Redmi 12 5G review
that of Xiaomi Redmi 12 5G is the brand’s recent 5G budget offering, after launching the 4G variant in India. The smartphone starts at a price of Rs. 9,999. 11,999 for 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. As you review the specs, keep in mind that this phone is aimed at consumers looking to get 5G on a budget. I am using the top variant which has 8GB RAM with 256GB storage, priced at Rs. 9,999. 15,499. Does Xiaomi succeed in delivering the claimed experience? Let’s find out in this review.
Redmi 12 5G: price in India
The Redmi 12 5G comes in two other variants: 4GB RAM with 128GB storage for Rs. 9,999. 11,999 and 6 GB RAM with 128 GB storage priced at Rs. 999. 13,499. It is available in three color options, Moon-stone Silver, Jade Black and Pastel Blue. It’s good to see a 256GB storage option on a budget smartphone, but this also brings it closer to the Redmi Note 12 5G which features a Super AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate and faster loading speed.
Redmi 12 5G sports a 6.79-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 2460 pixels
Redmi 12 5G: Design
The Redmi 12 5G sports a polycarbonate chassis with a glass back panel, which is a huge plus at this price point. The chrome rings around the camera lenses also look great. It is equipped with a USB Type-C port for charging and the phone retains the 3.5mm headphone jack. The smartphone uses a hybrid slot for two 5G nano SIM cards or a single SIM card and a microSD card.
The matte-finished side rails don’t catch fingerprints, but the back panel can easily get dirty with fingerprints and smudges if used without a case. The Redmi 12 5G seems well balanced despite the large screen. It weighs 199g and measures 8.17mm thick, which is quite thin for a smartphone with a 5,000mAh battery. The smartphone is a bit uncomfortable to hold for long periods due to its flat sides.
Redmi 12 5G: Display
The Redmi 12 5G sports a large 6.79-inch Full HD+ LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s smooth enough to be used for basic tasks like scrolling through social media or simply browsing the web. user interface, but as soon as you start watching content on it, you will miss having an AMOLED screen. The screen does the job; It’s bright enough to use indoors with a peak brightness of up to 550 nits, and watching content on it is okay, but as soon as you move outside, the screen isn’t very readable .
Redmi 12 5G: cameras
The phone sports a dual rear camera setup that includes the 50-megapixel primary camera. It does a decent job when there is sufficient light, but as soon as you shoot in low light conditions, the camera is no longer able to function properly. To my surprise, it didn’t sharpen the images too much.
Redmi 12 5G main camera samples daylight (left), low light (right) (tap to see full size)
Besides this main camera, it also uses a 2-megapixel depth camera, and there’s no ultra-wide, which is disappointing. For selfies, the smartphone has an 8-megapixel camera that captures quite detailed images in daylight.
Redmi 12 5G selfie camera samples (tap to see full size)
Redmi 12 5G can record videos up to 1080p 30fps, which offers good details. The front camera can also record video at up to 1080p 30fps, but captures slightly softer video.
Redmi 12 5G: Battery and charging
This is one of the strong points of this smartphone. The 5,000 mAh battery is pretty good for all daily tasks and even content consumption. In our rigorous battery test, the smartphone performed well. If battery life matters most to you, this could be a great option. The 18W charging seems slow and you’ll have to sit still for a while until it charges to 100%. The phone ran for 17 hours and 49 minutes during our battery loop test, which is a good time.
Redmi 12 5G supports up to 18W fast charging
Redmi 12 5G: performance
The Redmi 12 5G uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC, which is decently capable of running most apps without any lag, but competitive gaming isn’t one of its strong points. I edited a 30 second 1080p video on VN using this smartphone and it handled very well. When I tried playing games on it, Subway Surfers worked well, but other games like BGMI and Call of Duty lagged and couldn’t provide an enjoyable gaming experience.
The smartphone achieved average scores in benchmark tests. 5G performance was quite good, I achieved quite high download speed with Jio connection in Delhi. The Redmi 12 5G comes with MIUI 14 which is based on Android 13 and still has a few pre-installed apps that can be removed for the most part. This may be annoying for some people, but the user experience was surprisingly smooth.
Verdict
The Redmi 12 5G is a cheap offering from the brand that checks most of the basic boxes, including a large battery, 5G connectivity, a decent display, and a conventional design. Remember that the price of this smartphone starts from Rs. 9,999. 11,999, and it gets the job done. People looking for an entry-level 5G smartphone can opt for this model but if the screen and cameras are very important to you, the Redmi Note 12 5G it would make a lot more sense for a little more money.
