The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is true powerhouse of a phone with cutting-edge features and exceptional performance. The latest in Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series pretty much sets a new standard for mid-range smartphones.
From its sleek design to its stunning display, versatile camera system, and long-lasting battery life, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is a device that seamlessly blends style with substance. Seriously, whether you’re a photography enthusiast, a multitasker, or a gamer, this smartphone caters to your every need. Do not be fooled by the price tag.
Read on to learn more about what I thought of the Redmi Note 12 Pro+.
Design: A Blend of Elegance and Durability
Xiaomi does a fantastic job of walking the line between elegance and durability; the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ stands out in a crowded market.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is both sleek and sophisticated in its design. Its glass back panel with a gradient finish and a robust metal frame offer a premium look and feel. My Sky Blue review unit was gorgeous, dancing in sunlight, almost requiring a closer inspection.
The placement of physical buttons and fingerprint sensor is ergonomic and comfortable. It’s not as if they are in an unusual position, but they do feel “right” with their placement.
Display: Immersive Visuals that Mesmerize
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ boasts a captivating display. With its 6.67-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED panel, you’ll be treated to stunning visuals with vibrant colors, sharp details, and impressive contrast levels.
Browsing photos, streaming videos, and playing games all look terrific on the display of the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ offers an immersive experience that brings content to life.
One of the standout features of the display is its 120Hz refresh rate, which means smooth and fluid animations. Every swipe and scroll feels responsive and buttery.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+’s display also supports HDR10+ technology, enabling a wider color gamut and better contrast for more lifelike visuals. HDR content appears more vibrant and detailed, with richer colors and deeper blacks, bringing out the finer nuances in movies, videos, and games. And when it comes to checking out your photos, well, that’s even more fun.
The display offers excellent brightness levels, making it easily readable even under bright sunlight. As we spend more time out in the sun over the next few months the last thing we want to do is seek out shade so we can read a few quick texts.
To protect the display from scratches and accidental drops, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ features Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The durable and robust glass adds an extra layer of protection yet doesn’t compromise visual clarity.
Software: MIUI Delivers a Feature-Packed Experience
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ delivers a feature-packed software experience with its MIUI, Xiaomi’s custom user interface. Designed to enhance user productivity and provide a seamless and intuitive user experience, the software offers up a ton of customization options and system-wide enhancements, but also a plethora of pre-installed apps and services.
Customization and Themes
MIUI allows users to personalize their Redmi Note 12 Pro+ according to their own unique tastes. With a seemingly endless supply of themes, wallpapers, and icon packs to choose from, users can give their device a truly personalized look. The ability to customize the layout, font size, and icon styles further enhances the user’s ability to tailor the interface to their liking.
System-Wide Dark Mode
Let’s face it, we’re pretty much all-in on dark mode with apps on our devices these days. One of the standout features of MIUI is its system-wide dark mode. This mode not only enhances visual comfort during low-light conditions but also helps conserve battery life on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+. By applying a dark color scheme across the entire interface, users can enjoy a more immersive experience and reduce eye strain.
Pre-installed Apps and Services
For better or worse, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ comes with a comprehensive set of pre-installed apps and services. Designed to add value to your smartphone experience, some users simply refer to this as bloatware and get to uninstalling right away.
From productivity tools such as file managers, note-taking apps, and weather applications to entertainment apps like music and video players, users have a range of options readily available at their fingertips. If you haven’t settled on a favorite app for these types of things, then you might like what’s on offer. But for the vast majority of us who have taken to specifics, (often from Google), you might feel as if there’s quite a bit of redundancy here.
To be clear, there are quite a few additional titles installed ahead of time, each of which can be removed. Present on my review unit were AliExpress, Crazy Juicer, Dust Settle, Jewels Blast, LinkedIn, Netflix, QEEQ, Solitaire, TikTok, Tile Fun, and others.
Multitasking and Productivity
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ offers a range of features to enhance multitasking and productivity. MIUI supports split-screen mode, allowing users to run two apps simultaneously, making it easier to multitask and access information from multiple sources.
Additionally, the device incorporates a floating window feature, enabling users to use certain apps in a smaller window while performing other tasks. Some of these features are pretty nifty to have once you get used to them. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Google introduce a little more of this in the Pixel experience.
MIUI provides a smart assistant that offers personalized recommendations, quick access to frequently used apps, and a convenient search function. It can also provide relevant information, suggest actions, and daily routines. Again, if you have not settled on Google Assistant as your go-to in this area, I can see how one might appreciate what Xiaomi does.
Performance: Powerhouse Performance for Multitasking
Powered by the octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset, the handset delivers exceptional performance and responsiveness.
With 8GB of RAM, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ ensures seamless multitasking and smooth app transitions. As one might exepect juggling multiple applications, running graphics-intensive games, or editing photos and video don’t prove to be a challenge. In the time I’ve spent with the phone I’ve found it to be a lag-free and fluid experience.
The powerful Mali-G68 GPU and CPU combination ensure smooth gameplay, with high frame rates and detailed graphics. Paired with the display, it’s a lot of fun to play games on this so-called mid-range phone.
The phone offers ample storage space at 256GB, allowing you to store pretty much all of the apps, photos, videos, and files you might need without worrying about running out of space.
The fingerprint reader is located in the right side with the power button and is really quick to respond. I will always hold my phone the same way but I don’t always pick it up the same. That’s probably why I am starting really like it when manufacturers employ this option.
Camera: Versatile and Precise
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ really shines when it comes to its camera capabilities. It’s a versatile and feature-rich photography experience that comes from a triple-camera setup with advanced imaging smarts.
At the heart of the Redmi Note 12 Pro+’s camera system lies a 200MP primary sensor. This high-resolution sensor captures exceptional detail, enabling users to zoom in or crop images without compromising quality. Time and again I found it produces sharp and vibrant images with excellent dynamic range.
One of the main reasons I tend to carry two phones with me when reviewing is because I always defer to my Pixel for photos. For years it was the safe bet for point and shoot with minimal effort and nearly zero retouching. Things have certainly changed as of late and handsets like this make me think twice about dealing with a secondary device.
Images stored on Google Photos have resized but otherwise untouched
The 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens expands the field of view, allowing users to capture breathtaking landscapes, group photos, and architectural shots. With its wide-angle perspective, users can fit more into the frame and unleash their creativity, creating visually stunning compositions. The Redmi Note 12 Pro+’s ultra-wide-angle lens adds depth and dimension to photographs, enhancing their overall impact.
In addition to the primary and ultra-wide-angle lenses, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is equipped with a dedicated 2-megapixel sensor for macro photography and depth sensing. The macro sensor enables users to capture intricate details up close, such as the delicate petals of a flower or the texture of an object. The depth sensor enhances portrait photography, allowing for excellent subject separation and bokeh effects, resulting in professional-looking portraits with pleasing background blur. And my favorite part is that I don’t have to use the portrait mode to do it.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to automatically detect and optimize settings based on the scene being captured. This feature ensures that each photo is well-balanced, with accurate colors and optimal exposure. Whether it’s a landscape, food, or a sunset, the handset does a great job of recognizing the scene and adjusts the settings to capture the best, most true-to-life shot.
Battery: All-Day Power and Fast Charging
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ offers remarkable battery life with its 5,000mAh battery capacity. The phone easily gets through a full day of moderate to heavy usage with juice to spare. Additionally, the device comes with a 120W HyperCharge charger for downright ridiculous charging speeds. Plug in for a few minutes anywhere along your day and you’ll more than certainly add hours of life to the phone.
Parting Thoughts
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ lives up to its reputation as a power-packed smartphone that excels in multiple areas. Its elegant design, immersive display, feature-rich software, robust performance, and long-lasting battery life make it a strong contender in its price range.
Not only do I like the camera, I trust it. Color, accuracy, brightness, and all of the other things that make for a great camera are present here. Sure, 200-megapixel might sound like a gimmick, and pixels don’t really matter in the scheme of things, but this is one of the first devices in a long time that’s given me serious pause for consideration.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ delivers exceptional value for money, catering to users seeking a reliable and feature-rich smartphone. The price point puts it in a crowded space but I have no reservations recommending the phone for folks looking to change things up.
As much as I love the Pixel series and its take on Android, I have come to dig the MIUI experience and its wide range of customization. I know it’s not for everyone, and I get that some may have reservations about buying a device that’s not as readily accessible. With that said, if you live in a market where the Xiaomi brand is easy to get your hands on, you’d be wise to consider the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ for your next handset.