Xiaomi 12 full review and test. I thoroughly tested the Xiaomi 12 smartphone , here is the review with PRO and CONS. Does it make sense to buy Xiaomi 12?
Xiaomi 12 review
New super review on YourLifeUpdated : today we are going to try the Xiaomi 12 smartphone together .Without getting lost in small talk, let’s immediately see what I think of this Android smartphone .
IN SHORT
Xiaomi 12 is an excellent Android smartphone, which I would recommend to anyone who wants a compact device with good hardware. At the introductory price (800 euros) it was too expensive, but today, at around 500-550 euros, it is certainly a great choice.
UNBOXING
In the package we have:
- cavo USB/USB-C
- silicone cover to protect the smartphone
- 67W power supply
MATERIALS AND DESIGN
Xiaomi 12 is one of the few compact Android phones : it is light, very comfortable to use with one hand, it doesn’t bother you in your pocket.
The design is quite simple and clean, certainly not revolutionary: on the front we have the curved edges for the display, on the back we have a fairly protruding camera block.
I appreciate the opaque glass back , very pleasant to the touch, does not retain fingerprints and is very elegant. We also have curved edges on the back and this element makes the smartphone even more comfortable to use and hold.
For someone like me, who particularly appreciates compact smartphones, this Xiaomi 12 has truly perfect dimensions and weight!
Beautiful and super resistant the metal frame on the sides, which gives a first-class touch-and-feel to this device.
Too bad that the smartphone is not waterproof .
DISPLAY
The screen, as anticipated, is curved on the sides, but not excessively. Despite the curves, the smartphone is used without problems and without involuntary touches.
In general, I don’t like displays with curved edges, but I really liked the Xiaomi 12’s one!
To protect the screen we find Gorilla Glass Victus.
Speaking of the panel, we have a 6.28 inch AMOLED display, at 120 Hz (not LTPO) , with FullHD + resolution (1080 x 2400 pixels).
The maximum brightness (1100 nits peak) and readability under the sun are also excellent. Present support for HDR10 +.
Overall it’s a very nice screen, with great colors, which is perfect for both gaming and watching multimedia content on the go.
HARDWARE
Xiaomi 12 shares much of its hardware with the Pro variant.
In fact, we have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 octa core 3 Ghz processor with 4 nanometer production process, the Adreno 730 GPU and 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM .
The internal memory amounts to 128 or 256 GB UFS 3.1. Unfortunately it is not expandable, but at least it is very fast. Then we have 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, the NFC chip and also the infrared emitter.
The connector for the 3.5 mm audio jack is missing .
The fingerprint reader is inside the display and is optical: fast and accurate in everyday life. The smartphone then has full dual SIM support, but there is no support for the eSIM virtual sim.
The vibration is very good : precise and pleasant in any situation.
PERFORMANCE
The performance of Xiaomi 12 is always excellent. The apps open and close quickly, we can switch from one app to another without problems in multitasking, you never notice clicks, slowdowns or lag.
Everything always runs extremely smoothly, fast and snappy. The interface of this Xiaomi 12 is undoubtedly one of the fastest, smoothest and most pleasant I’ve ever seen on Android smartphones, we are almost at the level of iOS.
Even the most recent, demanding and resource-demanding games run well and without any problems or lag.
Too bad, as always, for the processor: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 almost always performs well, but when we stress it a lot with heavy games and apps it starts to heat up a lot and limit performance.
As already mentioned, in 95% of cases there will be no problems, but those who play a lot or use a lot of heavy apps will realize, over time, that the processor is not very optimized. This, however, is not the fault of Xiaomi, but of those who made this chip.
SOFTWARE
The operating system is Android 12 based on MIUI 13 , a custom interface that we know very well by now.
In addition to the classic features of Android, we find the additional ones of Xiaomi, such as:
- the sidebar with quick links
- the turbo game
- and topics
- windowed mode apps
- the one-handed mode
- the function that reserves 3GB for RAM extension
- l’Always-on Display
- the Second space, a sort of additional account compared to the main one that allows you to manage sensitive data and apps with an extra layer of security
- the app to clean up and optimize your phone in one click
and so much more.
In short, we are dealing with a well-tested software, but above all very complete and customizable from every point of view.
On the updates side, Xiaomi is not very fast to release neither security nor system patches. In all cases this smartphone will receive:
- 3 Android updates
- 4 years of security patch
CAMERAS
Camera side , this Xiaomi 12 mounts:
- an optically stabilized 50 megapixel ƒ / 1.9 main sensor
- a 13-megapixel ƒ / 2.4 wide-angle lens
- a 5 megapixel ƒ / 2.4 camera for macros
Unfortunately, a zoom sensor is missing, which I would have absolutely appreciated.
Concretely, the photos taken by this Xiaomi 12 are:
- with the main cameraof excellent quality both day and night. The images are sharp, the colors well balanced, the details high, even if every now and then the shots are a little too contrasted. Of course, at night the quality drops, but the intervention of the night mode is providential and allows you to take home excellent shots even in the dark
- with the wide angle, however, the quality is very good during the day, but just enough at night, where the detail collapses dramatically
- with the front camera( 32 megapixel ƒ / 2.5 ) the selfies are of good quality during the day, while also in this case in the evening we notice loss of details and some noise
Moving on to videos , however, they can be recorded in 8K at 24fps or in 4K at 60fps, although in this mode we can only use the main camera. To also use the wide angle we have to go down to 30fps. Overall the quality is very good, as is the stabilization and focus.
The front camera, on the other hand, records video only in FullHD.
AUDIO AND RECEPTION
The audio is stereo, optimized by Harman / Kardon and guaranteed by 2 speakers (in turn divided into 2 others, for a total of 4 ) hidden under two grids. The result is truly excellent , especially if we think about the small size of the smartphone. Without a doubt we are dealing with an audio sector among the best in the smartphone world, very similar to that proposed by the iPhone 13.
Speaking of calls , no problem for reception: the smartphone always takes well everywhere. In call we hear well, others hear us well. No problem for capsule audio and speakerphone. Good reception of WiFi too.
As for the virtual proximity sensor , however, I have not encountered major problems: it has always seemed to me to be quite precise and reactive. Only in a few and rare cases, perhaps when I was lying in bed, did the screen turn on / off when it shouldn’t have. In general, however, the situation has improved markedly compared to the past.
BATTERY
The smartphone is equipped with a 4,500 mAh battery , which is very good in capacity.
Speaking of autonomy , it is good but not exceptional: you always arrive at the end of the day with medium-high use, while if you stress the smartphone (and the processor) a lot, you will probably need a quick recharge before the evening.
In general, however, it takes about 5-6 hours of screen on.
Fortunately, there is support for 67W fast charging and 50W wireless one . Also present reverse charging at 10W.
PREZZO
Xiaomi 12 arrived on the market at 799 € in the 8/128 variant and at 899 € in the 8/256 one. The introductory price, from my point of view, was exaggerated. Fortunately, it is now around € 550 for the 256GB version.
BUY IT ON OFFER
CONCLUSIONS
We have reached the end of the Xiaomi review 12. What else to say about this smartphone?
It is certainly not perfect, it is certainly not the best on the market, but now that its price has collapsed it is undoubtedly one of the best compact to consider in the Android landscape.
It’s cool , it’s powerful , it’s up-to- date , takes good photos , offers great performance , is reliable , has good battery and generally performs very well during the day.
Personally I would expect the release of the new models (now very soon) with new processors and new cameras, but their prices will be very high.
Those who have a budget of about 550 euros and want a compact smartphone , to date in the Android world do not have much choice (this or Galaxy S21-S22) and certainly Xiaomi 12 represents one of the best alternatives available on the square.
Considering the current price of 550 euros, I can say without fear of being denied that this smartphone is a best buy in the Android world, especially for those who love compacts!
PRO
- fast charging
- compact size
- hardware al top
- high quality materials
- main camera
- fluidity and speed of use
VERSUS
- non-LTPO screen
- no waterproof
- wide angle camera
- no optical zoom camera
- virtual proximity sensor
- Xiaomi releases too many phones, it makes a lot of confusion
