Full Review of Xiaomi 12 Pro:
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is the Chinese brand’s but still super useful smartphone from last year. This flagship phone packs high-end specs and features to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S22, iPhone 13 Pro, and more. I’ve been using the Xiaomi 12 Pro as my daily driver for the past few weeks, and here is my in-depth review.
Pros and Cons:
Pros
- Gorgeous 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED display
- Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 performance
- Very fast charging speeds (120W wired, 50W wireless)
- Great triple rear cameras, especially in low light
- Premium design with IP68 water resistance
Cons
- Good but not incredible battery life
- MIUI software has a learning curve
- No headphone jack
Overview
The Xiaomi 12 Pro sports a premium design with a strong metal frame and Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back. It has a large 6.73-inch AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Chipset and 8/12GB RAM in this phone.
For photography: Xiaomi 12 Pro has a triple camera setup with 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide, and 50MP telephoto lenses. Other highlights include 120W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, stereo speakers, and IP68 water resistance.
The phone launched globally in March 2022, with an updated price starting at $750 this year. That’s undoubtedly premium pricing, but still undercuts the Galaxy S22 series. Let’s dive into the full review.
Design and Display build Xiaomi 12 pro
The Xiaomi 12 Pro looks elegant, with its rectangular camera module and curved display edges. The matte glass back resists fingerprints well. I have the gray model, which gives off a professional vibe. The phone is large at 6.73-inches, and a bit slippery, but reasonably lightweight at 205g.
While there’s no headphone jack, you get stereo speakers that sound pretty good. However, the curved display can lead to accidental touches, especially when holding the phone landscape. There’s also no IP water resistance rating, so you’ll want to be careful around water.
As for the display, it’s a gorgeous 6.73-inch AMOLED panel with 3216 x 1440 resolution (525ppi), up to 1500 nits brightness, and 120Hz dynamic refresh rate. It supports HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and has a 240Hz touch sampling rate.
The screen is incredibly sharp, gets very bright outdoors, and has smooth scrolling. It’s fantastic for watching HDR videos and playing games. Easily one of the best displays on a smartphone right now.
Performance and Software
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM. I’ve been impressed with the phone’s performance so far. Apps open swiftly, scrolling is smooth, and demanding games like Genshin Impact run at high graphics settings without issue.
You also get UFS 3.1 storage and WiFi 6E support. Connectivity has been solid on LTE bands and 5G networks. The phone does get warm when pushed hard, but not uncomfortably so. The cooling system keeps thermal throttling at bay.
Out of the box, the Xiaomi 12 Pro runs Android 12 with the MIUI 13 interface. It takes some adjusting from vanilla Android, but MIUI offers many customization options. There is a bit of bloatware pre-installed, which you’ll likely want to uninstall. Notification delivery can also be delayed at times.
Aside from a few quirks, I’ve found MIUI stable and fast. The software has only crashed once in two weeks of full-time use. Xiaomi will continue refining the software experience over future updates.
Battery Life of Xiaomi 12 Pro
Packing a 4,600 mAh battery, the Xiaomi 12 Pro delivers good but not incredible battery life. I can get about 5 hours of screen time over a day with heavy use, sometimes stretching it to 6 hours. While acceptable, some competitors like the S22 Ultra and OnePlus 10 Pro last noticeably longer on a charge.
On the plus side, charging speeds are blazing fast. Using the included 120W charger, I can go from zero to 100% in under 25 minutes. 50W wireless charging is also impressively quick. So you can easily top up when needed. Battery life is fine for casual users, but power users may want to keep a charger handy.
Camera Performance
Onto one of the most important aspects of cameras. The Xiaomi 12 Pro packs a triple camera:
📸 50MP wide camera with f/1.9 aperture, OIS
📸 50MP ultrawide camera with f/2.2 aperture
📸 50MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom
The main camera captures highly detailed photos with punchy contrast and saturated colors in good lighting. The images lean more vibrant versus natural-looking, even with AI disabled. Low-light shots also impress, with accurate white balance and low noise.
As expected, the ultrawide camera produces similarly vibrant images, with some distortion around the edges. 2x zoom shots retain a good level of detail. Portrait mode works reliably, with a nice background blur.
For video, the rear cameras can shoot up to 8K resolution. 4K footage at 30/60fps looks excellent with solid stabilization and HDR. The selfie camera quality is quite good, producing 12MP stills and full HD video.
While not revolutionary, the Xiaomi 12 Pro’s versatile camera setup competes well with the best flagships for photography and videography.
Xiaomi 12 Pro Review Summary
The Xiaomi 12 Pro brings virtually every spec and feature you could want in an Android flagship. The phone delivers excellent performance, cameras, and display quality. MIUI still needs some refinement but provides tons of customization. Battery life could be better, but it charges ridiculously fast.
If you can get past MIUI, the Xiaomi 12 Pro represents a compelling high-end alternative to pricier phones from Samsung and Apple. Power users searching for the latest specs will find much to love in Xiaomi’s new flagship.
Xiaomi 12 Pro FAQs
How long does the battery last?
With heavy use, expect around 5-6 hours of screen time. More casual users can stretch it to a full day. Charging is high-speed, which helps offset average battery life.
How is the low-light camera performance?
Excellent. The Xiaomi 12 Pro captures bright and detailed night photos with minimal noise. It’s among the best low-light camera phones.
Does it work well with US 5G networks?
Yes, the global Xiaomi 12 Pro model supports sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G bands used by US carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile. 5G connectivity is fast and reliable.
Is the display good for watching movies or playing games?
Absolutely. The vibrant 6.73-inch AMOLED display with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support provides an immersive viewing experience for videos, games, and other media.
How does the Xiaomi 12 Pro compare to the regular Xiaomi 12?
The 12 Pro has a better 50MP telephoto camera, brighter display, faster charging, and mmWave 5G support. But the regular 12 shares a similar overall design and performance for less. The Xiaomi 12 Pro is mainly worth it if you want max specs.
So, in this summary, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is an impressive flagship phone with excellent performance, display quality, charging speeds, and camera capabilities. While battery life could be better, the phone shines in most areas and gives pricier flagships a run for their money. If you can adapt to MIUI, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is a powerhouse for work and play.
