Just recently, Xiaomi announced the new Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro flagships, and we finally got our hands on their current top-of-the-line model, the Xiaomi 12 Pro. In this review, as always, we will analyze in detail the features of the phone, its advantages and disadvantages, at the end we will talk about competitors and share opinions about the feasibility of the purchase.
Specifications of Xiaomi 12 Pro
Display: 6.73 inches, AMOLED, 20:9, 3200×1440 pixels, 419 ppi, 1-120 Hz, 1500 nits, HDR10+, Gorilla Glass Victus
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM: 8/12 GB LPDDR5
Flash memory: 128/256 GB UFS 3.1
SIM card: 2 × nanoSIM cards
Main camera: 50 MP, Sony IMX707, f/1.9
Wide-angle camera: Samsung S5KJN1, 50 MP, f/2.2, angle of capture 115 degrees
Portrait camera: Samsung S5KJN1, 50 MP, f/1.9
Front camera: OmniVision OV32B40, 32 MP, f/2.45
Battery: 4600mAh, USB-C, 120W, Surge P1 chip, wireless 50W, reversible 10W
Wireless interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/b/n/ac/ax, 2.4/5 GHz, 2×2 MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Miracast, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, AGPS, Beidou, Galileo , GLONASS, QZSS, NavIC
IR, NFC
Biometrics: In-screen fingerprint scanner, facial recognition
Sound: Stereo (2×2), Harman/Kardon, Hi-Res Audio, Hi-Res Audio Wireless, Dolby Atmos, LDAC
Water protection: Not declared
OS: MIUI 13 on Android 12
Dimensions: 163.6×74.6×8.16 mm
Weight: 205 grams
Packaging and assembly
The Xiaomi 12 Pro comes in a simple black box.
Inside: the phone itself with the factory film attached, the manual, a transparent silicone case, a USB-C cable and a large 120 W power supply.
Design and ease of use
Xiaomi 12 Pro is a classic representative of modern Android flagships. The model is similar to Samsung’s top new products – it has a waterfall screen rounded at the edges, a neat cutout in the screen for the selfie camera and a module for the main cameras that protrudes a lot.
The dimensions of the device are 163.6×74.6×8.16 mm, weight – 205 grams. The smartphone received a metal frame and a cover made of impact-resistant glass with rounded corners.
The screen lock button and two volume keys are placed on the right side.
There is nothing on the left side.
On the bottom face there is a USB Type-C port, a microphone, several speakers and a slot for two nanoSIM cards.
The upper panel is equipped with two more speakers, as well as an IR port for controlling household appliances.
On the back cover, there is the Xiaomi 5G inscription, as well as a protruding camera module.
Without a case, the smartphone is held in the hand quite confidently, but still sometimes it tries to slip out. This is facilitated not only by the pleasant-to-the-touch tempered glass of the back cover, but also by beveled corners and a waterfall screen.
I want to note that the problem here is not only this model, but all smartphones with a similar design, and there have been quite a few of them recently. In the case, of course, grip with the hands reaches a new level and becomes much better.
The screen diagonal of 6.73 inches makes the Xiaomi 12 Pro quite a large smartphone, so even people with long fingers and big hands sometimes have to use the model with two hands. And the rest, moreover, will do it much more often.
Overall tactile impressions of the model are rather positive. The smartphone is perfectly assembled, it looks cool, there are frames, but they are thin and almost do not strain at the beginning, and then they cease to be fixed by the gaze at all.
Xiaomi 12 Pro display
Xiaomi 12 Pro is equipped with a 6.73-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 3200×1440 pixels. The aspect ratio is 20:9, the value of dots per inch is 419 ppi, the refresh rate of the screen is 120 Hz, and the maximum brightness is 1500 nits. The display supports HDR10+, and the top is covered with Gorilla Glass Victus protective glass.
Of course, the Always-On-Display function was not forgotten. There are also day and night themes, different color schemes and a choice of screen resolution (FHD+ 2400 by 1080 pixels or WQHD+ 3200 by 1440 pixels).
The screen smudges very easily. Literally every light touch leaves visible fingerprints, dust, etc.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro has a built-in fingerprint scanner, and it’s one of the most buggy sensors I’ve come across. In the reviews of colleagues, I read how agile and trouble-free it is, but it was the opposite for me. The scanner almost never responded to my fingerprint and recognized it one time out of ten. The sensor turned out to be very buggy and annoying.
The screen of the Chinese flagship is very bright, juicy and detailed even at a reduced screen frequency. In the increased resolution, it becomes even better, and most importantly, more noticeable. That is, the difference between FHD+ and WQHD+ is actually visible only when switching between resolutions. If not for this, then both options seem to the eye to be as clear as possible and with a clear pattern. As a result, I switched to a reduced resolution and didn’t see much of a difference, but it saved a lot of battery power, which turned out to be much more important here.
Of the proposed color schemes, I liked the standard one, because the others seemed either oversaturated or, on the contrary, faded. But this is a matter of taste, so try it yourself and choose.
The maximum refresh rate of the Xiaomi 12 Pro screen is 120 Hz, and the minimum is 1 Hz. In the settings there is a choice between 60, 90 or 120 Hz in constant mode. It is also suggested to choose an adaptive frequency. Depending on the running program and the user’s activities, it jumps from 1 to 120 Hz. Between these values can be 10 Hz, 30 Hz, 60 Hz or 90 Hz.
I used adaptive mode and was comfortable. I know people who don’t like it that much, so they choose only 90 or 120 Hz. Here you also have to look for yourself, try and choose.
Xiaomi 12 Pro also has a sensor layer sampling rate of 480 Hz. Theoretically, this parameter affects the response speed of the display in games. Fans of mobile shooters should like this thing. However, in practice, I did not notice a particular difference between this and other smartphones in games. But I have no serious experience in this segment of games, so I could be wrong or just not see what a real fan of mobile gaming would notice.
Sound and vibration feedback
Xiaomi 12 Pro received a flagship vibration feedback with different vibration modes. The vibration motor here is better than in most of the devices that I recently tested, but it is still far from the level of iPhones.
One of the main positive features of the smartphone is excellent and full stereo sound. There are four speakers, two on the top and bottom. They are created with the participation of Harman Kardon and support Dolby Atmos technology.
While watching a video, you can call up a hidden sound control panel. Sound amplification, voice and various presets are available: for listening to music, for movies, for interviews and other similar videos where you need to amplify the voice, and so on.
Xiaomi 12 Pro sounds clear and loud. There is surround sound and something like bass. Of course, it’s not like full-fledged low frequencies, but compared to competitors, the smartphone really has a little bass.
There are also noticeable changes in the sound if you turn the sliders and buttons in the above menu. The system perfectly amplifies the voice, which will be useful when watching an interview and makes the music juicier if you have turned on a video clip or your favorite Spotify or YouTube Music playlist.
The sound quality of the smartphone in headphones is also at a high level. There is access to presets and manual adjustment using the equalizer.
Xiaomi 12 Pro cameras
The flagship was equipped with a triple main camera. There is a 50MP Sony IMX707 main module, a 50MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a telephoto lens with double optical zoom with the same resolution. It allows you to zoom in on the desired objects in the frame twice and at the same time the picture will not lose quality.
Xiaomi 12 Pro takes great photos on all modules and in all popular modes. True, like most modern top models, the device does not give 50 MP, but combines several pictures into one, so the photo quality is better, but their real resolution is 12.5 MP. If desired, the 50 MP mode can be enabled in the camera settings. However, I practically did not notice the difference.
The device shoots perfectly during the day on the main module.
Also, good photos come out on ultra-wide.
Night photos are also excellent and quite detailed. It was not without noises, but there are at least some of them here. Photos in this mode are probably the best I’ve tested this year.
The smartphone itself recognizes when it is dark and switches to night mode. It’s good that you don’t need to take pictures after freezing for a few seconds, as is often the case with other models. The camera “takes” the frame almost instantly, takes the right amount of light and does the right post-processing.
The front camera of the model received a 32-megapixel sensor. It produces bright, detailed photos with excellent color rendering. There is also a good portrait mode.
The flagship can shoot videos at 8K/24fps, 4K/30/60fps, and 1080p at 30/60/120/240/960 frames per second. The selfie module makes 1080p videos at 30 or 60fps, as well as 720p at 120fps.
The Camera app has tons of beautifiers, AI help, and other presets. There is also a Pro mode, creating video clips, Panorama, document photos, timelapse, long exposure and slow motion. They did not forget about simultaneous shooting on the main and front cameras.
Productivity, software and games
Xiaomi 12 Pro’s new flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor with LiquidCool cooling system, created according to the 4-nanometer technological process, is responsible for the performance of the Xiaomi 12 Pro. It consists of one 3.0 GHz ARM Cortex-X2 core, three 2.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A710 and four 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A510 cores. Adreno 730 video chip is responsible for graphics.
The smartphone comes in 8/128, 8/256 and 12/256 GB versions. RAM here is LPDDR5 RAM, and built-in UFS 3.1. Communications and modules are represented by a USB-C port, NFC, fresh Bluetooth 5.2, 5G and Wi-Fi 6/6E support.
Probably, the cooling system mentioned above somehow copes with its task, because in the stress test the chip behaved more or less decently (compared to it in other models). See this and other results below.
The smartphone, of course, easily pulls any modern demanding game like Wild Rift, PUBG Mobile and others. The graphics level is high or maximum, and the frame rate is always 60+. At the same time, the device heats up, but not much. The hands are simply warm and comfortable, especially in winter, but no extremely high temperatures were transmitted to the cover even in the most demanding games.
Xiaomi 12 Pro runs on Android 12, on top of which the proprietary MIUI 13 shell is installed. This is a very nimble OS. It has many installed programs, its own separate store of applications, screensavers, wallpapers, and more.
Following the example of One UI from Samsung, they added the ability to change pictures on the lock screen with each new unlock. Themes for constantly changing wallpapers can be selected in the settings.
Didn’t like the new message curtain. It now consists of two parts: a notification center and a list of icons with different functions. Only to move from one part to another, you need to swipe right or left.
This is very inconvenient, because the eyes are constantly looking for the familiar mobile network or Wi-Fi icons, and only find notifications or empty space when they are not there. I got used to it for more than a week, but I still couldn’t stop getting annoyed every time the curtain went down.
The autonomy of Xiaomi 12 Pro
Xiaomi 12 Pro is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 4600 mAh. For a bright AMOLED screen with an increased resolution and a variable refresh rate, this is clearly not enough, which negatively affects the battery life.
Even with reduced resolution and adaptive refresh rate mode, the device barely lasts a day. And this is when not actively used with several hours of mobile games, watching videos on YouTube and Netflix, surfing the Internet and making calls.
If you are an active user, be prepared that your smartphone will be discharged before the evening. True, the kit includes a 120 W power supply, so charging is very fast. The Xiaomi 12 Pro charges from 0 to 100% in 18 minutes. It takes 8 minutes to charge from 0 to 50%. There is support for wireless charging with a power of 50 W and reversible charging with 10 W.
Cost and competitor
Xiaomi 12 Pro in the 8/128 GB version is sold at the price of UAH 29,599. The 8/256 GB version will cost 30,499 hryvnias. The main competing models are the Samsung Galaxy S22 at the price of UAH 29,599 and the Samsung Galaxy S22+ at UAH 31,399. It is also worth paying attention to the compact Asus Zenfone 9 (31,899 hryvnias), and for fans of mobile gaming, there is the Asus ROG Phone 6 for 29,299 hryvnias.
Pros:
bright AMOLED screen with an adaptive refresh rate and the ability to change the resolution, excellent cameras, high-quality and loud surround sound, a rich set, a powerful chip with good cooling, 120 W charging, a smart shell fits
Cons:
a large number of competitors, the under-screen fingerprint scanner does not work well, it sits down quickly
Conclusion:
Xiaomi 12 Pro is a classic modern flagship with a waterfall screen. The device is equipped with an excellent AMOLED display with an adaptive refresh rate and the ability to change the resolution, it has a flagship processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which managed to cool relatively normally under loads. The smartphone also stands out with excellent cameras, including ultra-wide and front. But it has a small battery, which quickly discharges, but also charges literally in a matter of minutes. Xiaomi 12 Pro pleases with a smart shell and attention to details, but annoys with a buggy fingerprint scanner built into the screen. And yet, before us is perhaps the best Chinese flagship of recent years, which we recommend for purchase. True, it has many serious competitors in its price category and the main ones among them are Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+
