

We were pleased by the Redmi Note 12 Pro+’s 200MP main camera’s photos and videos, but even its basic 8MP ultrawide camera turned out to be a capable performer. The photos are also not terrible. The Note 12 Pro+ can be regarded as an excellent cameraphone on a budget because of all of these factors.

Not to mention the powerful Dolby Atmos speakers and the astonishingly quick 120W connected charging.

Of course, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has a few flaws. For this iteration, Xiaomi has discontinued microSD extension, and the chipset of option could have been, say, the faster Dimensity 1300 rather than the 1080 variant. We were disappointed by the drop in standby speed and sound quality since the Redmi Note 11 Pro+.

Overall, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ provides a lot of bang for its money, inflation adjusted, and any Redmi aficionado would be pleased with this smartphone. However, the Redmi Note no longer has no competitors on the market, so before making it your daily driver, as always, evaluate what else the market has to offer.

Pros:

IP53-rated dual-glass construction.
Dolby Vision, 10-bit color, excellent OLED, and excellent luminance.
Impressive rapid charging; included 120W adapter.
Excellent speed and reliability.
superior video and picture clarity.
IR emitter, 5G, dual SIM, NFC, and surround speakers with Dolby Atmos.

Cons:

higher than normal idle battery power consumption.
Xiaomi’s audio aren’t the finest.
instead of Android 13, launches on Android 12.
The 4K video has no EIS.

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