Xiaomi 12 Pro packs a punch as a flagship smartphone

Dubai

The wheat is separating from the chaff as Xiaomi has brought significant upgrades for its dozen series - the Xiaomi 12 Pro and the Xiaomi 12 set to debut in the UAE - as the company starts vying for the big prize at the top-end of premium phones across Android and iOS platforms. The Xiaomi 12 Pro is a sign that the flagship phone battle is set to heat up again.

We tested the Xiaomi 12 Pro and were pleasantly surprised to see many features, such as dual speakers, bright display, good camera setup, high-quality chipset, bundled into a nice package in its aluminum chassis.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro is the company serving notice to its rivals for a genuine premium phone at a much affordable price point. A bright display panel, backed by the technology behind it, has raised the cinematic experience to another level. Without much ado, we get into the details:

Cinematic experience with HDR display

An LPTO AMOLED display with HDR 10+, measuring 6.73 inches diagonally, brings out 68-billion colours at a Quad HD resolution of 1440 x 3200 pixels and a ppi density of 509. These are utilised on the full, curved-edge display panel in a 20:9 screen ratio, with only the front selfie shooter punching a hole in it.

There is a feature called MEMC, which can make the refresh rate adapt according to the video quality, although you need to activate it manually.

Quad speakers from Harman Kardon provide industry-matching audio at both ends of the phone weighing 205 grams. A dual sim tray slot is at the bottom but has no audio jack.

The in-display fingerprint sensor is placed at the lower end of the Gorilla Glass Victus screen while a sober back with a soft-touch finish makes the Xiaomi 12 Pro nice to hold. It is available in Blue, Purple and Gray colours.

Camera

A triple camera setup on the back has a 50MP main shooter at f/1.9 aperture and optical image stabilisation, an ultrawide 13 MP and a 5MP macro one with auto focus. There is the Sony IMX707 sensor on the former and Samsung JN1 sensor for the ultrawide and macro cameras.

Colours are not overly saturated and contrast ratio is good. Where it scores highly is in low light photography, with very low noise and good exposure without going overboard.

More importantly, the auto night mode kicks in and results are almost as good as the manual one, which means it is a point-and-shoot experience on your evenings out. Allow the image stacking some time but it comes up with a decent output without over-sharpening details under the shadows.

Selfies can be made with the 32MP camera with punchy colours and the portraits come out well, albeit a bit on the softer side. You can also shoot 4K videos at 30 frames per second with accurate colours and a dynamic range.

Performance

The Xiaomi 12 Pro has been among the first to carry the latest Snapdragon 8 Generation 1 processor. A refresh rate of 120Hz that marries the MIUI 13 with the Android 12 to make browsing a pleasant experience. And with the crisp audio to boot, even hardcore gaming is a breeze and fun, literally. A 12GB RAM with 256GB memory gives you the wings.

After a round of gaming, the Antutu benchmark score ranked top of the table. Given the high refresh rate and brightness, the battery can take a beating which is where the powerful battery comes in.

A 120W charger that comes with the box brings the 4,600mh battery of Xiaomi 12 Pro back to full life in just 18 minutes. There is 50W wireless charging and Liquidcool technology as well. If you want the phone to last longer, there is an option to scale back the refresh rate to 60Hz. Even better, with the game apps activated but on standby mode, the battery barely drops.

Verdict

The Xiaomi 12 Pro has a bright display for a cinematic experience, tons of features, a powerhouse in yours hands befitting a flagship phone - at an affordable price. Be it gaming or a smooth software experience and the cameras shooting at your will, there is much to like in the Xiaomi 12 Pro. On the lower end, there is the compact Xiaomi 12 without compromising much on the main features on the Pro version.

The flagship Xiaomi 12 Pro can be pre-ordered with the Mi Smart Airfryer and a Youtube Premium account for Dh3,799 from March 23-30.