Verdict
The Xiaomi 12 Pro turn in brilliant operation in the areas it matters most , including the camera , the C.P.U. , the screen , and the assault and battery . However the divisive drug user port , the want of an information processing valuation , and mostly importantly the mediocre battery life story do let it down , especially when the newfangled Xiaomi 13 Pro fixes the latter two issues .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Xiaomi 12 Pro was a leading phone when it was released in 2022 , but how does it get along virtually a twelvemonth later in 2023 ?
The Xiaomi 12 ’s screens , cameras , and carrying out spirit level often reach exceptional banner , and the good news is that it still manages to stand up to examination in 2023 among a newer fleet of flagship smartphones .
Unlike some early models though , this one is n’t actually a cheap steal – at least if you ’re in the UK . The Xiaomi 12 Pro will set you back by £ 1049 here , while the US translation costs a far flashy $ 999 ( which convince to approximately £ 769 ) . That is still sleazy than the newer £ 1099 Xiaomi 13 Pro , judgement , and you ’ll probably be able to notice the year - honest-to-god 12 Pro at a much more tempting price .
With that in mind , here ’s what I call up about the Xiaomi 12 Pro .
Design and Screen
The Xiaomi 12 Pro has an attractively understated design . The rounded edge and super fluent matte finish helps it to feel remarkably comfortable , even velvety , in the hand . What ’s more , it does n’t pick up the fingerprint that its showy competition are very prone to doing , to name theOppo Find X5 Proas one in particular egregious example . Ironically , Xiaomi adopted that shiny design with the newerXiaomi 13 Proand , as expect , it ’s a fingerprint magnet .
It stays looking smart , with even the odd scrape or scuff improbable to become too patent . Our review unit is the grey-haired variant , but there are also imperial or depressed versions available .
The pleasingly rounded camera module does jut a little from the back , but not obnoxiously so , and overall the impression that you get is one of an attractive twist that does n’t feel the need to shout about itself .
The equipment measure 163.6 x 74.6 x 8.2 mm , and weighs 204 g. These dimensions are pretty much par for the row and like to what you ’ll line up with theSamsung Galaxy S23 Plusor theOnePlus 11 . It is a niggling big , and some users might struggle to utilize it with just one script , but if you want the larger blind experience then that ’s the inevitable trade - off .
In terms of other practicalities , this sound follows the overarching yet inauspicious trends of the grocery in ditch the 3.5 mm earphone mariner and expandible storage . But far more dissatisfactory than that is the want of anIPrating , which would designate the equipment ’s resistance to dust and water ingress ; given that Xiaomi is charging over £ 1000 for this phone , it becomes far harder to justify this skip .
This is one of the central advance of the newer Xiaomi 13 Pro so if weewee resistance is a dealbreaker , you ’ll be secure off with the newer good example .
you could unlock the speech sound with your fingerprint ( via the in - screen digital scanner ) or by your face , and both of these methods worked very expeditiously during my time with the headphone .
The turgid 6.73 - in screen is slightly curved at the sides , which will have buff and detractors . in person I much favor a mat covert than one which lap around the edges in this way , but this iteration is still well - fulfill and never registered inadvertent touch as stimulus .
The display itself is first-class . It has a wonderfully sharp 1440p firmness of purpose , matching other top flagships like the OnePlus 11 and theSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra , and the screen fend for over 1 billion color andHDR10 + , for a vast and brainy active range that has colours looking better than ever . Compatible picture content on Netflix really pop , leaving the screen of mid - range phone await clearly second - charge per unit .
The adaptive refresh rate array from 1Hz to 120Hz , meaning that it can range from update the concealment 120 times per minute when you ’re scrolling through societal mass medium feeds , playing compatible game , or undertake other intensive job that require the smoothest possible screen , or this rate can be reduced to just once per s when the screen is not in active use so as to save on energy consumption .
It ’s arduous to better on the quality of this screen , with secret plan being specially gratifying and immersive , and video quality is splendid too .
Camera
In terms of specs , the camera looks immediately promising . There are three 50 - megapixel sensors here : one wide slant , one ultrawide , and one telephotograph lens system . So , pass on that the specs indicate it has high solvent snappers that feed the gamut of versatility , how does it actually do in real life ?
at long last , this is a very capable camera scheme that works very well across its three lens ( the image above having been taken by the main camera , and the one below by the ultrawide ) .
day shooting produces extremely elaborate shots , with a firm active mountain range that brings out a mountain of color without seeming overdone . In other Word , avoiding the oversaturated tone that some shot taken by Samsung flagship can shine prey to .
Portrait mode works excellently , even when not shooting faces but other object – they are efficiently cut around while the background knowledge is blurred , producing an arresting “ bokeh ” consequence that do the topic pop out of the soma .
It ’s noticeable that the range of colouring material is not quite so impressive on the ultrawide or telephoto sensors , but shots from these camera are still very salutary and pack in sight of detail , even when the telephotograph lens is flash at 2x optical zoom , as in the picture above .
Night inject with the principal camera is very impressive too – but what ’s most impressive about it for me is not so much the carrying into action of Night Mode , but the fact that even shooting without this mode enabled still produces excellent photos without much postponement at all , with colour being very well interpret and expert amount of noise reduction .
With the subaltern sensing element , the essence of Nox way is more distinguish , with capital profundity of colouration when this is applied . It ’s also good to see nighttime manner being uncommitted across the sensors , since some other earphone merely limit it to the main sensing element .
The selfie camera , which has a 32 - megapixel sensing element , also perform admirably , with an effective and effective bokeh burden at play to make face stand out even more .
video recording functioning is stiff too ; you’re able to charge 4 K footage at 60fps , or even 8 K footage at 24fps , and the move tracking worked very well to keep the subject in focus whenever I used it .
Performance
The Xiaomi 12 Pro running game on the twelvemonth - oldSnapdragon 8 Gen 1processor , though it still redeem true flagship performance . Demanding games all play swimmingly on gamy options in my test , adding to my delectation . While I did n’t feel any stave or retard when open up apps or multi - tax between them .
This performance view as up well under my benchmarking examination as well , where it read impressive central processor scores ( assess by Geekbench ) and especially GPU scores ( measured by 3DMark ) . These scores offer a reliable peak of comparability between different devices by advertise them intemperately under specific mental test conditions , though it ’s not a substitute for tangible - populace enjoyment .
Take a tone at the table below , and scroll across to compare it to its match :
Test Data
As you’re able to see , C.P.U. scores are similar to 2022 handsets such as theOnePlus 10 Pro , Realme GT 2 professional , or theSamsung Galaxy S22 Plus – though its GPU scores are importantly honorable than those of the latter , so that ’s great news show for piercing wandering gamers who want an sharpness over their opponents . It ca n’t quite vie with newfangled 2023 flagship in benchmarks , but that belike wo n’t be noticeable in unremarkable use .
The chipset supports5Gconnectivity , and the phone also hasWi - Fi 6 and Wi - Fi 6Esupport , along with Bluetooth 5.2 .
However , the software is less established than many of its match . With chintzy Xiaomi speech sound , such as the Redmi Note 11 series , I ’d be more willing to overlook these shortcomings , but I ’m not so generous when it ’s a flagship like this one . The user port design is not specially attractive to look at anyway , but more to the point my two primary issues with it are bloatware and adverts .
You ’ll find upon beginning - up that there is a hatful of pre - install apps already there waiting for you , many of which you ’ll rarely use . Even though there ’s plenty of storage to host these apps , it still grates upon me to have a Modern phone so cluttered without my consent .
Sometimes when you download a novel app , an advert pops up after the security measures scan is everlasting . It ’s intrusive and irritating on any earpiece , but is at least excusable as part of a swap - off when you ’re bribe a chinchy French telephone . However , when splashing this much money on a flagship equipment , particularly with the surcharge for UK client , it ’s nigh - on unforgivable .
One utilitarian aspect of the MIUI software program was the existence of lozenge in the app drawer , sorted by categories such as Communication , Entertainment , Games , Shopping , and more . This makes it easier to line up the apps you ’re looking for , when you ’re browsing for them .
Battery Life
The electric battery sprightliness of the Xiaomi 12 Pro is not one of its strengths . Though not terrible by any means , this 4600mAh cell could struggle to get through a busy 24-hour interval . In general , I found that I could get 4 and a half hours of CRT screen time – which include browsing societal media , watching videos , and playing secret plan – before the shelling levels became menacingly low .
Using individual project , I bump that one hour ’ playback on Netflix would dent the battery back by 8 % , with the same amount being lost after half an hour of intensive gaming . An 60 minutes of pelt music on Spotify take 3 % off the battery . reduce the requirement of the screen did not seem to make a immense divergence to the battery survival , as with the screen door on a Full HD Plus resolution ( 1080p ) , an hr of Netflix still set it back by 7 % .
Overall these loads are passably comparable to theSamsung Galaxy S22 Plus , though slightly inferior , but machine such as theiPhone 13 Pro Maxwill leave it in the debris . It ’s worth noting that the Xiaomi 13 Pro has made marked improvement in terms of battery spirit , symbolize one of the biggest arguments to prefer for the new model .
However , on the subject of tight - charge this earphone more than holds its own . The manufacturing business claim that the 120W charging can fully top up the shelling in just 18 minutes , and I have see this staggering ability demonstrated in person ; however our review social unit did not come with a UK charger brick so I was not capable to try this out when trying out the phone myself .
Even when charging wirelessly , this machine packs an impressive 50W capableness that should take just 42 minutes for your sound to be fully juiced .
These charging speeds are very impressive when equate to the competition from the likes of Samsung and Apple , and it even dominate the speeds of theOppo Find X5 Pro ; it ’s doubtless a key characteristic that make life a great hatful more commodious when you need to add a cost increase to your assault and battery in just a few minute , and is particularly welcome give the fair assault and battery life .
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Should you buy it?
If you need a high - performing all - rounder that has a not bad screen , secure performance , and an excellent tv camera system .
If you need foresightful assault and battery life , you ’re not a lover of MIUI software , or you ’re cheese off by the UK price differential gear .
Final Thoughts
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is a very safe flagship telephone that has a potent central processing unit , a great camera system of rules , a howling screen , and very tight charging . Even a year on and up against the Xiaomi 13 Pro , it ’s still a tempting option .
On the other bridge player , the battery sprightliness is n’t as expert as the newer model , and the honest-to-goodness MIUI software program is arguably second - rate , but most of all I ’m disappointed that British customers face such a mark - up on this product . At the American cost , this would be a no - brainer leverage decision ; it ’s simply too good a phone to pass up at that Mary Leontyne Price point .
Trusted Score
How we test
We essay every wandering phone we review soundly . We utilize industry standard tests to compare feature of speech properly and we habituate the phone as our main gadget over the review period . We ’ll always tell you what we find and we never , ever , accept money to review a product .
FAQs
No it does not have an IP rating , so we can not be certain as to how it would deal with pee or dust ingress
Yes , you may access 5 G with this French telephone
It ’s uncommitted in grey , blue , or purpleness .
