Xiaomi 12 Pro Review: After Using Some time My Opinion and Details

REASONS TO BUY

 +  Powerful hardware

 +  Stunning WQHD+ 6.73-inch display

 +  120W HyperCharge

REASONS TO AVOID

 -  Below-average battery life

 -  Camera has its limits

 -  No IP rating for water or dust resistance

This Xiaomi 12 Pro review has a lot of positive things to say about it. In fact, if you have the money to spend, this is one of the best phones on the market right now.

It follows on from last year's Xiaomi Mi 11 series, which we rated as some of the best Android phones money could buy at the time.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 was a great alternative to the most expensive flagship smartphones, while the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra was an expensive and luxurious piece of kit with a tiny screen tucked into the camera module, but the Pro version of the phone never made it to the UK, so I'm very happy to see it return in 2022.

Xiaomi has scrapped the Mi moniker and rebranded its top devices the Xiaomi 12 series this time around.

I recently reviewed the Xiaomi 12 and was astonished by how many top-tier specs they were able to put into such a small handset; if you want something smaller and less expensive than this, that is the phone for you.

Are you looking for an all-singing, all-dancing flagship? This Xiaomi 12 Pro review will take you exactly where you need to go.

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

XIAOMI 12 PRO REVIEW: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY  

The Xiaomi 12 Pro is now available for pre-order and will be released on April 15, 2022. It will be available in two sizes: 8GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB.

Xiaomi 12 Pro Launched in India: Price, and Specifications...

The top-tier model will cost $999, or £1,049 in the UK, which is a fairly common price for a Pro-level flagship. Unfortunately, this phone will not be officially launched in the United States, and we haven't heard anything regarding its availability in Australia.

XIAOMI 12 PRO REVIEW: FEATURES AND WHAT’S NEW 

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro was never seen in the UK, but the Xiaomi 12 Pro builds on its predecessor's roots. The design has been updated with sharper edges and a new screen that has decreased somewhat from 6.81 inches to 6.73 inches, as well as being slightly lighter and smaller.

A similar triple-lens 50MP camera system is included, albeit it should capture more light than previously, while the selfie snapper has been upgraded to 32MP. The improved camera software also bodes well for the Xiaomi 12 Pro's photographic capabilities, and you can shoot Ultra Night video in low-light situations.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, which is new for this year, is powering the handset and should ensure quick speeds and dependable performance. You'll also get a 4,600mAh battery, but it's the charging that will make the most difference; it comes with Smart 120W Xiaomi HyperCharge, which Xiaomi claims can charge your phone to 100 percent in as little as 18 minutes.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus vs Xiaomi 12 Pro vs OnePlus 10...

XIAOMI 12 PRO REVIEW: DESIGN AND DISPLAY 

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

The Xiaomi 12 Pro is a stylish and sophisticated device. I tried out the 'grey' model (which is actually more like black), but you can also get it in purple or blue if you want something a little more colourful.

The glass on the back features a frosted matte texture and a very subtle Xiaomi logo. A metal camera module with three lenses snugly packed into it sits at the top; the edges are sharp and angular, which complements the phone perfectly. When you flip it over, the phone's appearance softens due to a slightly curved screen that spreads to every corner of the device.

One of the nicest aspects of this design is that you may use it without a case because it is not composed of shiny glass that is easily scratched and can resist nasty fingerprint prints. It's a shame Xiaomi hasn't provided official IP water and dust resistance rating for this phone because that's the only reason I can't label it 'durable,' and I also can't say whether it'll survive being dropped in the bath.

When you use the Xiaomi 12 Pro flat on a table, it does shake slightly, but not as dramatically as some phones with even more prominent camera notches.

There isn't much to see around the metal frame; there's a volume rocker, a power button, and a USB-C port for charging. If you still use wired headphones, now is the time to update because you won't find a 3.5mm headphone jack here or on any other recent flagship.

This is a fairly normal size for a flagship gadget, weighing 205g and measures 163.6 x 74.6 x 8.16mm. A big-screen, big-body phone isn't for everyone, especially if you have little hands like mine, but it's undeniably more manageable than some others.

To unlock the display, you have the standard options of using a fingerprint scanner or facial recognition. When I was testing the phone, I elected to use my fingerprint, which worked great but required me to hold my thumb there for somewhat longer than on previous phones.

The screen is one of the Xiaomi 12 Pro's crowning achievements. It has a WQHD+ 6.73-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 3200 x 1440p and a 20:9 aspect ratio, as well as up to 1,500 nits peak brightness, which is significantly greater than what is available elsewhere.

It's a terrific screen that you can use for almost any work, whether it's photo editing, surfing through social media, or simply browsing the web. On a really sunny day, you'll even have a nice view of it!

All of the benefits of HDR10+ support are included, so TV shows and movies will look terrific with great contrast and brightness. On it, I watched an episode of Peaky Blinders, a notoriously dark TV show, and I could make out details even in the darkest regions of the scene.

Furthermore, because it is an LPTO display, it can regulate itself from as low as 1Hz to as high as 120Hz as needed. Games like PUBG Mobile were really smooth to play, and the always-on display didn't drain the battery too much.

Also Read: Xiaomi 12 Pro Event Roundup: Xiaomi Smart TV 5A, Xiaomi...

 

XIAOMI 12 PRO REVIEW: CAMERA SYSTEM

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

The Xiaomi 12 Pro has a 50MP main camera with a Sony IMX707 sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a 50MP telephoto camera, as well as a 32MP front-facing selfie camera.

Photos from the rear camera system appear nice for the most part, with plenty of clarity and a good degree of contrast, though on a dismal day it didn't do a fantastic job of bringing colours to life, resulting in a little dullness. See the gallery below for some sample images made using the Xiaomi 12 Pro.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro's low-light capabilities are somewhat limited; the images I took in my yard at night turned out grainy and blurry. While it brightened the scene, it did not do the colours justice.

Another area that could use improvement is the telephoto lens, which falls short of competing with other flagships. With only a 2x optical zoom and a 20x digital zoom, it can't compete with Samsung's 3x optical and 100x digital zoom, for example.

Having said that, the 50MP ultra-wide camera can fit more into the photo without sacrificing too much clarity, so that's definitely a benefit worth noting.

Also Read: MSI Katana GF76 review: Good gaming performance at an affordable...

XIAOMI 12 PRO REVIEW: PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY 

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

This year's flagship phones all use the same CPU, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 And the Xiaomi 12 Pro is one of them. The Qualcomm Adreno GPU is also present.

The amount of RAM and storage you get is entirely up to you, however, the model I tested had 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Choose prudently, though, because a MicroSD card will not be able to expand the storage.

Because of the hardware under the hood, using the phone is a breeze. It took no time at all to launch apps or navigate across open windows. It'll also be ideal for mobile gaming.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro scored 1,246 in single-core and 3,732 in multi-core on the Geekbench 5 performance test, putting it on par with the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and barely above other 2022 flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the OnePlus 10 Pro. At the time of writing, the only way you could have gotten higher points as if you had chosen one of the greatest gaming phones.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review

You'll enjoy superfast internet anywhere you go, whether at home or out in public, thanks to 5G and Wi-Fi 6E, as long as your neighbourhood and local network support it. If not, at least this phone will be ready when they do arrive.

I discovered that the Xiaomi 12 Pro's 4,600mAh battery lasted me from morning to late. Unlike other similar-priced phones, I had to charge it by the end of each day to ensure that I'd be ready to go the next morning.

To be able to compare it more directly to other phones, I played a local HD film on full brightness for almost 2 hours. During that period, the battery level declined by 20%, implying that the device would have only lasted roughly 10 hours in total. That pales in compared to the Oppo Find X5 Pro's 20-hour battery life, for example.

Fortunately, the phone's charging speed mitigates the phone's below-average battery life. A 120W charger is provided in the box, and charging the phone to 100% will take less than 20 minutes. You'll also be able to use it with a 50W wireless charger, which Xiaomi claims would charge the phone to full capacity in 42 minutes.

MIUI 13 is based on Android 12, so it's really easy to use and looks good; my only complaint is that it comes with a lot of superfluous apps pre-installed, such as the Mi Browser and Joom. There are more helpful ones as well, like Facebook, Amazon, and TikTok, though many users will spend some time deleting those when they initially set up the phone.

One advantage of this phone over others is the variety of possibilities for filling the always-on display, such as kaleidoscope effects and some pretty unusual clock layouts. That's a significant plus in my book, even if it won't make a huge difference in your day-to-day life.

Also Read:  Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro Quick Look is now available.

 

XIAOMI 12 PRO REVIEW: VERDICT 

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

The Xiaomi 12 is a well-rounded and powerful smartphone that is currently one of the best Android handsets available. It competes directly with well-known smartphone manufacturers such as Apple and OnePlus, as well as the best Samsung phones on the market.

You should buy this phone if the screen and performance are more important to you than the camera and battery life. In fact, its performance outperformed that of several of its main competitors, which will be one of the most convincing reasons here.

There are several areas where it falls short of comparable smartphones, but not everyone needs to take professional-grade photos or have their phone survive for two days at a time, especially with the super-fast charging capabilities.

I wouldn't let those things put you off if they aren't the be-all and end-all features for you because aside from those gripes, this is without a doubt a truly amazing smartphone.