Xiaomi also broke new ground with its technology, introducing the Xiaomi 11T Pro. The first commercially available smartphone that charges at 120W, and the Mi 11 Ultra, a phone with an almost 1-inch camera sensor.
All of this bodes well for the Xiaomi 12 Pro, a flagship phone with a sub-$1,000 price tag and best-in-class capabilities like 120W fast charging, which can fully charge the phone in under 20 minutes.
What you will see here:
At a glance:
The Xiaomi 12 Pro also has the most fingerprint-resistant, silky frosted finish of any glass-backed phone, and its design is nothing short of gorgeous, even if it’s more slippy than gripping.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro boasts a dazzling A+ rated 6.73-inch screen with Samsung’s LTPO AMOLED technology and clear WQHD+ resolution. The phone also sounds expensive.
Internals shred through most games well – expected, given the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU inside the Xiaomi 12 Pro, and paired with up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM – you’ll be hard-pressed to find a phone that does more for less. The phone’s 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1 storage impresses as well, although there is no SD card slot and only a dual SIM slot.
Price and Release Date
The Xiaomi 12 Pro starts at $999 for the 8GB RAM 128GB storage option. This is less than $1,000 less than the iPhone 13 Pro Max, Oppo Find X5 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, comparatively.
Xiaomi’s flagship costs the same as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus and iPhone 13 Pro in its base 128GB storage / 8GB RAM model.
Xiaomi 12 Pro of Design
When we reviewed the Xiaomi Mi 11, we liked the design. It was light, with bold but polished color choices, and, most importantly, the phone looked beautiful. After a year, Xiaomi has brought back the frosted finish while also taking the 12 series in a more premium route.
The squircle camera surround has been replaced with a more mature rounded rectangle; the frosted back has been replaced with a rich, silken finish that is shiny, still velvety to the touch, and incredibly fingerprint-resistant; and colour possibilities have been reduced.
Blue, Gray, and Purple are the three colours available; none are very vibrant or eye-catching, and each is slightly muted. Even in the most ‘out there’ hue, Purple, this appears sophisticated and eventually grown-up, despite its plain appearance.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is a curved glass and metal phone that comes in a variety of colors. The display is made of Gorilla Glass Victus, and the frame is made of a matte, blasted metal that’s colour-matched to the phone’s rear panel.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro weighs 205g. It’s only 8.2mm thick, yet its tapered sides give it an exquisite feel.
It’s an intriguing move by Xiaomi not to give the 12 Pro an IP rating. This means it’s not certified for dust and water protection. The SIM slot still has the rubber seal found on IP68-rated phones, and we got the phone fairly wet with no difficulties thanks to a British spring shower. But don’t dunk or douse your phone based on our experience.
It’s also worth noting that the touch sensitivity of the screen is excellent. Even when blasted with water droplets or handled with wet fingertips.
Xiaomi 12 Pro Display
Reduce the screen sizes for Xiaomi’s whole 12 series. The Mi 11 had a 6.81-inch screen last year, while the Xiaomi 12 Pro sports a 6.73-inch screen. The Xiaomi 12’s screen is even smaller at 6.28 inches. However, a smaller size does not imply a lower level of quality.
Xiaomi claims that the variable refresh rate varies from 1-120Hz, which should save power which has a lower refresh rate of 48Hz. Swiping across the UI and scrolling through Twitter are both slick experiences that compare well to the best of the competition.
In one single swipe, the display can adjust from as low as 1Hz to a 120Hz refresh rate.
You may also set the refresh rate to 90Hz and the resolution to 1080p (at the software level) to save battery life if necessary.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro’s screen is also sharp, with a pixel density of 521PPI and a peak brightness of 1500 nits, which is greater than most phones. HDR10+ video looks great, and outdoor viewing is no problem.
When compared to some of the top phones on the market, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s brightness shines brightly during video playback, with bright parts glowing spectacularly. Colors are accurately presented, and the phone features a variety of display modes. Including more granular color and white balance customization than most competitors.
Specifications
| Dimensions | 163.6 x 74.6 x 8.2 mm (6.44 x 2.94 x 0.32 in) |
| Weight | 204 g or 205 g (7.20 g) |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Type | LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Version, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1500 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.73 inches, 109.4 cm2 (89.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20.9 ratios (52.1 PPI density) |
| OS | Android 12, MIUI 13 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (1×3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| GPU | Adreno 730 |
Performance
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is a strong gaming phone with top-tier power, it also rips through day-to-day work without overheating.
Unexpectedly, performance across almost all apps we tested was so good thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU. We didn’t expect any lag while moving between multiple apps because the version we tested had a generous 12GB LPDDR5 RAM.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro’s 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1 storage provides plenty of room for data and programs, though there’s no SD card port and only a dual SIM slot, so file hoarders may want to go with the higher-capacity variant.
The phone sounds wide and loud, thanks to quad speakers tuned by Harman Kardon and Dolby Atmos support.
We’ve encountered problems with in-display fingerprint scanners on Xiaomi phones in the past. But we found the 12 Pro’s to be fast and quick to unlock. Especially when paired with face unlocking.
This is without a doubt the best version of Xiaomi’s MIUI interface. We’ve seen to date, running Android 12 with Xiaomi’s MIUI interface on top. Dark mode prevents interactive notifications from appearing properly. The Control Center causes problems and poor localization. Among other issues, all addressed in the most recent update.
Embracing Snapdragon® 8 Gen 1, the flagship 4nm processor embraces more dynamic power and a cooler attitude.
Xiaomi 12 Pro of Cameras
The Xiaomi 12 Pro’s camera is one of the weakest among flagship cameras on paper. Its optical zoom has less reach than the cheaper Pixel 6 Pro, and its ultra-wide camera lacks autofocus, which the Oppo Find X3 Pro and Find X5 Pro have. With its greatest field of view, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is unable to lock on to close-up objects.
In actuality, the phone’s triple 50MP camera system still performs admirably, with intelligent algorithms assisting it in capturing consistently impressive pictures, even if they aren’t class-leading.
To begin with, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s primary 50MP camera adjusts with a Sony IMX707 sensor. While it isn’t as massive as the 1/1.12 sensor found in the Mi 11 Ultra. It is still one of the largest camera sensors available, outstripping the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Sony Xperia Pro-I.
This explains why images shot with the Xiaomi 12 Pro have a satisfying depth to them, which, when combined with the camera’s exceptional autofocus, makes things stand out. The primary camera’s f/1.9 aperture and seven-element lens contribute to the short depth of focus.
The main camera is slightly sharper than a top-tier iPhone in terms of clarity. This still captures true colors that extend to the wide and ultra-wide camera well.
While all of the cameras have a resolution of 50 megapixels, only the main camera has such a huge sensor. Thus the telephoto and ultra-wide extensions, which use Samsung Isocell JN1 sensors, fall behind in terms of quality. The ultra-wide camera features excellent color fidelity and a 115o field of view, however, like the Galaxy S22 series, it lacks autofocus.
However, due to the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s restricted optical reach. The two-times zoom camera lacks detail, so if you’re a huge pinching zoomer, you might want to pass.
Video Quality
In bright conditions, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s video capture is superb, with image stabilization functioning well even at 8K resolution or 4K at 60 frames per second. Mid-record, switching between the ultra-wide and main cameras is seamless. Albeit video capture appears to bypass the telephoto camera unless the recording is started zoomed-in.
In low-light situations, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s video quality falls behind the OPPO Find X5 Pro. That has a specialized nighttime video ISP, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which more nearly matches the S22 and S22 Plus.
The OmniVision sensor is used in the 32MP selfie camera, and while we haven’t gotten fantastic results from the brand in the past. Xiaomi manages to get some amazing shots out of it, especially in well-lit situations.
Xiaomi 12 Pro of Battery life
With most flagships now clocking in at about 5000mAh, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s battery capacity isn’t large. However, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s battery is greater than that of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus and the iPhone 13 Pro Max, two phones that can easily last a day.
As a result, unshock by the people that the Xiaomi 12 Pro got us on dawn tonight in our month with it. Even though it isn’t a two-day phone.
There are a variety of power settings available. To assist you to get more use out of a single charge or to drain the phone faster. Performance mode boosts gaming performance but uses more power. This Battery Saver disables all but the most basic functionality of the phone, and Ultra Battery Saver disables all but the most basic features.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro’s charging speed, which reaches 120W for a full charge in just 20 minutes, is even more amazing than its battery life. Along with the Xiaomi 11T Pro, this is the fastest charging smartphone available in the West.
While phones have often skipped wireless charging in favor of class-leading cable speeds. Xiaomi includes both fast 50W and 10W reverse wireless charging. This implies it can charge wirelessly at roughly twice the rate of an iPhone 13 Pro charged by wire – rather astounding.
When you’re not in a hurry, Xiaomi’s AdaptiveCharge slows things down. Allow you to manually or automatically adjust your charging speed to meet your needs.
Is it worthy to buy or not?
The Xiaomi 12 Pro has one of the most fingerprint-resistant glass backs we’ve ever seen on a smartphone. Even after a day of gaming, photo-taking, and messaging, it appears brand new. So even if you don’t use a case, you’ll have a smudge-free smartphone.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro’s quick 120W charging can fully charge it in 20 minutes, which is convenient. Even the phone’s wireless charging speeds are rapid at 50W. This is ideal for anybody as forgetful as we are when it comes to a nighttime charge (when using a Xiaomi wireless turbocharger).
While the main camera of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is excellent, the telephoto camera is not. Its two-times zoom pales in compared to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 10-times zoom. Even the Google Pixel 6 Pro’s four-times zoom, or the iPhone 13 Pro’s three-times zoom.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro and its MIUI 13 interface are unquestionably superior to any previous version of MIUI we’ve used. With Xiaomi’s iOS-style control panel, smart home integration, and third-party and Xiaomi apps loaded, MIUI is a long cry from plain Android. Choose a Pixel if you want a stock experience.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro’s curved AMOLED screen is stunning, but we understand that some people prefer flat panels. Fortunately, Realme has just released the Realme GT 2 Pro, an amazing alternative with comparable power, features, and a zingy, LTPO 2 AMOLED display.
Conclusion
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is one of the most well-balanced phones available. Its price of just under $1,000 puts it on par with the finest from Apple, Oppo, and Samsung. It lacks a strong camera zoom, which is the one true flaw in an otherwise fantastic package. This includes a polished design that resists fingerprints, class-leading rapid charging, a zingy screen, and enough power.
Advantage
The surface is smooth, sleek, and fingerprint-resistant.
Screen resolution is excellent.
Wired charging is incredibly fast.
Disadvantage
MIUI 13 has improved, however, it still has a bloated feel about it.
There is no official IP rating.
Fix of optical zoom.
