At the beginning of Xiaomi’s appearance, I remember very well that the Redmi Note series managed to shake up the middle class smartphone market. The combination of high enough specifications with a very affordable price makes the Redmi Note stand out in its class.
Conditions are different now, after years of his competitors have tackled him hard. So tight, the prestige of the Redmi Note is not as flashy as it used to be. But after trying the Redmi Note 12 4G, I think the charm of the Redmi Note series is still full of charm.
This year, Xiaomi has released the Redmi Note 12 4G and Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G. I’m holding the 4G model, which sells for USD $279 to USD$329 The successor to the Redmi Note 11 brings a new look with major improvements in screen and performance aspects.
This device will not disappoint, why? Check out the reasons in the following Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 review.
Premium AMOLED 120Hz display
I’ve checked, apart from the Redmi Note 12 4G, you won’t find the premium features of an AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate below the price of Rp. 3 million. This is a big advantage over its competitors, of course the panel technology used is not the latest and the protective layer is still Gorilla Glass 3.
The size is very roomy at 6.67 inches supported by FHD + resolution and is very bright with a peak brightness of up to 1200 nits. This means it can be easily used outdoors even on sunny days.
During testing, the jumbo screen really made it easier for me when reading articles, typing was more accurate, and the multitasking display with split screen was quite comfortable. Of course, multimedia experiences such as watching movies and playing games also feel optimal.
The Redmi Note 12 4G screen supports Widevine L1, can stream movies in 1080p resolution on Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and others. Even though the DRM Info application mentions HDR10 and HLG type support, I checked on YouTube it’s not supported.
As usual, in the screen settings you will find color scheme features or color modes such as vivid, saturated , and standard with an adjustable color temperature . Options for a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz or standard 60Hz and a classic or paper style reading mode .
Box Style with Frame and Flat Back
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 adopts a box-style design with sharper corners, and has a flat frame and back. This ‘safe’ design trend is easily recognizable and gives a simple yet modern impression. The unit I’m reviewing is in a classic, Onyx Gray , alongside bright colors like Ice Blue and Mint Green .
What’s new on the Redmi Note 12 is the design of the rear camera module. It looks like it’s inspired by the Xiaomi 12 Lite, with a thick transparent square frame like glass that enhances the premium feel. The camera arrangement is not the same, Xiaomi places the main and ultrawide cameras into a large lens circle.
The back panel is made of frosted, matte plastic with a glass imitating finish. Without a case it would be quite slippery, smudges and fingerprints stick easily, but easy to clean. The thickness of the frame is 7.9 mm and the weight is 184 grams, the body is IP53 certified which can handle dust and water splashes.
The fingerprint sensor is embedded in the power button , next to the volume button on the right. The SIM tray which contains three slots can be found opposite it. Bonus features like the IR Blaster and 3.5mm audio jack top the list. The rest at the bottom includes a microphone, mono speaker , and a USB-C port.
More Powerful with Snapdragon 685 4G
The Redmi Note 12 4G is already running the latest MIUI 14 on top of Android 13, which Xiaomi claims is capable of delivering a 60% smoother user experience. Powered by the Snapdragon 685 4G, Qualcomm’s newest mid-range chipset , the successor to the Snapdragon 680 4G used in the Redmi Note 11 .
This SoC is built using 6nm fabrication technology, with the same octa-core 4+4 CPU configuration, but with a higher clock speed. The four large Cortex-A73 cores beat at 2.8GHz, up from 2.4GHz with a performance increase of around 15% and the rest of the Cortex-A53 still runs at 1.9GHz. Meanwhile, GPU Adreno 610 performance increases by up to 10%.
Xiaomi provides three memory configurations, starting with 4GB LPDDR4X RAM which sells for Rp. 2,599,000, followed by the Rp. 2,799,000 RAM model, and 8GB RAM for Rp. 2,999,000. All three are equipped with UFS 2.2 internal storage with a capacity of 128GB which can be expanded via a microSD card up to 1TB and the unit that I reviewed is the highest variant with an extended RAM of 3GB.
There is a 5,000 mAh battery in this device and the sales package includes 33W fast charging. On this long holiday in June, I pushed the Redmi Note 12 4G to play the Albion Online game with the right alignment settings, namely Ultra graphics quality.
To be honest it feels a bit heavy at 60fps frame rate , the gameplay also feels not smooth enough, GPU limitations but still in a reasonable stage. The interesting thing is the battery consumption and heat, 30 minutes is only reduced by about 5% and even after an hour the body feels warm, it doesn’t overheat .
As an illustration, the following are the test results of several benchmark applications :
- 3DMark Wild Life 651
- 3DMark Wild Life Extreme 138
- PCMark Work 3.0 8.686
- Geekbench 6 Single-core 412
- Geekbench 6 Multi-core 1.357
- Geekbench 6 GPU Compute 365
Same Camera As Its Predecessor
Turning to the camera sector, the Redmi Note 12 4G has the same configuration as its predecessor, even missing a 2MP depth camera , but who cares. The main camera uses a 50MP sensor measuring 1/2.76 inches with 0.64µm pixels and an aperture of f/1.8.
Accompanied by an 8MP f/2.2 camera with a 120-degree ultrawide lens , a 2MP f/2.4 camera for macro shots , and a 13MP f/2.5 front camera. As long as the lighting conditions are good, the main camera is capable of producing good standard quality photos, but it’s quite overwhelming when shooting in challenging and low light conditions.
The camera application features are quite complete, to switch camera modes, just swipe to the right or left side. In photo mode , there are AI and HDR options which must always be activated manually. The Pro mode which offers complete control is only available for photo capture. Following are the photos of the Redmi Note 12 4G:
Due to the limitations of the Snapdragon 6 Series chipset , the Redmi Note 12 4G is unable to record 4K video and is only limited to 1080p 30fps on the three cameras, namely main, ultrawide and front. So it’s not ideal to choose it as a creative content production machine.
Verdict Review Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 4G really doesn’t disappoint. The highest model costs USD$329 and is very capable of competing with middle-class smartphones whose prices are above it, say the Samsung Galaxy A24 and even the OPPO Reno8 T.
The box design with a flat frame and back looks up to date and users will be presented with a premium 120Hz AMOLED screen. The combination of MIUI 14 based on Android 13 and the Snapdragon 685 4G chipset is also able to provide a good middle class smartphone experience.
These prices and advantages are enough to forgive the shortcomings that exist in the Redmi Note 12 4G, such as speakers that are not stereo and the screen does not support HDR. An important note is the ability of the camera which is not so special, but still fits the price.
If you are a content creator, it is better to choose Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G. The price is quite expensive, IDR 4,599,000 or a difference of IDR 1.6 million with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. But you will get a 50MP Sony IMX766 flagship image sensor with 1/1.56-inch OIS, and supports 4K video recording at 30fps and 1080p up to 60fps.
Sparks
- Equipped with a 120Hz AMOLED premium screen
- Box design with frame and flat back
- More powerful with Snapdragon 685 4G
- Bonus features IR Blaster, 3.5mm audio jack, and NFC
- Competitive price, specifications stand out in its class
Slacks
- The screen doesn’t yet support HDR and adaptive refresh rate
- The speakers are not stereo yet
- Standard camera quality, the HDR feature must be activated manually
