The 12 Lite is a triumph for Xiaomi. The design is lightweight and comfy with excellent performance, a long battery life, and surprisingly great cameras. It’s an excellent all-arounder, so why would you need to spend more on the phone?
Compared to the other 12 series models, the Xiaomi 12 Lite debuts a little later. Aside from the entirely new, boxy, and contemporary look, it also features a superior 108MP primary camera, a 120Hz OLED display, and quicker charging. The Snapdragon 778G, capable of doing the job, powers the phone.
On July 9, 2022, Xiaomi 12 Lite was formally released. Qualcomm’s SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G Octa-core CPU and Adreno 642L GPU power the smartphone. The smartphone has an AMOLED display that is 6.55 inches in size. It has 402 PPI and a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. Sensors on the smartphone include an optical under-display fingerprint reader, an accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass, plus virtual proximity sensing.
What Will You See Here?
Design
In most cases, the Lite suffix refers to a lower-spec phone, but with the Xiaomi 12 Lite, it appears to refer more to the chassis. With a reasonably comfortable 173g weight and dimensions of 159 x 74 x 7.3mm. It’s a pleasant gadget to handle for lengthy periods and a welcome break from the heavy, 200g frames that have lately seemed to be the standard.
The 12 Lite’s front is entirely covered by a screen, with pleasingly even bezels around it and a punch-hole selfie camera positioned in the middle of the top. All the buttons are on the right side, and there is a USB-C connector, speaker, and SIM slot at the bottom (screen facing). The color palette is also modern, with an option of Pink, Black, or Green on my review model.
The plastic rear panel is graded, so it appealingly changes color as you tilt it in the light. The triple camera array is in a raised rectangular space in the panel’s upper left corner. Again, the transparent acrylic has a light blue/green tint, making it seem fashionable. Its color-coordinated back and frame, reasonably fingerprint-resistant finish, thin size, and weight, and cozy in-hand feel contribute to its appealing appearance.
Display
Xiaomi is renowned for providing vibrant, slick, punchy screens on its cost-effective phones, and the Xiaomi 12 Lite fervently carries on the tradition. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 is used in display, so it should resist everyday wear and tear. However, no IP classification is stated for the 12 Lite. The 12 Lite’s 6.55-inch AMOLED Full HD+ display has a good balance and offers a lot of color and detail. You may select between refresh rates of 60Hz and 120Hz, with the former preserving battery life and the latter providing fluid scrolling.
All of this is made better by the display’s compatibility for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and a feature Xiaomi calls TrueColor that expands the panel’s color palette. Although the 120Hz setting feels fantastic, you’ll probably want to leave it there after you’ve switched it on rather than using the 60Hz option. The Xiaomi 12 Lite has many screen options, including Sunlight mode, which boosts the phone’s maximum 950-nit brightness outside, reading mode, and the option to customize the screen’s color balance to suit your preferences.
Camera
With its top-of-the-line front camera, the Xiaomi 12 Lite is targeting selfie enthusiasts. The camera’s hidden selfie weapons are autofocus, absent from most front cameras, and two LED lights discretely tucked away in the screen’s bezel. It has a 32-megapixel resolution and an f/2.45 lens.
A 108MP primary camera with an f/1.9 lens, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 lens and a 120° field of view, and a 2MP macro camera make up the Xiaomi 12 Lite’s primary triple camera configuration. Focusing moves quickly and often follows the targeted subject. It can capture amazing shots in ideal lighting, whether close-ups of flowers, heroic-posing canine photos, landscape photos, or regular daily photos.
A Night Mode does a beautiful job of highlighting and making visible items like a dark blue yacht in a harbor at night. But when I disabled Night Mode and let the regular camera function, I was able to capture some atmospheric images that I was happy with. There is a 32Mp selfie camera in front, which may once again produce some decent shots. Although other built-in settings and filters may smooth out your skin or perform similar tricks, the regular camera collects detail rapidly and correctly.
The Xiaomi 12 Lite is a fantastic choice for a daily shooter in your pocket that allows you to capture those crucial moments and post them on Instagram or Facebook, even though it’s not the most OK camera phone for people who seek professional-level photographs.
Performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset, one of those CPUs that are both potent enough for most users and still relatively power-efficient, is included in the Xiaomi 12 Lite. The only times we noticed the phone needed to catch its breath was when we turned it on; it took a minute for all of our applications to appear on the screen. You can move through your everyday duties without having to wait. However, once it was running, the 12 Lite handled a variety of applications and games without any problems.
App compatibility is strong on Android 12 with MIUI 13 on top, albeit Xiaomi’s interface is bulkier than other Android skins. Since MIUI is the most iOS-like Android overlay available, many people won’t mind, especially if they’re switching from an iPhone. The heavy UI will, however, drive off Android purists since they might be troublesome. The Xiaomi 12 Lite performs admirably in the mid-range benchmark.
Software
The phone runs MIUI 13 on top of Android 12. It is a quick, vibrant, animation-heavy UI that gets a lot of things right (animations are fluid, you can bring down the notification shade by swiping anywhere rather than reaching for the top of the screen, etc.). However, Xiaomi’s settings page is still overly convoluted. For issues with displays, MIUI offers three separate settings pages: a general “display” setting, an “Always-on display” setting, and a “Full-screen display” setting. The latter two are independent pages rather than subsections of the main display page.
In this environment, programs cannot be opened in floating windows. Because MIUI can accomplish this without a doubt, it appears Xiaomi is placing this restriction on mid-range smartphones. The option to open the floating window is still present; it is only greyed out and marked as “not accessible.” I frequently multitask on my phone, and I believe floating windows are a better alternative to Android’s standard split-screen setup.
Battery Life
The Xiaomi 12 Lite has very respectable battery life. I used my phone a lot during the day, watching some YouTube videos, doing a lot of online browsing, emailing, using social networking applications, and even making the occasional phone call, which left me with around 30% of the battery remaining when it was time for bed (which is often past midnight). I could quickly go on a single charge for two days if I cut back on my screen usage. It’s not that returning the gadget to its original state will be difficult.
The 12 Lite charged entirely in 41 minutes using the provided 67W charger, which is fast. You may thus fully recharge the battery in less time than it takes to eat lunch, even if you prefer to spend hours each day looking at the screen. Since this model does not enable wireless charging, you just plug it in to recharge it. However, as I already noted, the charger is at least provided in the package.
Price
The Xiaomi 12 Lite has now been declared for a worldwide release, while no particular locations have been verified. However, we know that the phone is available in three colors and memory sizes. This specification starts at $399 (about £330) for the 6GB RAM, 128GB storage edition. It should provide adequate performance for most casual smartphone users. There is also a $449 (around £375) version for extreme multi-taskers with 8GB of additional RAM and 128GB of storage. The most expensive Xiaomi 12 Lite, which costs $499 (or around £415), has 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, making it ideal for people who collect apps and files.
What Is the Weight of the Xiaomi 12 Lite?
With a reasonably comfortable 173g weight and dimensions of 159 x 74 x 7.3mm. It’s a pleasant gadget to handle for lengthy periods and a welcome break from the heavy, 200g frames that have lately seemed to be the standard.
What is the Processor of Xiaomi 12 Lite?
The Xiaomi 12 Lite includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset, which is powerful enough for most users but still relatively power-efficient.
Is Xiaomi 12 lite better Samsung S22?
According to specs and early pictures, the Xiaomi 12 features a more attractive appearance and longer battery life. These phones are compatible in terms of performance, display, and cameras. Xiaomi could have a somewhat more affordable price than the competition.
Verdict
Among mid-range smartphones, the Xiaomi 12 Lite is a powerhouse. The square-edged shape is contemporary and makes it simpler to grip in hand. The lightweight build is a welcome difference from the heavier choices accessible at this price bracket. Despite its flaws, the Xiaomi 12 Lite has the potential to be among the top budget smartphones of 2022.
The 12 Lite may have distinguished itself from the pack more than it does if it had expandable storage and a larger battery. Despite this, Xiaomi still does a lot right here, and if you can get one for a reasonable price, it could be the best option for anybody looking for a high-quality selfie camera on a tight budget.
