Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Review
Today we are going to review the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G 4/128 GB model. It was first released at end of March 2023 in the international market. So, it’s not that new anymore. But it was first released in Bangladesh about two months ago and it was only the 4 GB model and we were waiting for the 8 GB model to arrive as well. But after comparing both the 4 GB and 8 GB model, we decided to review the 4 GB model.
Performance
The main reason to choose the 4 GB model is because the gaming performance of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 4G chipset which is used in this phone is very similar to the MediaTek Helio G88 chipset. The 8 GB model is priced at ৳22,999 and for that mid-range price we see The Snapdragon 685 to be an inferior chipset especially when it comes to a highly important smartphone like Redmi Note 12. Recent mid-range phones like Infinix Note 30 or Tecno Camon 20 Pro come with Helio G99 chipset beat this Xiaomi device easily in terms of performance. They are priced 1K or 2K higher but its worth to pay the bucks to get a much upgraded chipset. The 4 GB model of the Redmi Note 12 is priced at ৳19,999 and its ok to have this chipset under 20K price and it will do just fine with 4 GB RAM. Although RAM is important, Chipset is far more important than the RAM.
You could still expect 6 GB or even 8 GB RAM for this price. Again some phones from Infinix or Tecno Mobile will offer you that boost in RAM with a similar or better chipset under 20K price. Take Tecno Camon 20, Tecno Spark 10 Pro, Infinix Note 30 or Infinix Note 12 2023 as examples. Yes, we are still taking about a Xiaomi Redmi Note phone here which is dominating the market for over 5 years in a row and built a prestige as well as trust around it. But Samsung was at its place and has fallen behind now as it started to get pricier and pricier. So, one needs to remain competent and nothing is for granted here once one does not comply with the demand and value of the consumers or the market.
Despite all that,
Redmi Note 12 from Xiaomi is quite well-optimized in its hardware and software section and the phone performs smoothly for any day to day tasks. Regular popular games can be played without any issue. You may not be able to play them in high graphics settings but it’s still very decent.
Design and Build
The design looks great. Xiaomi Note phones always looked great. Although its rather a more subjective experience, there are patterns of design which are considered attractive and beautiful. This Note 12 looks simple, elegant, and there is the love of Xiaomi visible in it. You can interpret it in whatever way you want but that’s how we feel about it.
The body is made of plastic. There is a Gorilla Glass 3 on the front and IP53 certified dust and splash resistant body. You could expect a glass back and we had it in some of the Redmi Note phones before. The center-punch-hole on the front looks up to date.
Display
There is a 6.67 inches AMOLED Full HD+ display with up to 120Hz refresh rate. Now, this is what you call a maximum display at the lowest cost. Xiaomi left no room for complaint in this area. In fact, it deserves good complement. There is also 1200 nits max. brightness so, it will give good viewing experience under daylight as well.
Camera
There is a 50 Mp main back camera with an 8 MP ultrawide shooter and a 2 MP macro lens. Its a decent camera but nothing impressive. There is Samsung lens but the shots lack details in daylight and may look a bit dull sometimes. But the color reproduction looks natural and its just a satisfactory camera. We wish it could be better. The same goes for the 13 MP front camera. We could not see any surprise here compared to the phones from previous years.
Other Features
We have all expected connectivity features such as dual SIM, USB Type-C, NFC, Infrared and so on. We couldn’t find any info about FM Radio so, that’s the only thing missing. Apart from that, we have stereo speakers and 24-bit/192kHz audio for stronger sound quality. The fingerprint is side-mounted. There is the latest Android 13 and we expect upgrade till Android 15 (once released in the next years). There is also 3.5 mm Jack, dedicated MicroSD slot and UFS 2.2 fast internal storage.