Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro and 12 Pro Plus Smartphone Review – The Redmi Note series always brings something that makes them stand out from the rest of the competition, whether it’s fast charging or advanced lens support. The Redmi Note lineup phone can be considered the pinnacle of what you can get from a mid-range smartphone. Each year, they launch something unique that appeals to the users. For 2022, they have already released the Redmi Note 12.
Now, the company is ready with the Pro variants too. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro and 12 Pro Plus smartphones are unveiled in November 2022 in China. It’s not confirmed that this smartphone launched in Southeast Asian and European countries at different times. But whenever this lineup is released, it will create a buzz in the market. We are reviewing both the Note 12 Pro and Pro Plus because they have identical specs except for some minimal differences. With that said, let’s head toward the in-depth Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro and 12 Pro+ reviews.
Table of Contents
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro and 12 Pro Plus Smartphone Review
Highlights
- Both Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro and 12 Pro+ appear with a 6.67-inches OLED panel with FHD resolution.
- As far as the hardware is concerned, you will obtain the Dminesity 1080 5G chipset with decent GPU support.
- The software skin of MIUI 13 with Android 12 firmware on top for immersive customization perks.
- The standard Redmi Note 12 Pro got a 50MP triple cam module, while the Note 12 Pro+ comes with a 200MP primary lens.
- A Li-Po 5000 mAh battery arrives in both models, with 67W charging in the Pro variant and 120W charging in the Pro+ variant.
Design and Display
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro smartphone got a boxy shape to build quality with a plastic body, while the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus arrives with a glass finish texture and a slightly curved back panel. There’s no doubt that the Pro Plus variant looks premium over the Pro versions. Yet, they have common color variants such as Black, Blue, and White. However, the Note 12 Pro+ got a Trendy edition that gives a similar vibe to the racing edition.
Whereas, the Note 12 Pro got Violet shade options that got a sparkle back panel, which makes this phone stand out from the rest of the choices. Even though the battery configuration is the same on both phones, the company used different models, which is why the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro smartphone has a slimmer 7.9 mm body while the Note 12 Pro Plus version has a 9 mm body thickness. Apart from this, you won’t find a particular difference between them.
Moving to the front display, both models got a 6.67-inches OLED panel that is curved with IP rating protection, while at the same time, you will also obtain a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR 10+ content support. Not to forget that, the phone renders Dolby vision and 900nits peak brightness, so you won’t face any issues while watching content on the screen. For security perks, Face ID, PIN, Passcode, and under-display fingerprint scanner are present.
Memory and Internal
Under the hood, the 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset offers decent performance with 5G connectivity support. Though you might not receive overclocking features here, still, the company tries to render up to 2×2.6GHz cloaking speed. It is more than sufficient for normal users, while if you are a heavy user, the processor will handle advanced multitasking, gaming, and video streaming effortlessly.
On the other hand, you won’t face any problem while playing high-intensity graphics games since the GPU handle the visuals in a pretty hassle-free manner. The software layering of the Android 12 based on the MIUI 13 brings lots of customization features. With that, any user can create a personalized android ecosystem according to their wishes. Though, you will notice some pre-install apps inside the Android ecosystem.
Anyway, you are not getting the Android 13 OS update on this phone, yet. But it is expected that the company will release a new OS version soon. As far as the storage is concerned, you choose between 128GB to 256GB UFS 2.2 space with 6GB, 8GB, and 12GB options for Redmi Note 12 Pro, whereas the Pro plus variant starts with 256GB storage and is accompanied by 8GB to 12GB RAM support.
Camera
The camera quality of the Note 12 Pro and Pro+ are identical since the company used the same image processing unit under the hood. It will make sure that the colors are looking natural and polished in each shot. But, the main difference between them would be the specs. The Redmi Note 12 Pro got a 50MP primary lens, whereas the Note 12 Pro+ gets hold of a 200MP main lens.
There is only a handful of smartphones that got this lens such as Motorola Edge 30 Ultra. Though, the core reason for better camera quality lies behind the AI tech that the company has used on these phones. You can capture decent color photos with a fine contrast in the daylight, while the night mode images also come out great, and you won’t see that much noise with proper exposure.
Aside from this, both phone’s model got an 8MP ultra-wide lens for dynamic range, a 2MP macro lens for nearby shots, and a 16MP selfie lens onboard on the front display. With that, the native camera offers several video recording modes, in which slow-mo recording is worth noting. Generally, you can record up to 4K with the main camera module with good stabilization support. However, the front camera can only record only to 1080p, which is admirable for a mid-range phone since the expectations are not that high.
Battery and Others
Under the hood, you will find a Li-Po 5000 mAh battery setup in both variants, which comes with better battery optimization. With that, you can expect long-lasting battery life for daily activities that you perform on your device. Whether it’s gaming or just causing social media scrolling, you will obtain decent screen time. Though, the difference would be the charging speed. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro smartphone offers a 67W fast charger.
Through that, the battery will be fueled in less than an hour, while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus variant offers a 120W charger that only needs 25 minutes to completely replenish the battery percentage. Furthermore, both phones offer a 3.5 mm jack port and render impressive sound output with stereo speakers. Last but not least, the Redmi Note 12 Pro is priced at $269 (Rs. 21,999 in India), while the Pro Plus variant cost $339 (Rs.27,599 in India) approx.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus smartphone.
| Specifications | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | October 2022 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.41 x 2.99 x 0.35 inches |
| Weight | 208.4 g |
| Size | 6.67 inches |
| Display | OLED 1B colors 120Hz Dolby Vision HDR10+ 500-900 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~395 PPI density |
| Protection/Others | IP53, dust and splash resistant |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| OS | Android 12, MIUI 13 |
| Chipset | 6nm – MediaTek Dimensity 1080 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G68 MC4 |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB |
| Internal | 256GB UFS 2.2 |
| Camera | 200 MP (wide), PDAF, OIS 8 MP (119Ëšultrawide) 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama Max – 4K@30fps |
| Selfie | 16 MP (wide) HDR Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes (stereo speakers) |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes 24-bit/192kHz audio |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS (L1), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c), GALILEO (E1) QZSS (L1) |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | Yes |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, USB On-The-Go |
| Sensors | Under display fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro proximity, compass |
| Battery | Li-Po 5000 mAh Fast charging 120W USB Power Delivery 3.0 |
| Colors | Black, Blue, White, Trend edition |
| Expected Price | $339 (Rs 27,590 in India) approx. |
Conclusion
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro is a downgraded version of the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus, but due to the fact there are lots of similarities in specifications, you don’t miss out on some of the basic features. However, there’s no doubt the Redmi Note 12 Pro smartphone does have cut some corners. But even then, this phone is one of the best smartphones in the mid-range segment that got everything correct from specs to features.
On the other hand, if you are willing to spend a bit more, there’s Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus version is available for you. But if you are spending that much, we would suggest going with Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Explorer edition that got additional faster charging support. Though this edition is currently exclusive to China, still it’s overall a great deal over the Pro+ version. Finally, if you are looking for a value-for-money deal, choosing Redmi Note 12 Pro is still an outstanding choice.
