Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ it is one of the most anticipated smartphones of 2023, thanks to an impressive technical data sheet and a price that, on paper, seems very competitive. 200MP camera, 120W recharge: the new mid-range smartphone relies entirely on the strength of numbers. But with a price just under 500 euros, it finds many competitors who have worse specifications but top software. Will he be able to make a difference? In this Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G reviewlet’s try to figure out if it’s the smartphone for you.
Our review of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G
Opening the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro + box for this review, we find a transparent cover and the 120W charger with USB-C cable together with the smartphone. A complete package to start taking full advantage of this new smartphone.
But before you do, it’s only right to take a moment to evaluate the design of this smartphone, which despite being rooted in the mid-range has the ambition of a top device.
Design: simplicity with style
The first evidence lies in the fact that this smartphone undoubtedly has generous dimensions. Measure 162.9 x 76 x 8.9 mm: almost nine millimeters thick is not a small amount. Similarly, i 209 grams in weight are above the average of most devices in this range. But when we take hold of the new Redmi Note 12 Pro+, it seems to us less cumbersome than what the numbers would suggest. It’s big, but not uncomfortable to use, quite the contrary.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has an elegant and minimalist designwith a curved glass back on the sides and a glossy frame that surrounds the device.
Find out all about the fantastic world of Xiaomi
The back houses a 200 MP main camera, flanked by an 8 MP wide angle, a 2 MP macro and an LED flash, in a rectangle that incorporates the color and materials of the border. The photographic module protrudes slightly from the surface, but with the cover on, the device remains stable when placed on a table.
Il Fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button on the right side. While on the upper side we find the 3.5 mm audio jack, the main speaker, the microphone, with another speaker and the USB-C port on the lower edge.
The device has a glass in Gorilla Glass 5 and has IP53 certification to resist dust and water splashes. The sensation is that of a resistant and well-built device: no creaks or uncertainties.
A big display
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ monta un 6.67 inch AMOLED display with resolution Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixel)refresh rate a 120 Hz and maximum brightness of 900 nit. The screen is protected by glass Gorilla Glass 5 and has a central hole for the 16MP front camera.
The display offers good visual quality, with bright colors and high contrasts. In particular, the MIUI carousel wallpapers highlight the excellent quality of the resolution: the screen is large and of a quality that seems superior to the list price.
The 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth surfing and gaming, while the maximum brightness allows good visibility even in direct sunlight. The screen also supports HDR10+, for greater color fidelity in compatible content. We were well impressed.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G review, hardware and performance
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ it is powered by the processor MediaTek Dimensity 1080, an octa-core chip with a maximum frequency of 2.8 GHz and a 6 nm architecture. It is a mid-range processor. And the performance is all there, in all kinds of situations, both in daily operations and in the most demanding games.
The processor is joined by 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, which allow you to switch from one app to another very quickly. Memory from 256GB is UFS 2.2, which is not the quickest solution on the market. Opening particularly thinking applications (such as games) can be seen, but we must say that we were generally well impressed.
The smartphone also supports connectivity 5G dual SIM, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC and dual-band GPS.
The operating system is Android 13 customized with the interface MIUI 14. It presents some of the historical problems of this operating system: in particular the presence of a few too many pre-installed apps. But you can delete almost all of them. And once we get to set up the system as we wanted (for example with gestures instead of the three keys at the bottom), we have to say that everything works great.
Review: Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G camera
Xiaomi used three cameras on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G, which performed well during our review. Or rather: the main camera did. With 200MP and OIS stabilization, allows you to capture a lot of light. The result is that even in the dark the shots are not bad, even if it shines especially in good light conditions. With overcast skies and at dusk, on the other hand, we noticed a less than perfect management of contrasts, resulting in more “flat” photographs than we would have liked.
The zoom isn’t bad at all, but we often preferred to shoot with the camera and then do “cropping” in post-production. Wide-angle cameras and the macro are less useful, however, which serve above all as support for the main one.
Find out all about the fantastic world of Xiaomi
You can record video also in 4K at 30 fps, with good results also thanks to the OIS. Good results, but also in this case we are not on the level of the top of the range, but rather in line with the medium-high range. There 16MP selfie camera it’s good for social media and video calls.
Photo samples
Battery and charging
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ has a battery of 5000 mAh which guarantees exceptional autonomy. With normal use it is possible to get to two days of use without problems, while with more intense use you still get to the end of the day with even 30-40%. We tried to download it completely keeping GPS, WiFi hotspot and 5G accessed, with many hours of active display. We didn’t make it though.
The smartphone also supports the fast charging at 120Wwhich allows the battery to be fully recharged only about 19 minutes. The sales package includes a 120W charger that takes full advantage of this technology. In this area it is a top of the range, indeed it does much better than many others.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G review: is it worth buying?
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ it is a smartphone that does not disappoint in any respect (here the complete technical specifications). It has a neat and modern design, a quality AMOLED display, a powerful and versatile processor, a good camera. And for autonomy and recharging it becomes simply excellent.
The price from 499 euro it is more than justified with these specifications. The only problem is that in this price range there are several interesting smartphones which, although with worse hardware on paper, recover a lot thanks to the software. Furthermore, the fact that the other Redmi Note 12s cost less while offering good quality performance could make many prefer them – giving up the 200MP camera and 120W charging. They are great to have, but not necessary for everyone.
Even at full price it remains a good buy, but with a few tens of euros off Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro + 5G could become a truly unmissable product.