Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S Smartphone Review – The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S smartphone was released in April 2023 as a cheaper alternative to the Redmi Note 12 series. It came at a much cheaper rate, which meant people on a low budget could now enjoy all the goodness that came with the Redmi Note 12 series smartphones. So, things like a high refresh rate display, AMOLED screen, faster CPU, great cameras, and excellent battery are also a part of this smartphone. All these hardware and features come at a price that’s just mouth-watering. But the smartphones arrive with a bit of compromises.
Some compromises and changes were necessary in order to reduce this smartphone’s price from the main Redmi Note 12. It doesn’t make the smartphone unsatisfactory by any means, it just means that the features are not as powerful as the ones found in the higher-end models of the Redmi Note 12 series but the same goes for the price. You get the features you pay for, nothing more and nothing less. Without any further ado, let’s get started with a detailed review of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S smartphone.
Table of Contents
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S features a 6.43-inch AMOLED display panel with up to 90Hz refresh rate.
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S is powered by the 12nmMediatekHelio G96 chipset integrated with Mali-G57 MC2 GPU.
- The smartphone runs on the latest Android 13 OS with an MIUI 14 user interface for better customization.
- The Redmi Note 12S features a 108MP triple-camera system on the back and a 16MP selfie camera at the front.
- The smartphone is equipped with Li-Po 5000 mAh battery with 33W fast wired charging support.
Design and Display
Xiaomi hasn’t compromised with the design of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S smartphone in order to reduce its cost. In fact, they actually made it better with some impressive color options. Instead of making the body of the smartphone completely flat, they made the sides a bit rounder. This made the experience of holding the smartphone a lot better. The grip is firm and the smartphone won’t slide out of your hand. Apart from this, the smartphone has an 8.1mm thick body and weighs around 176 grams. Speaking of the front, you will receive a tiny dot notch but a bit thick bezel on the display.
Furthermore, the device lacks Gorilla glass protection and water-resistant coating. On the front of the smartphone, there’s a 6.43-inch AMOLED display that has been tuned with color correction in mind. The display also has support for up to 90Hz refresh rate, which should make using the smartphone a breeze. The display of the smartphone can also support 1000 nits peak brightness under direct sunlight.
Memory and Internal
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S has been outfitted with the 12nm Mediatek Helio G96 chipset that can reach up to a 2×2.05GHz clocking speed. The device has a mediocre performance and such performance adds to the user experience and builds the credibility of the smartphone. The device has a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU while the power consumption of the chipset is very low and the smartphone generally doesn’t heat up too much.
The smartphone is available for purchase with three memory and storage configurations. The base configurations start with 6GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage and go all the way to 8GB of RAM and 256GB internal storage for the top configuration. The smartphone comes with an MIUI 14 interface running on top of the latest Android 13OS. MIUI 14 comes with a lot of features and has a ton of customizability options. The software part of the device is impressive, while the processor disappoints a bit as it doesn’t have support for 5G connectivity and arrives with a performance-restricted CPU even at this price point.
Camera
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S smartphone has a triple rear camera system with the main camera featuring a high-res 108MP sensor that is capable of delivering pictures with some amazing details, splendid colors, and a high dynamic range. Redmi has optimized the sensor to capture as much as light it can, so pictures during the night rock. The optimized sensor combined with the night mode algorithm allows the smartphone to have some amazing night shots that have a good amount of detail with little to no noise.
The 8MP ultra-wide also manages to take some decent pictures, so long as there’s enough light. Apart from this, there is a 2MP macro lens in the trio. Even the 16MP selfie camera can take some great selfies that are quite bright and have a good amount of detail with saturated colors and even skin tones. When it comes to video recording, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S can shoot up to 1080pvideos@30FPS from both the main rear camera and the selfie camera without any stabilization support.
Battery and Others
The Redmi Note 12S smartphone has a Li-Po 5000 mAh battery capacity that can last about 2 days on general usage. Battery life is something that you will never have to worry about in a Redmi smartphone and that’s because Redmi smartphones are known for excellent battery life. Here’s another thing that will further reduce your battery anxiety. The smartphone has support for up to 33W of wired fast charging.
Apart from that, the smartphone comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, dual-band Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, an Infrared sensor, stereo speakers, GPS, and a USB Type C port for charging. The smartphone has another thing that you won’t find on other smartphones these days and that’s the 3.5mm headphone jack. The smartphone starts at a price tag of $200 (Rs 16,499 in India) approx. for the base variant.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S Pros and Cons
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S smartphone.
| Specifications | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G |
| Announced | March 2023 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.30 x 2.91 x 0.32 inches |
| Weight | 176 g |
| Size | 6.43 inches |
| Display | AMOLED 90Hz 700-1000 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~409 PPI density |
| Protection | No |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| OS | Android 13, MIUI 14 |
| Chipset | 12nm – Mediatek Helio G96 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.05 GHz Cortex-A76 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G57 MC2 |
| Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot) |
| RAM | 6GB, 8GB |
| Internal | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| Camera | 108 MP (wide), PDAF 8 MP (118Ëšultrawide) 2 MP (macro) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 16 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes (stereo speakers) |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS (L1), GLONASS (G1), GALILEO (E1), BDS (B1) |
| NFC | Yes (market/region dependent) |
| Infrared port | Yes |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 |
| Sensors | Side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | Li-Po 5000 mAh 33W wired |
| Colors | Onyx Black, Ice Blue, Pearl Green |
| Expected Price | $200 (Rs 16,499 in India) approx. |
Conclusion
The new Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S is not a smartphone that provides the highest spec the best processor or the brightest screen. This is a smartphone that will provide everything that’s possible in the budget range. The camera is actually quite good and so are the screen and the battery capacity. You will get a decent refresh-rate AMOLED display at this price with this smartphone, which is quite impressive.
This is exactly what the smartphone provides, a satisfying experience, whether that’s the screen, the software of the smartphone, or the battery itself. Speaking of the downsides, the 4G processor and outdated sensors can’t be ignored if you’re looking for performance. For a camera-centric user, the device is going to work well in daylight while other segment users will not be disappointed with the package. The device lacks 5G connectivity and an average performance even when decent alternative phones are available at this price segment. However, if you want an alternate then the Xiaomi Poco X5 would be a good choice because it comes with 5G support and with decent specs. It is around the same price budget but has an even faster processor. However, the final decision is up to you and your requirements.
