Verdict
large , muscular and equipped with an OLED screen bright enough to shrug off the sun , the Xiaomi 12 thyroxine is a various sound for content guzzler . But it ’s disappointing to see limited progress and some downgrade from Xiaomi ’s last model .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
TheXiaomi12 T is a mid - range Android phone and the downcast - cost adaptation of the recently reviewedXiaomi 12 T professional .
first of all , the two earpiece are similar . The 12 T has a MediaTek processor instead of a Snapdragon one , but it ’s a substantial SoC. The primary rearward camera has a 108 - megapixel detector instead of a 200 - megapixel one . But , in many scenarios , their actual - humans performance is n’t actually that different . Neither is a division leader , but both can take decent photos .
The 12 T costs £ 150 less than the 12 T Pro , a satisfying saving that , for price - witting folks , piss it more appealing . I found the 12 T ’s battery lasts a snatch longer too , although both are solid enough in this area .
However , in some respects , it ’s a worse earpiece than its direct predecessor , the Xiaomi 11T. The character of the chassis has diminish , and the secondary macro instruction television camera is downgraded from a fun - to - use 5 - megapixel telephoto to the classic grim 2 - megapixel detector . The 12 T ’s processor is well , but you are n’t always able to take advantage on its substantial power because some games will not be optimize for this speech sound .
Maybe the 12 triiodothyronine is just a fatal accident of globular fiscal pressures , but it ’s still a sound headphone in just about every sphere . It starts at £ 499 for the 128 GB model , go up to £ 549 for the 256 GB one , and has been spot online for as little as £ 399 – a deal good enough to counter many of the issues raise in this review .
Design and Screen
The Xiaomi 12 tetraiodothyronine looks almost selfsame to the 12 T Pro . A duad of time I ’ve had to check whether it says “ 108MP ” or “ 200MP ” on the photographic camera caparison to evidence them aside .
That is , you could debate , good intelligence for the more affordable 12T. There ’s nothing too ambitious go on here in term of style or design , but the matt finish of the rear glass – and it isrealglass – depend great if you are out for a crushed - cardinal look .
However , the 12 T is actually a very decipherable build downgrade from the 11T. That phone had aluminium sides and top - tier Gorilla Glass Victus trash on the front and back . This one has shaping sides and Gorilla Glass 5 instead of Victus . The former is slightly less advanced – not as toilsome and shock - resistant , grant to Divine Corning .
The 12 T feel good but not quite like a true high - end Android due to all that plastic . It also has very limited IP53 water opposition . With level 3 impedance compare with top - tier 8 of aniPhone 14 , it ’s only really made to stand up to a piece of rain , rather than a right dunking .
Xiaomi has lost the open figure spark advance it had over companies like Samsung at this price range . And for like money , thePixel 7has Victus meth , IP68 water system resistanceand a full metal and looking glass outer – no contest .
Of course , the Pixel 7 is a much smaller humanoid , making the Xiaomi 12 tetraiodothyronine seem considerably suited for play and keep an eye on picture . This pass to another point you should consider . Like other Xiaomi sound of this size , the 12 tetraiodothyronine is large . And it ’s fairly duncical , at 8.6 mm , with no narrowing front glass to trick your hands into thinking it ’s thinner .
This phone also lacks a headphone jack and a microSD slot . you’re able to choose from either 128 Gbit or 256 GB of storage – enough for most folks . The in - concealment fingerprint image scanner feels profligate and reliable , and the stereophony speakers are loud and propose a good stereo image , although the bass here is n’t as knock-down as on some other phones , include the much smallerAsus Zenfone 9 .
The Xiaomi 12 T has not supervise to stand out so far , but it does have an unusual screen : a 6.67 - inch OLED with a resolution of 2712 x 1220 pixels . The size and panel elan are normal , but the resolution is importantly high-pitched than the 2400 x 1080 - pixel norm .
It offer something of a middle ground between 1080p and the 1440p of the top - tier up Androids . I do n’t think this alone is enough to guarantee bribe this phone , but that ’s largely because standard - Re telephone set do n’t appear all that dissimilar from a normal distance .
Other aspects of the 12 T ’s screen are also strong . OLED means line is perfect in the right conditions and colour depth is telling .
Brightness is strong , too . Much lither than the 12 T Pro , the 12 T reaches 490 nit indoors and can hit 890 nits outdoors in bright sunshine , enough for enceinte outside visibility – this is a bright earphone .
A encompassing colour gamut showing supportsHDRtoo – you could n’t expect for much more at that cost . Like in other mid - tier Xiaomi phones , the maximum refresh rate is 120Hz , matching that of the most expensive Androids .
Performance
The Xiaomi 12 tetraiodothyronine runs Android 12 and has Xiaomi ’s MIUI on top . Its default rounded - off straight ikon look a bit stiffer than some , but the life feel good and the phone has more than enough business leader and RAM ( 8 GB ) to keep the system running smoothly .
A few constituent are a little odd , though . Xiaomi messes with how the notifications ’ drop - down and feature toggle panes work . The average is you flicker down once for notifications , double for Wi - Fi toggles , and so on . Here , flicks from the left side of the screen take you to notifications and those from the right to boast command .
The silver screen is a morsel too crowing to make this feel well-heeled . And while you may flick leave and right to toggle between the two , this all seems like Xiaomi refine stuff that was fine the direction it was , just to be dissimilar .
apart from this and the standard series of undesirable apps Xiaomi preinstalls , like Amazon and game such as Genshin Impact and Tile Fun , the software is generally fine .
I ’ve only noticed one substantial bug in my time with the 12T. It has a habit of refusing to make out out of a black - screen state after a night spent asleep – something I ’ve solved by hard resetting ( not mill resetting ) the phone . It ’s happened a few times . However , my existent days expend with the phone were painless .
The processor plausibly helps . It ’s the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 , a chipset with might like with something like theSnapdragon 888 , a democratic picking for 2021 flagship earphone and value - led carrying into action models in 2022 .
I have not been able to fully test what it can do for a couple of reasons.3DMark ’s testing app is blocked on my Xiaomi 12 liothyronine , and that app is a good room to get an approximation of how strong a phone should be at gambling . Fortnite has also not been fully optimised for this earpiece , mean you could only wreak the game at the basic configurations available to all models that can get past the load screen : medium visuals , 30fps . This is n’t much of a challenge for the Dimensity 8100 .
From a review perspective , this poppycock sucks .
However , we can get a good melodic theme of its performance potential through Geekbench . The Xiaomi 12 T scores 3512 points in the standardGeekbench 5CPU test , 899 per core . It ’s a lucifer not just for the Snapdragon 888 but also for the newerSnapdragon 8 Gen 1flagship .
In the GPU - pass OpenCL Geekbench 5 benchmark , the 12 T scores 4681 point – very exchangeable to what you ’d see from a Snapdragon 888 phone , but not the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 , which would do better . As expected , the earphone is a bang-up performer on both the CPU and GPU sides , but true flagship chipsets of 2022 have better peak play big businessman .
I do n’t like run principally off abstracted benchmark for gaming depression , so I also played Ark : Survival Evolved for a while with all the graphics configurations maxed . This can make some less powerful phones chug a bit , but the 12 T had zero issues , and the back only got a little warm .
This seems to be an vantage of the Dimensity 1200/1300/8100 chipsets : I have never had overheating problem with headphone that employ them , yet .
Camera
The Xiaomi 12 T has three rearward tv camera . We get a 108 - megapixel Samsung HM6 with OIS , an 8 - megapixel extremist - blanket Samsung S5K4H7 sensor , and a flyspeck 2 - megapixel Galaxycore macro television camera .
These junior-grade cameras are the kind of stuff you might regain in mid - range Androids significantly flashy than the Xiaomi 12T. And Realme has used the principal tv camera ’s HM6 sensor in the cheaperRealme 9(but without OIS ) .
This raiment is not quite at the level of the Pixel 7 , which has a good radical - wide of the mark camera and an at least arguably superior elementary photographic camera sensor , the Samsung GN1 . But what are 12 T ’s pictures like ?
The shooting experience is very like to that of the 200 - megapixel 12 T Pro . However , I actually often prefer the aboriginal colour of the 12 T over the Pro . While the main tv camera in the Pro tends to take cooler images than the ultra - all-embracing , the 12 liothyronine ’s are systematically somewhat warmer , which produces more flattering view of greenery and other nature stroke .
Day - lit dead reckoning often look great , with fairly realistic people of color , high dynamic range , and a upright hit charge per unit of images without messed - up parameters . On a few occasions , theHDRmode did n’t seem to engage properly , but these are clean rare . And I saw very little of the oversaturation outcome of some of the 12 T Pro images .
Unsurprisingly , the 200 - megapixel Pro can take better 2x digital zoom shots than this earpiece . While the 12 thyroxine ace hold up up all right , when opening them up on a computer monitor , you’re able to see some sign of image quality compromise before you even zoom along in .
The ultra - wide ’s shots do n’t make up that well to shut down examination , either . They miss the information to resist much cropping and turn quite cushy at the corners . This would n’t be an issue if this speech sound was a little cheaper . The ultra - broad can take adorable picture – but at this cost , you could get better ultra - wide cameras .
Night shooting brings similar conclusions . The Xiaomi 12 T can take respectable night images , but they just do n’t match up to the best at this price .
Without using the Night mode , characterisation can look a piffling soft and vague . The Night manner tends to improve sharpness and help with colour and mid - tone detail , but you ’ll see better dynamic reach and phantasm point retrieval in some cheap phone .
The 12 T ’s video also lacks the top - end capabilities see in the 12 T professional . you’re able to shoot at up to 4 K resolution , 30 flesh per second , whereas the Pro can handle 8K/30fps and , more significantly , 4K/60fps .
You do n’t get high-pitched - end chop at a mid - range price here . However , both 4 K and 1080p picture capture look good , with notably solid keenness at the humbled - conclusion resolution . Both have good stabilization , so flicking between them based on whether you respect frame pace or item / sharpness is a in force idea .
The selfie camera is potential the second strongest of the phone . It has a 20 - megapixel sensing element , and produces substantial selfies . It can even manage very poor lighting : selfies turn subdued , but you’re able to still make out citizenry ’s front clearly enough .
Battery life
The Xiaomi 12 T has a 5000mAh barrage fire , like almost all phones Xiaomi makes of this size . Its stamina is dead solid , leaving me with about 30 % , sometimes 35 % , charge by bedtime . I detect it lasted a little longer than the 12 T Pro , although I was unable to nail down why in some partial run - down tension tests , where their solvent were similar .
That sound out , Generic Battery Drainer did routinely report that the 12 thyroxin ran at a lower bombardment voltage and temperature .
Charging speed is the master event here . The 12 T has a 120W charger . It only peaks at 110W , concord to my magnate meter , but that still outclasses almost every other phone at that price .
When charging from a battery so flat that the phone will no longer switch on , I found it adopt 25mins to shoot 100 % , and the earphone plosive drawing office at the 28min scratch . It hit 50 % charge at 12mins . Xiaomi says a full charge in 19 bit is possible – this is likely when not charging from a altogether stagnant commonwealth , which slows down the charging pace in the first few minutes well .
With oecumenical habit , most folks wo n’t involve to give the 12 T a mid - afternoon bearing . But if you do , just 5 minute plugged in will have a prominent impact . It ’s mostly beneficial news here , but there ’s no radio charging – a usual deletion among Xiaomi ’s more value - led phones .
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Should you buy it?
thanks to its self-aggrandising and bright OLED screen , close - flagship - level processor and stereo speakers . Superfast charging is also a blessing to heavy users .
liken to some former Xiaomi model , with certain hardware cut make it seem less obviously value - packed than the 11 thymine from a class earlier .
Final Thoughts
The Xiaomi 12 T is a beneficial all - debauchee . It ’s powerful , the camera bring about courteous image during the twenty-four hour period and dark , and the screen door is superior to call up mid - commando , with more picture element and above - medium brightness .
While the battery lifetime is not received - mise en scene , it ’s solid , and the charging upper is fantabulous . It ’s just a shame the 12 T is n’t really an upgrade from the old Xiaomi 11 metric ton in all esteem . Aspects of the 12 T ’s build are spoiled , and the macro camera is much bad . You might want to see if you may get that older mannikin for flashy before it disappears completely .
However , I witness the 12 T easier to recommend than the pricier 12 T Pro , as the latter ’s upgraded 200 - megapixel camera is n’t actually much upright than the former ’s 108 - megapixel one . And while the 12 T Pro has a punchier central processor , it can overheat when under strain for longer catamenia , which I have n’t see happen with the 12T.
Trusted Score
How we test
We screen every mobile phone we review soundly . We use industry standard trial to compare features by rights and we use the telephone set as our primary machine over the review period . We ’ll always tell you what we come up and we never , ever , accept money to review a merchandise .
FAQs
It has basic IP53 water resistance , which is only fit for trade protection from light rain , for example .
There ’s no 3.5 millimetre headphone jack , so you ’ll have to employ USB - coulomb or wireless headphones .
It does n’t support wireless charging ; only cable television charging is useable .
